The person who created the stainless steel spire on the summit of Fansipan.

Reuniting with his "brainchild" on the summit of Fansipan on a day in May 2021, Mr. Le Hong Quang couldn't hide his emotion and pride in his eyes. Gently adjusting his traditional five-panel áo dài (Vietnamese long dress) against the strong winds on the mountaintop, he slowly recounted the idea of ​​rebuilding the summit of Fansipan, which he conceived 13 years ago.

In early 2008, the website "Heart of Vietnam Online," one of the largest Vietnamese-language forums at the time, continuously featured posts warning about the damage to the summit of Fansipan. Although he had never seen it, the image of the granite rock formation riddled with cracks and fractures inspired Hong Quang to rebuild the summit of the "Roof of Indochina."

"At the time, I just thought that the landmark on the summit of Vietnam's most difficult mountain to conquer held great sacred significance," he recalled. Acting on this thought, on January 9, 2008, he posted a call to action on a forum to "rebuild a new summit marker for Fansipan." The topic received much attention and encouragement. The team building the marker gained four new members: Ms. Le Thanh Van designed the blueprints, Mr. Nguyen Minh Tuan oversaw the construction, and Mr. Thanh Tung and Mr. Tan raised funds within the Tay Bac Group.

The following day, Quang sent a letter to the then Director of Hoang Lien Son National Park, Mr. Nguyen Quoc Tri, requesting permission for the backpacking community and Fansipan enthusiasts to build a summit marker as a community initiative. The group felt empowered when Mr. Tri issued a document agreeing to the request. In less than a week, Quang's group raised approximately 10 million VND through donations and began construction.

Architect Thanh Vân designed the spire based on the original model from 1964. Initially, the proposed material for the spire was duralumin alloy due to its durability. However, this alloy was difficult to find, and the team lacked sufficient funds. At that time, Nguyen Minh Tuan, a non-ferrous metallurgy engineer in the team, decided to use SUS201 stainless steel, promising that "the spire will last over time; even after enduring rain and wind on the mountaintop, it will become even shinier."

"Before building the spire, I had once conquered Fansipan and noticed that the iron pillars there didn't rust at all, due to the salty air. Therefore, the material I chose would help the spire remain durable and beautiful," Anh Tuan said. He then personally purchased the materials, carried out the construction, and supervised the creation of the lettering on the stainless steel spire.

On January 26, 2008, the spire was completed, weighing over 20 kg and standing 99 cm tall. Three sides of the spire feature a five-pointed star along with inscriptions.Fansipan 3,143m, made with corrosive material. On the same day, Quang took the spire to Hoan Kiem Lake, to the statue of King Le Thai To to perform a prayer ceremony, before getting into his car and heading towards Fansipan in the evening.

At midnight, the car carrying the group broke down in Yen Bai province. To avoid being late for the appointment to hand over the summit marker to the Hoang Lien Son National Park Management Board the next day, Hong Quang jumped on a train alone, carrying the marker towards Lao Cai. The car was repaired just as the train left the station. Because of this incident, the group often joked that it was a "spiritual event," as everyone who went to Lao Cai that day had to travel by train, and the summit marker was no exception.

The following morning, the group met in Lao Cai and continued on to Sa Pa town, handing over the summit marker to the National Park Management Board. To complete the plan before Tet (Lunar New Year), Nguyen Minh Tuan and several H'Mong porters carried the marker to the summit. Quang and the remaining members of the group did not accompany the team, as conquering Fansipan at that time required climbers to prepare their physical fitness beforehand.

During the winter months, temperatures in Hoang Lien Son sometimes drop below 0 degrees Celsius, and even with wind and rain soaking through multiple layers of clothing, the youthful energy and determination of the mountain peak bearers remained undiminished. After two days of trekking through the forest, Tuan and his team reached their destination at noon on January 28, 2008. Due to the extremely harsh weather, Tuan's entire body was stiff and numb; a strong gust of wind at that moment felt as though it could have pulled him down the cliff.

Within half an hour, he urgently drilled through the rock, poured cement, and secured the spire so he could descend the mountain as soon as possible. Even so, each step was carried out with extreme meticulousness, ensuring the pointed end of the spire faced north and the flat side faced south, so that on clear days, sunlight would reflect and sparkle on the mountaintop.

As soon as he had reached the summit, Tuan felt completely drained of energy. He returned to the summit, descending about 100 meters, his entire body cramping. His thin shirt was soaked, causing him to lose body heat rapidly, forcing him to lie down by the roadside. At that moment, the porters repeatedly urged and encouraged him to quickly regain his strength and return to the camp to warm up before his health deteriorated further.

On February 17th of that year, which also coincided with his 35th birthday, Hong Quang and the "Fansipan Love - Fanlove" group, consisting of 34 members who also contributed to building the summit marker, conquered the high mountain.

More than 10 years have passed, but Quang and Tuan still cannot forget the feeling of the biting cold penetrating their skin and the frozen leaves in the Hoang Lien Son forest back then. But what they remember most, perhaps, is the pride and love for their country that filled their hearts when standing beside their "spiritual child" on the Roof of Indochina.

Huyen Chau