The infamous and ingenious Ho Chi Minh Trail - Cameron Paterson

Translator: Andrea McDonough Reviewer: Bedirhan Cinar

Translator: Phoebe Clementine Noverico Reviewer: Reno Kanti Riananda

Deep in the jungles of Vietnam,

Jauh di dalam belantara Vietnam,

soldiers from both sides

tentara dari kedua pihak

battled heat exhaustion and each other

berjuang melawan lelah dan satu sama lain

for nearly 20 long years.

selama hampir 20 tahun.

But the key to Communist victory

Namun, kunci kemenangan Komunis

wasn't weapons or stamina,

bukan senjata atau stamina,

it was a dirt road.

melainkan jalan tanah.

The Ho Chi Minh Trail,

Jalur Ho Chi Minh,

winding through Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia,

menyusuri Vietnam, Laos, dan Kamboja,

started as a simple network of dirt roads

berawal dari jalan tanah sederhana,

and blossomed into the centerpiece

yang berkembang menjadi faktor utama

of the winning North Vietnamese strategy

kemenangan strategi Vietnam Utara

during the Vietnam War,

saat perang Vietnam,

supplying weapons,

dengan memasok senjata, pasukan,

troops,

and psychological support to the South.

dan dukungan psikologis ke Selatan.

The trail was a network of tracks,

Jalur ini adalah jaringan jalan tanah dan setapak,

dirt roads,

and river crossings

dan penyeberangan sungai

that threaded west out of North Vietnam

yang mengarah ke barat dari Vietnam Utara

and south along the Truong Son Mountain Range

ke arah selatan melalui pegunungan Truong Son

between Vietnam and Laos.

di antara Vietnam dan Laos.

The journey to the South originally took six months.

Perjalanan ke Selatan biasanya memakan waktu enam bulan.

But, with engineering and ingenuity,

Namun, dengan rekayasa dan kecerdikan,

the Vietnamese expanded and improved the trail.

bangsa Vietnam memperluas dan memperbaiki jalur tersebut.

Towards the end of war,

Di akhir peperangan,

as the main roads detoured through Laos,

saat jalan utama dialihkan ke Laos,

it only took one week.

hanya butuh waktu satu minggu.

Here is how it happened.

Begini ceritanya.

In 1959, as relations deteriorated

Tahun 1959, seiring merenggangnya

between the North and the South,

hubungan Utara dan Selatan,

a system of trails was constructed in order to infiltrate

sistem jalur dibuat untuk menyusupkan

soldiers, weapons, and supplies into South Vietnam.

tentara, senjata, dan pasokan ke Vietnam Selatan.

The first troops moved in single-file

Pasukan bergerak dalam satu baris

along routes used by local ethnic groups,

sepanjang rute yang biasa dipakai masyarakat lokal,

and broken tree branches at dusty crossroads

dan patahan ranting pohon di persimpangan jalan berdebu

were often all that indicated the direction.

adalah satu-satunya penanda arah.

Initially, most of the Communist cadres

Awalnya, sebagian besar kader Komunis yang menggunakan jalur ini

who came down the trail

were Southerners by birth who had trained in North Vietnam.

adalah kelahiran Vietnam Selatan yang dilatih di Utara.

They dressed like civilian peasants

Mereka berpakaian seperti orang biasa

in black, silk pajamas with a checkered scarf.

dengan piyama sutra hitam dan syal kotak-kotak.

They wore Ho Chi Minh sandals on their feet,

Mereka memakai sandal Ho Chi Minh,

cut from truck tires,

terbuat dari ban truk,

and carried their ration of cooked rice

dan membawa ransum nasi mereka

in elephants' intestines,

dalam usus gajah,

a linen tube hung around the body.

selubung linen yang mengelilingi tubuh.

The conditions were harsh

Kondisi alamnya keras,

and many deaths were caused by exposure,

banyak korban jiwa akibat panas,

malaria,

malaria,

and amoebic dysentery.

dan disentri amuba.

Getting lost,

Tersesat, mati kelaparan,

starving to death,

and the possibility of attacks by wild tigers or bears

dan kemungkinan diserang oleh harimau atau beruang

were constant threats.

adalah ancaman konstan.

Meals were invariably just rice and salt,

Makanannya selalu hanya nasi dan garam,

and it was easy to run out.

yang sangat mudah habis.

Fear, boredom, and homesickness

Takut, bosan, dan rindu rumah

were the dominant emotions.

mendominasi emosi.

And soldiers occupied their spare time

Dan tentara menggunakan waktu luang

by writing letters,

untuk menulis surat,

drawing sketches,

menggambar,

and drinking and smoking with local villagers.

atau minum dan merokok dengan penduduk lokal.

The first troops down the trail

Pasukan pertama ini

did not engage in much fighting.

tak banyak bertarung.

And after an exhausting six month trip,

Setelah enam bulan perjalanan,

arriving in the South was a real highlight,

mencapai Selatan adalah hal yang besar,

often celebrated by bursting into song.

yang biasa dirayakan dengan bernyanyi.

By 1965, the trip down the trail could be made by truck.

Tahun 1965, perjalanan bisa ditempuh dengan truk.

Thousands of trucks supplied by China and Russia

Jutaan truk yang disuplai oleh Tiongkok dan Rusia

took up the task amidst ferocious B-52 bombing

menjalankan tugas di tengah pengeboman B-52 yang ganas

and truck drivers became known as pilots of the ground.

dan supir truk dikenal sebagai pilot di darat.

As traffic down the trail increased,

Saat lalu lintas jalur meningkat,

so did the U.S. bombing.

begitu pula pengeboman oleh AS.

They drove at night or in the early morning

Mereka pergi larut malam atau pagi buta

to avoid air strikes,

demi menghindari serangan,

and watchmen were ready

dan para penjaga siap

to warn drivers of enemy aircraft.

memperingatkan supir akan pesawat musuh.

Villages along the trail organized teams

Desa di sekitar jalur mengorganisir tim

to guarantee traffic flow

untuk membantu lalu lintas

and to help drivers repair damage caused by air attacks.

dan menolong supir memperbaiki kerusakan dari serangan udara.

Their catch cries were,

Seruan mereka adalah,

"Everything for our Southern brothers!"

“Apa pun untuk saudara dari Selatan!”

and, "We will not worry about our houses

dan, “Kami tidak peduli akan rumah kami

if the vehicles have not yet gotten through."

jika kendaraannya belum lewat.”

Some families donated their doors

Beberapa keluarga menyumbangkan pintu

and wooden beds to repair roads.

dan ranjang mereka untuk memperbaiki jalan.

Vietnamese forces even used deception

Pasukan Vietnam bahkan menggunakan muslihat

agar pasukan AS mengebom sisi gunung

to get the U.S. aircraft to bomb mountainsides

in order to make gravel for use

untuk menghasilkan kerikil

in building and maintaining roads.

untuk bangunan dan pemeliharaan jalan.

The all-pervading red dust seeped into every nook and cranny.

Debu merah merembes ke setiap sudut dan celah.

The Ho Chi Minh Trail had a profound impact

Jalur Ho Chi Minh memiliki dampak mendalam

on the Vietnam War

pada Perang Vietnam,

and it was the key to Hanoi's success.

dan merupakan kunci dari kesuksesan Hanoi.

North Vietnamese victory was not determined by the battlefields,

Kemenangan Vietnam Utara tidak ditentukan di arena pertempuran,

but by the trail,

melainkan di jalur ini,

which was the political,

yang merupakan hal vital dalam

strategic,

and economic lynchpin.

politik, strategis, dan ekonomi.

Americans recognized its achievement,

Amerika mengakui hal itu, menyebut jalur itu sebagai

calling the trail,

"One of the great achievements

“Sebuah pencapaian besar

in military engineering of the 20th century."

dalam rekayasa militer di abad ke-20.”

The trail is a testimony to the strength of will

Jalur tersebut adalah bukti kekuatan tekad

of the Vietnamese people,

bangsa Vietnam,

and the men and women who used the trail

dan pengguna jalur tersebut

have become folk heros.

telah menjadi pahlawan rakyat.