Memories of the Truong Son Women

Preserve what time may soon take away

A campaign to preserve the invaluable memories and lessons of the women soldiers of the Truong Son fuel-pipeline route—the force that quietly sustained the lifeline supplying the southern battlefield.

Campaign overview

Preservation focus 30 women soldiers
Fundraising goal 300.000.000đ
Campaign timeline Complete within 90 days
Current progress 0/30 records completed
Bức thư viết tay của những nữ cựu chiến binh tuyến đường ống xăng dầu Trường Sơn

A letter from the women veterans of the Truong Son fuel-pipeline route

In June 2026, more than 30 women veterans jointly wrote and signed a letter to the Foundation and the project, expressing their wish for their memories to be preserved.

Who are they?

Women who crossed “a river of fire”

1968 — 1975 · Truong Son fuel-pipeline route

They left home while still very young for Truong Son, carrying their youth through hardship, sacrifice and lives whose stories have not been fully told.

A 40-kilogram woman carrying a pipe heavier than herself

Ms. Tach weighed just over 40 kilograms, yet carried fuel pipes weighing 32–42 kilograms. Unable to lift them directly, she braced one end on the ground and rolled it gradually onto her shoulder before climbing each slope. Teammates relieved her in turns. For five years, she did not have a single day of lighter work.

A bomb fragment through her cheek and a final note to her family

On 22 December 1972, while Ms. Tach sat inside a shelter, her friend sat by its entrance. A small bomb fragment passed through her cheek and struck her carotid artery. Her comrades tried to stop the bleeding but could not. Even at the edge of life and death, she wrote down her parents’ names so they could be told before she was gone.

One day before peace, the bombs still would not stop falling

Ms. Tach remembers a B-52 bombing that took 19 lives just as the Paris Peace Accords were about to take effect, including many people from her home region. More than fifty years later, that memory remains inseparable from every account she gives of Truong Son.

Searching for comrades in the deep forests of Laos

After reunification, Ms. Hiep’s unit was tasked with recovering the remains of comrades who died in Laos and bringing them home. There were no grave markers or coffins—only a tree or stone marking a place. When remains were found, her teammates asked her to stand back, but she reassured herself: “Why should I fear my comrade?” and stepped closer for one final farewell.

A victory report that made her cry out with joy

On the morning of 30 April 1975, Ms. Hiep was reading news to her unit when word arrived that the South had been fully liberated. She burst into tears and cried out, “It is liberated! What joy—we have won!” The joy spread through the unit in an instant.

Help preserve these memories
Why preserve them now?

Some memories can only be told by those who lived them

Without proper preservation, memories fade with time

the hardship of the Truong Son forest, quiet sacrifice, and comrades whose stories may otherwise disappear into the past.

The women soldiers are now elderly

A last opportunity to hear Truong Son in the voices of those who lived it.

First-hand stories of those heroic years are gradually fading from living memory

They were the golden girls of a time of war, meeting it with courage.

A responsibility for future generations

Preserve these memories so young people understand the price of today’s peace.

WHAT WILL YOUR CONTRIBUTION MAKE POSSIBLE?

Turn your contribution into action

Every contribution—funding, materials or community connections—helps preserve, share and pass on this memory heritage.

Các nữ cựu chiến binh tuyến đường ống xăng dầu Trường Sơn qua các thời kỳ
Preserve memories

Meet witnesses, record, digitise, edit, verify and return memory records.

Reconnect comrades

Connect information from testimony, materials and veteran communities.

Support hardship cases

Record cases needing support with verification and independent reporting.

Education & outreach

Bring these stories closer to young people through content, events and exhibitions.

TRANSPARENCY IN EVERY CONTRIBUTION

Every contribution is gratefully acknowledged

We commit to publishing progress, resources received and materials entrusted by the community.

Donate now
Donation progress for this cycleGoal: 300,000,000 VND
UpdatingTotal donations
UpdatingTotal materials contributed
UpdatingTotal supporters
PUBLIC CONTRIBUTIONS

Look up contributions

Look up contributions recorded for this campaign.

30% of total donations
OUR COMMITMENT

Matching funds — amplifying resources

The Phan Anh Social Foundation and partners commit matching funds of up to 30% of the initial donation budget, helping accelerate recording and digitisation despite the women veterans’ health and age constraints.

Founders & patrons

Advisory board

Historian Duong Trung Quoc

HISTORY ADVISOR

Historian Duong Trung Quoc

Professor Dr. Le Minh Tam

LEGAL ADVISOR

Professor Dr. Le Minh Tam

Dr. Nguyen Si Dung

PUBLIC POLICY ADVISOR

Dr. Nguyen Si Dung

Journalist Hong Thanh Quang

CONTENT ADVISOR

Journalist Hong Thanh Quang

Poet Bang Viet

CULTURAL ADVISOR

Poet Bang Viet

Mr. Kenneth Atkinson

FINANCIAL ADVISOR

Mr. Kenneth Atkinson

Mr. Do Nhu Cu

PAF FOUNDATION FOUNDER

Mr. Do Nhu Cu

HOW MEMORIES ARE PRESERVED

How will these memories be preserved and verified?

Each contribution helps preserve a memory for the long term, with clear provenance, for future generations.

01

Collect testimony and materials

Meet witnesses, record testimony and collect related images and documents in their historical context.

02

Digitise and edit

Convert materials to digital formats, organise and add needed information without changing the meaning of testimony.

03

Verify provenance and review content

Record storyteller, date, context and handling so each item has clear, searchable provenance.

04

Archive and pass on

Store materials in Heritex and return memory records to families, communities and future generations.

Coming soon
VERIFICATION PROCESS · 30 SECONDS

Blockchain is the assurance layer for a record’s digital trace and integrity.

FAQ

What you may want to know before supporting the campaign

Donate now
What will donations be used for?

First, donations fund recording, digitisation, verification and preservation of memory records. The Foundation may then support related work such as reconnecting comrades, hardship assistance and sharing the human value of these memories.

Why use digital verification / blockchain?

It establishes provenance, protects authenticity, preserves memories long term and allows them to be passed on as a family and community legacy.

How is blockchain used to preserve and verify materials?

Heritex uses blockchain as an assurance layer for a record’s digital trace and integrity. The system creates a digital fingerprint (hash) for each item and records key verification milestones; if content changes later, the fingerprint no longer matches.

Original content and personal information are not published in full on the blockchain, and remain stored with appropriate access controls. Blockchain primarily proves provenance, verification time and whether materials remain intact.

Can I share materials instead of donating money?

Yes. You may share photographs, letters, keepsakes, testimony, witness information or connections to relevant families and comrades.

Will there be a report after the campaign?

Yes. The Foundation will update progress and report results at each milestone: resources received, memory records implemented, materials digitised and any related activities.

Preserve Truong Son memories together

Preserve what time may soon take away

Every memory is living history that must be heard, established and passed on before time takes it away.