Stories of volunteers in Laos

(Baonghean.vn) -The volunteer soldier was shot and fell down by a stream. The Lao tribesmen buried him and carved his name in Lao on a rock to make a tombstone. Another soldier was wounded in a battle. He lay in the deep forest and before he breathed his last, he managed to carve on a piece of wood the words: “Trôn nghĩa, hoàn tình”. These are just two of thousands of touching images of the sacrifice and affection of the Vietnamese volunteer soldier for the Lao tribesmen...

Sharing a border with Laos, the 6 provinces of Military Region 4 are considered strategic localities, and also the origin and connection of the Laos-Vietnam love affair. During the resistance war, the soldiers of Inter-Zone 4 were the earliest to be present on the battlefields of Lower Laos, Central Laos, Upper Laos... The footsteps of volunteer soldiers of Zone 4 have left their mark in many localities of the neighboring country, associated with battles bearing the historical mark of the solidarity and alliance between Vietnam and Laos in the fight against the common enemy.

Regiment 101 was one of the first 7 units of the Military Region 4 (established in early 1947) to be sent to Laos the earliest, fighting for the longest period in the country. Volunteer units established such as Working Company 55, Battalion 364 (Binh - Tri - Thien sub-region), Regiment 120 (later changed to Volunteer Regiment 280 - Inter-zone 4) fighting in Central Laos were typical units, achieving many outstanding achievements, leaving good feelings in the hearts of Lao people. The operating area of ​​the Inter-Zone 4 units in Laos is constantly expanding, with places like Muong Mo - Xieng Khoang, Pac Xan - Saravan, Route 9 SePon, Xa Muoi, Muong Noong, Ta Oi (Xavannakhet), Sieng Kho (Sam Neua) ... all bearing the footprints of volunteer soldiers, some of whom sacrificed their lives, some of whom gave up part of their blood and bones, to liberate the base areas.

A tube of sticky rice that a Lao mother provided to volunteer soldiers is on display at the Museum of Military Region 4.

During the Upper Laos campaign, volunteers and people of Inter-Zone 4 devoted all their hearts and efforts to the Front of the friendly country. This campaign mobilized more than 73,000 laborers, transported more than 5,000 tons of rice and thousands of tons of weapons over high passes and steep mountains to serve the battlefield in time to win, liberating more than 400,000 square kilometers of land and 300,000 people.

During the resistance war against the US, the affection and responsibility of the army and people of Military Zone 4 towards the revolutionary armed forces and people of Laos were once again affirmed. Tens of thousands of people from Military Zone 4 volunteered to join the army, many of whom volunteered to go to the Lao battlefield. Units such as Group 565, Group 968, Battalion 41 of Nghe An Local Army, Battalion 42 of Ha Tinh Local Army, Division 324, Division 325, and many engineering battalions, special forces, transport stations... were units that volunteered to help the revolution win very meaningful victories. Many volunteer soldiers stayed for decades, living and fighting with the revolutionaries, some of whom were fluent in the language, customs, and terrain of the neighboring country like children born here, many Lao mothers considered them as their own children. Mothers stayed up every night, weaving scarves and cooking sticky rice to deliver to the Vietnamese volunteer soldiers in time.

Besides the armed forces and military experts, there were also tens of thousands of Youth Volunteers whose mission was to help you transport supplies and open the way to the front... Many major campaigns with close coordination between Vietnamese volunteer troops and Lao armed forces took place fiercely and heroically. The persistent fighting power and fearless sacrifice of the combined forces of the two countries created resounding victories such as Campaign 128 (in Central Laos) in 1964, Campaign Boloven in 1970, Campaign Route 9 - Southern Laos (against the enemy's Lam Son 719 operation) in 1971, Campaign to defend the Plain of Jars - Xieng Khouang in 1972 and many major battles...

The years of living and fighting in the neighboring country were a time of many hardships, losses and sacrifices, but left behind the deep sentiments of the Vietnamese volunteer soldiers in the hearts of the people of the neighboring country. The names of the Vietnamese volunteer soldiers shine brightly with deep pride in the spirit of daring to sacrifice for a greater cause and the solidarity and loyalty to the Lao revolution.

That was Le Thieu Huy - Chief of Staff of the Vietnam - Laos Joint Forces, a native of Nghe Tinh who heroically sacrificed himself when he used his body to shield Prince Suvanuvong from bullets during the enemy's sweep on the Mekong River in 1946. His heroic sacrifice further lit the flame of revolution, giving strength to the soldiers of the Laos - Vietnam Joint Forces to fight.

He was Tran Danh Lu - a soldier of Regiment 101 who heroically sacrificed his life while resolutely repelling five enemy sweeps into the liberated area, protecting the people in Xalavan province in 1954.

Hero Nguyen Rieng - Division Commander of Division 968, who was attached to the army for almost his entire life (since he was a company officer), was not afraid of hardships, difficulties, deprivation, hunger, cold, illness, was ready to do everything, accepted all sacrifices, and together with the officers and soldiers of the division helped their friends propagate, mobilize the masses to fight, build bases, develop political forces and revolutionary armed forces, consolidate liberated areas... during the resistance war against the US and during the period of national construction.

Hero Phan Chau My (Battalion 7, Regiment 33, Group 565), for 11 consecutive years (1964 - 1972) never returned to his homeland, lived and fought on friendly land, participated in 72 battles, was wounded many times, but was determined not to leave the battlefield, and together with his unit, killed more than 1,000 enemies. Many liberated places such as Mapovat, Batong, Boloven, Kengnhao... were all associated with his outstanding achievements.

Many tombstones of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers were found in Laos.

In Xieng Khouang province, people still remember the story of a Vietnamese volunteer soldier who was wounded after a fierce battle and escaped the enemy's encirclement and got lost in the deep forest. Although he was wounded and had to face hunger and thirst, his spirit was still optimistic and confident. He took a piece of wood from the forest and carved the words "Trôn nghĩa hoàn tình" (Complete love) before taking his last breath. Later, Lao villagers who went into the forest discovered him sacrificing himself in a position where he was holding an AK gun and holding a knife to carve the last strokes of the words. The villagers admired his will, determination, optimism, and trust, especially his loyal love for the Lao people, and thoughtfully buried him with the piece of wood (Later, the Team for Collecting Martyrs' Graves of the Nghe An Military Command exhumed the remains of the martyr and brought the piece of wood to display at the Museum of Military Region 4).

A tombstone inscribed in Lao, with the name of martyr Vi Van Duc,
Died in 1953, at Na-leng village, Muong Et, Hua Phan, Laos

There were many soldiers who sacrificed silently, whose names were only known to Lao mothers and villagers, because their sacrifices were kept secret by the villagers from the pursuit and savage cruelty of the enemy. Among the nearly 300 tombstones found by the Martyrs' Graves Collection Team and currently displayed at the Military Region 4 Museum, there are many tombstones of volunteer soldiers who fell on friendly land. The names and symbols were written, sometimes on a thin sheet of metal at the bottom of a dry food box, sometimes on a piece of plane wreckage, a rock, or a concrete slab... Many names and dates of sacrifice were written in Lao. They lay down in a stream in the jungle, on a small slope in the middle of a majestic wilderness, or in the middle of a fierce battlefield. Some tombstones had a name but no hometown, some had only a line of symbols that were difficult to guess, and some only had the name of the unit. Therefore, many of the martyrs have not found their homeland or relatives. But for the Lao people, they are forever beloved Vietnamese children.

Writing Spring - Thuy Vinh