PV:Dear Colonel Nguyen Canh Thin, you are a veteran revolutionary, a pre-uprising cadre. Many years have passed, do you still remember the days when you first joined the revolution?
Colonel Nguyen Canh Thin:I was an orphan, my father died when I was 4 years old and my mother died when I was 8 years old, living with my grandmother and uncle, very poor circumstances. Every day, we plowed the land for the landlord and when the harvest came, my family received a portion. Because my parents died early, I had to work as a servant for a landlord's family in the area. But luckily, my boss was a key cadre in the Nghe Tinh Soviet movement of 1930-1931, had participated in the revolution and was imprisoned by the enemy in Kon Tum, so he had progressive thoughts. I lived with them and was influenced by the ideology of my boss and his wife, so I joined the revolution early.
After finishing my servitude, I returned to my hometown and was assigned tasks at the grassroots by veteran revolutionary comrades. After that, I was able to study politics taught and trained by cadres from the 1930-1931 period. During the August Revolution, we participated in rallies, demonstrations, and joined the National Salvation Youth Union and other local organizations. In May 1950, when I was 22 years old, I was honored to be admitted to the Party after a long period of testing and training. One month after becoming a Party member, I volunteered to join the army and participated in most of the campaigns in the North such as the 1st and 2nd Northwest campaigns, the Lai Chau campaign and especially the Dien Bien Phu campaign.
PV:It is known that during the Dien Bien Phu campaign, your unit was one of the first units to be present to prepare the battlefield. Can you share about the first days of participating in the campaign?
Colonel Nguyen Canh Thin:During the Dien Bien Phu campaign, I was a basic-level officer (company level) of the 174th Regiment - the main attack regiment of the 316th Division. I, along with my comrades in the unit, was assigned the task of preparing the battlefield in Dien Bien. To carry out this task, at night, as assigned by our superiors, we went close to the French fence to see the enemy's attack and defense directions to determine the battle plan. During the day, we climbed high mountains to observe Dien Bien to see the French troops stationed. Dien Bien Phu at that time was brightly lit by the French every night.
Through our missions, we determined that this was a very fierce battlefield. Because, when the French colonialists parachuted down to retake Dien Bien Phu for the second time, General Nava devoted all his efforts to building Dien Bien Phu into an unprecedentedly strong base in Indochina, an “impregnable” fortress, a “meat grinder”…
PV:During the Dien Bien Phu campaign, our troops destroyed and captured more than 16,000 enemies, including one major general. This was also the first time in world history that a powerful empire was defeated by the people of a colony. The Dien Bien Phu victory is also considered "a golden milestone in history". However, Colonel Nguyen Canh Thin, during the preparation and fighting processliverSo, the campaign implementation must have had difficulties that seemed like a deadlock?
Colonel Nguyen Canh Thin:I arrived at the Dien Bien Phu battlefield very early and participated in two important battles nearly a month before the opening shots of the Dien Bien Phu battle. I remember the first battle was on January 28 and the plan was to have all units in attack positions at 4 pm so that they could open fire at exactly 6 am. The Party Committee of the Front also met to determine the fighting determination and combat strategy.
The second battle took place on the night of January 30. Our forces at that time consisted of an infantry battalion, artillery support, a mortar company, anti-aircraft artillery, and many DKZ guns for each company. The initial plan was to “fight quickly and win quickly,” but in reality, during the fighting, both sides struggled with each other, fighting for each gun and each bunker.
Reality also shows that at that time, "fighting fast and winning fast" was very difficult because our main force at that time was only familiar with night combat in terrain that was easy to hide, and did not have much experience attacking forts during the day on flat terrain. Meanwhile, the enemy had the advantage of concentrating aircraft, artillery, and tanks to support. In fact, due to these difficulties, Commander-in-Chief General Vo Nguyen Giap at that time decided to postpone the attack, withdraw troops to the assembly position, and prepare again according to the motto "fighting firmly, advancing firmly". This decision was supported by the Politburo and Uncle Ho.
PV:During those difficult times, how was the spirit of our army at that time, sir?
Colonel Nguyen Canh Thin:The Dien Bien Phu campaign was a big campaign, so even though it was difficult and arduous, we were all very excited. At that time, the soldiers participating in the campaign were all volunteers, not soldiers on military service like during the resistance war against the US, so living conditions were still very difficult, not fully equipped, no tanks, no hammocks, wherever they went they had to cut leaves to lie down. The soldiers at that time also had only two bare hands, only hoes and shovels.
That day, we joined the campaign with an offensive spirit, not afraid of sacrifice, not afraid of bloodshed. Going into battle, we just knew how to charge forward, full of determination. The greatest joy was when we saw the enemy use the white flag to surrender. Meanwhile, our army's "Determination to fight, victory" flag was flying on the roof of the Command Headquarters bunker.
After the Dien Bien Phu victory, I was assigned to take over a company of prisoners of war, feeding them and distributing them food during the day, and marching them back to the rear at night to hand them over to superiors for management. The trip lasted nearly a month.
PV:After the Dien Bien Phu victory, he continued to join the army and participated in many other campaigns until the country was at peace and the South was completely liberated. After that, he also participated in teaching at the Academy of Politics. Looking back at the battle at Dien Bien Phu, what is your assessment?
Colonel Nguyen Canh Thin:Firstly, Dien Bien Phu was a special stronghold, a delta center with a length of nearly 20km and a width of 6-8km. Here, the land was fertile with Muong Thanh field having very good rice fields, so the French plotted to use war to feed the war, using local food.
Second, Dien Bien Phu was thousands of kilometers away from our rear but had only one single road to march on, which was Highway 41. Meanwhile, the enemy had a strong air force so they wanted to control this road and subjectively thought that if we sent troops, they could only send small units of troops and they thought that they could destroy each small unit, they could easily win and expand.
While the enemy was complacent, we were determined. Before that, our troops had gone through a process of training, from “nothing” to “something”, accepting all sacrifices and hardships, promoting initiatives, fighting bravely and tenaciously. To achieve this historic victory, we must also mention the talented leadership of the Party, headed by President Ho, who set out the correct and creative resistance and military lines.
PV:After the Dien Bien Phu campaign, you had a special mission to find the martyrs’ graves there. Can you share about this special memory?
Colonel Nguyen Canh Thin:During the Dien Bien Phu campaign, I fought directly at Chay Hill and A1 Hill. During the battle, I was awarded the Military Exploit Medal and was promoted to platoon, company, and battalion officer and commanded the unit for 56 days and nights until the day of complete victory.
After the victory of Dien Bien Phu, we returned to the plains. In February 1958, our unit was ordered to return to Dien Bien Phu to build up our forces and do business. During this return trip, in addition to tasks such as detecting mines and destroying enemy bombs and ammunition to reclaim land for production, the important task that had to be done first was to collect martyrs' graves to build a cemetery.
It was not an easy task because we all know that the Dien Bien Phu stronghold was located in the middle of a valley surrounded by the mountains and forests of the Northwest. During the campaign, the enemy was in the middle and we were around. We had the green forest as a starting point for attacks, to fight and stay or to return to the rear base. Thanks to the forest, wounded soldiers were transferred to surgical teams and medical stations in the green forest for treatment, and the dead were brought back for a proper burial, protected by the green forest, with tombstones and cemeteries.
When receiving the task of searching and counting martyrs' graves, we organized forces, assigned search and counting teams in many different directions with the determination not to leave any martyrs behind in the forest. During the deployment, the brothers in the unit were equipped with rifles, submachine guns, forest knives and equipment for working, eating, sleeping and traveling. After many days of searching, we marked and counted nearly 4,000 graves, not only of the 316th Division but also of many other units. After that, the graves were gathered in three cemeteries at the foot of A1, Him Lam and Doc Lap hills.
Currently in Dien Bien Phu, there are nearly 5,000 martyrs from 34 provinces and cities across the country resting in martyr cemeteries on that legendary land. In that general result, we think that there have been important contributions and thanks to that, our comrades and brothers have been gathered, have names and ages and have somewhat lessened the pain of relatives and families of the martyrs.
PV:Thank you Colonel Nguyen Canh Thin for the conversation!
