During July, the ‘Mother Nhu and 7 Thanh Khe Heroes’ historical site in Da Nang has welcomed a large number of visitors paying tribute to Mother Nhu and the 7 brave soldiers who laid down their lives in the pursuit of national reunification.

Mr Ly and some of the artifacts on display

Covering an area of over 600m², the site is nestled in alley No 748 on Tran Cao Van in Thanh Khe District’s Thanh Khe Dong Ward. 

Mother Nhu’s house provided a secret shelter for revolutionary cadres during the anti-US resistance war.  Due to the betrayal of a Vietnamese soldier, the shelter was discovered by the enemy.  On 26 December 1968, many enemy soldiers visited Mother Nhu’s house and killed her because she would not reveal a secret tunnel which was being used to protect the revolutionary cadres.  During that same day, 7 Thanh Khe soldiers bravely killed a total of 80 US soldiers.

Ever since national liberation in 1975, Mr Pham Phu Ly, one of Mother Nhu’s sons, has lived in his mother’s house.  In 1985, the ‘Mother Nhu and 7 Thanh Khe Heroes’ memorial house was created from the downgraded foundations of Mother Nhu’s house.  In 2009, the house was officially recognised as a national-level historical relic site and it was refurbished. 

Mr Ly was then granted land nearby to build his own house and, since then, he has been a security guard for the site.  Currently on display at the house are numerous artifacts relating to Mother Nhu and the 7 Thanh Khe heroes, such as models and Mother Nhu’s clothes, bowls, and tin boxes.

Mr Le Huu Khanh, Chairman of the Thanh Khe Dong Ward People’s Committee, remarked “Over recent years, this historic site has become a popular destination for the education of local residents, especially the younger generations, about patriotism.  Many primary and junior high schools, Youth Union organisations, and Women’s Associations across the city have visited the site to pay tribute to the fallen heroes."