Historical Revolutionary Site: Tức Dụp Hill, An Tức Commune - Tri Tôn District

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           Tức Dụp Hill is a historical revolutionary site, marking significant historical events during the anti-American resistance of the army and people of An Giang province.

           Tức Dụp, the name of a hill on Mount Tô, is part of the majestic Seven Mountain range, located in An Tức commune, Tri Tôn district. The Khmer ethnic people call it "Tức Chúp," which means the hill with water flowing at night. Tức Dụp has an elevation of 300 meters, with a circumference of 2,000 meters around its base. Compared to other mountains in the Thất Sơn range like Núi Dài and Núi Cấm, Tức Dụp Hill is small but contains many deep caves and large grottos (locally known as "lò ảng") that are interconnected by a network of intricate passages. This rugged terrain provided an ideal strategic base for revolutionary organizations and armed forces, enabling them to establish strongholds capable of resisting large enemy forces. Consequently, during both wars of resistance, our cadres and soldiers used Tức Dụp as a base for anti-invasion movements.

To the north, Tức Dụp Hill is 10 kilometers from the Cambodian border by air. To the south, it borders Thoại Sơn district, to the east, it borders Tri Tôn town and Châu Phú and Châu Thành districts, and to the west, it borders Kiên Giang province

With its mountainous terrain along the border, this region also lies on the communication, logistics, and troop transfer route from the Central Office for South Vietnam, through the Central-Southern region to the Southwest. Since 1956, Tức Dụp Hill has been a revolutionary resistance base. In 1960, the insurrection movement of the people and army of An Giang broke out vigorously here. From 1961 to 1964, the liberated area expanded. In 1965, the An Giang Provincial Party Committee headquarters was also located at Tức Dụp Hill. The battlefield here was very fierce from 1965 to 1967. After the Tet Offensive in 1968, the U.S. and South Vietnamese forces focused their elite units on attacking Tức Dụp Hill in an attempt to eradicate this strategic revolutionary base. However, our troops and people were determined to hold onto the revolutionary base, maintaining it as a symbol of resistance to continue promoting the armed struggle movement, combined with political struggle, in An Giang.

Therefore, the enemy tried to force our forces out of the mountainous area to annihilate them. Meanwhile, we were determined to hold on to the Tức Dụp base area to preserve the resistance forces, find ways to attack and eliminate the enemy in the lowlands, and launch political struggle movements against the enemy in urban areas.

         The enemy relied on strategic hamlets to separate the people from the liberated areas, control them, and cut off all supplies and reinforcements from our troops and civilians outside Tức Dụp. Despite having a small number of troops on Tức Dụp Hill, mainly from the Tri Tôn district armed forces, supported by the Provincial armed forces and a few other agencies, totaling less than a hundred people, our forces were highly determined. They combined this determination with strong political struggle movements outside, such as propaganda efforts, anti-conscription campaigns, mobilizing more troops, opposition to forced resettlement, and protests against indiscriminate shelling and bombing. Additionally, we established combat hamlets to resist sweeps with spiked fences, minefields, preset grenades, and snipers targeting the enemy from a distance.

         Under the direction of the An Giang Provincial Party Committee, we skillfully coordinated the internal and external combat forces in a synchronized manner, adapting to favorable conditions and striking the enemy accordingly.

         The Commune Militias around Tức Dụp Hill were directly engaged in attacking enemy outposts in their respective localities.

         A military unit led by Comrade Hai Cư from the Tri Tôn District armed forces, in coordination with the An Giang Provincial Team, launched direct assaults on military bases, artillery positions, and tanks, and intercepted enemy reinforcement units attempting to reach Tức Dụp.

         Thanks to this close coordination, we managed to limit and break many of the enemy's massive attacks on the Tức Dụp battlefield from late 1968 to early 1969, causing them significant damage.

         A notable battle was the fierce 128-day and night confrontation (November 16, 1968 - March 23, 1969). The U.S. and South Vietnamese forces mobilized divisions 7, 9, and 21 from the 4th Tactical Zone, along with ranger groups, armored vehicles, artillery, and various aircraft, including bombers and fighter jets. The U.S. also supplemented the battlefield with allied units like South Korean troops under Park Chung-hee and employed nearly all modern warfare equipment for the Tức Dụp battlefield: a squadron of M.118 tanks, over 20 amphibious vehicles M.113, and 29 artillery pieces positioned at Tri Tôn, Nam Qui, Chơn Nam, Chong Sắc, Ô Chu, and a mobile artillery group from Chi Lăng. Besides napalm, tear gas, and chemical weapons, they also used B52 bombers to carpet bomb and engage in fierce attacks. They implemented a plan using the "inchworm" tactic, advancing gradually, contesting every cave, cliff, and rocky outcrop with us. They attacked us from many directions intensively: from the foot of the mountain (leapfrog tactics), from the top of the hill (helicopter air assaults), and from the An Tức and Mười Xem cliffs. Additionally, a group of allied soldiers attacked directly at the C6 Hall and infiltrated our District Military Depot.

         To counter the enemy's attacks, we divided into small units to hold the cave entrances and rocky outcrops, dynamically fighting back and stopping the enemy's advances. At the same time, our mobile units took advantage of the terrain, using burrowing tactics to appear unexpectedly, striking the enemy's flanks, rear, and launching surprise assaults that killed many enemy soldiers and forced them to retreat. Every time we counterattacked, bombs and artillery would immediately rain down on the battlefield like a storm, turning the entire Tức Dụp hill area into a sea of fire. Each day, the enemy attacked at least 4 to 9 times, each time dropping many bombs, firing heavy artillery, and using toxic chemicals. Their tanks and aircraft also joined the battle, with bombs and shells tearing up the ground, creating a fierce and devastating battlefield scene.Facing this dire situation, comrades from the An Giang Provincial Party Committee such as Năm Sương, Hai Ly, Sáu Hơn, Mười Đức, Ms Hai Bé, and many others directed reinforcements and supplies from outside, personally visiting Tức Dụp hill to check on the units, visit the wounded, and encourage and commend the officers and soldiers for their brave defense of the Tức Dụp base.
 

          As food supplies were running out, they had to survive on porridge made from taro, cassava, wild roots, salt, and dried food secretly provided by the local people. Our weaponry was replenished by capturing and using the enemy’s weapons against them.

         If we compare the troop numbers on the battlefield, our forces were much less than the enemy, with a ratio of 100 to 5,000, not counting the reserve troops for reinforcements and modern equipment such as aircraft, mortars, tanks, etc. However, our advantage lay in each soldier's familiarity with the rugged terrain, high fighting spirit, and the support and supplies provided by the local people. Summarizing the battles, we eliminated 4,700 enemy soldiers, captured several others, confiscated many types of weapons and other war materials, destroyed 11 tanks, 9 105-mm artillery pieces, shot down 2 bombers, 3 helicopters, and 1 cargo helicopter. We seized over 800 various types of weapons.

         Overall, the victory at Tức Dụp marked a turning point, highlighting the growth of An Giang's armed forces during the resistance against the Americans. This victory was achieved by leveraging the rugged terrain and maintaining a high spirit of determination and decisiveness to face the enemy head-on. In these arduous battles, the soldiers of Tức Dụp fought valiantly and achieved numerous outstanding feats. They were honored by the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam with many prestigious medals, including titles such as "Unit and Mechanized Soldier Destroyer," "American Soldier Destroyer," and the Medal and title "Brave and Unyielding Soldier Defending Tức Dụp Hill, Tô Mountain."

         The Tức Dụp Hill Revolutionary Historical Site was classified by the Ministry of Culture and Information under Decision No. 666/VH-QĐ on April 1, 1985.

         To better serve tourists and visitors, the provincial leaders have directed relevant departments to restore and enhance the Tức Dụp Hill historical site. Currently, this location has become a key tourist attraction of the province. The path up the hill has been constructed with many two-way staircases leading to various caves. Significant spots such as the C6 Conference Cave, the Women's Office, the District Military Office, the Provincial Party Office, the Civilian Medical Office, and many other caves have been fitted with wooden walkways and interconnected electrical systems, providing convenient access for visitors. Additionally, near the Provincial Party Office, a memorial temple has been built to honor the heroic martyrs who fought and sacrificed their lives at Tức Dụp Hill. The temple features a design that is both traditional and modern. Visitors often stop here to light incense and express their gratitude to the martyrs who laid down their lives for the cause of national liberation.

         Beyond the memorial temple and near the base of the hill lies the Traditional House, which displays many images, documents, and artifacts detailing the struggle of An Giang's military and civilians at Tức Dụp Hill specifically and the Bảy Núi region in general.

         At the foot of the hill is a service and entertainment area, including restaurants, craft stalls, scenic ponds, parks, a national defense sports shooting range, a bull racing field, and more, catering to the rest and recreational needs of tourists.

         Currently, the province is developing a master plan project for the Tức Dụp Hill historical site, which will include service points, entertainment areas, guest houses, monuments, and the overall restoration and enhancement of all historical points at Tức Dụp Hill. This is aimed at improving and expanding the historical area to better serve tourists.

         Visitors can reach Tức Dụp Hill via two routes: from Long Xuyên to the Lộ Tẻ junction, then follow Provincial Road 941 to Tri Tôn, and from Tri Tôn to Tức Dụp, which is about 8 kilometers. Alternatively, they can travel from Long Xuyên to Châu Đốc and then to Tri Tôn, with very convenient road access.