The story of the pioneers of the Dien Bien Phu campaign

"Pha Din Slope, you carry the load, I carry the load

Lung Lo Pass, he sings and she sings

Though bombs and bullets shatter bones and tear flesh

"Never give up, never regret your youth"

60 years have passed, but the verses in the poem "Hoan Ho Chi Minh Chien Si Dien Bien" by poet To Huu about the resilient and heroic spirit of the laborers and youth volunteers who participated in ensuring traffic and transporting food and weapons for the Dien Bien Phu campaign still resonate in the minds of many generations.

Soldiers and ethnic minorities in the Northwest cut mountains to make roads to bring artillery and vehicles closer to the Dien Bien Phu stronghold.Photo: VNA

Difficulty in opening Lung Lo pass

According to the History of the Son La Provincial Party Committee, to ensure human resources and means for the Dien Bien Phu battlefield, the Central Committee decided to choose Yen Bai town as the place to gather all forces and means for the Dien Bien Phu front.

Route 13 (now National Highway 37) from Yen Bai to Lung Lo Pass, across Ta Khoa Ferry, over Chen Pass and then intersecting with Route 41 (now National Highway 6) at Co Noi Junction (Mai Son District, Son La Province) is a vital and unique road. Therefore, our policy is to protect this road to the end; combine engineering troops, youth volunteers, and frontline laborers to guard and always ensure traffic on this road.

Lung Lo Pass is 15km long, located on the border between Van Chan District (Yen Bai Province) and Phu Yen District (Son La Province). During the resistance war against France, Lung Lo Pass was one of the vital routes for transporting weapons, ammunition and food for the Dien Bien Phu campaign.

According to the Party's decision, the route to the Northwest was reinforced to serve the transportation of troops, food and equipment for the Dien Bien Phu campaign.

To expand and improve Lung Lo Pass, engineering units and laborers from Yen Bai and Son La provinces have focused their efforts on opening the road. In just a short time, thousands of laborers from various ethnic groups, most of whom are Muong and Tay people, have volunteered to join the road opening.

Having participated in opening the road on Lung Lo Pass, Mr. Tran Van Xe, a Muong ethnic, now 94 years old, in Coi village (Muong Coi commune, Phu Yen district, Son La province) recalled that at that time, local laborers, youth volunteers and engineering forces, although only having rudimentary tools, did not hesitate to face difficulties to quickly clear Lung Lo Pass.

On the roads, the sound of rock-breaking dynamite and the sound of hoes and shovels resounded day and night. When the road was opened to the top of the pass, it encountered a steep cliff blocking the way. Many people were worried that it would take months to clear the pass. But then, thanks to the determination of our army and people, after nearly two months, the road was opened, connecting the two provinces of Yen Bai and Son La.

Building a road in a time of shortage of food was difficult, but the most dangerous thing was that when the French army knew that we were opening a strategic road to Dien Bien Phu, they sent planes to regularly bomb the construction site. Therefore, whenever they heard the sound of a plane in the distance, everyone ran into the bunker or cliff to take shelter, and when the plane left, everyone continued their work as usual as if nothing had happened.

During the days when French planes increased their bombing raids, our army and people switched to working at night to ensure safety. Hardship and danger did not discourage those who participated in clearing the road.

Building the road was hard work, but transporting food and ammunition through the pass was even harder. The road was built in the middle of an old forest, so there were many streams and streams, the rocky roadbed was jagged, and people and vehicles were constantly moving, making the road always muddy.

From the end of 1953 to early April 1954 was the peak time for supporting the front line. At this time, to avoid attacks by the French army, our militia and soldiers often had to go at night.

Even though they were traveling at night, to ensure safety, the porters and youth volunteers were not allowed to light torches but had to follow in the footsteps of those who had gone before them. Every night, lines of people followed each other through the pass, delivering goods to the front.

Resolutely keep Ta Khoa ferry

Located on the main route 13 passing through Bac Yen district, Ta Khoa ferry is also known as a "hot spot" in the resistance war against the French.

Ta Khoa ferry was considered a key point on the route from Yen Bai to Dien Bien, because if it was attacked, the transportation of food and weapons to the battlefield would be interrupted because at this time there was no other means to connect the two banks of the Da River.

Although he is 84 years old this year, Mr. Ha Xuan Chien, Chairman of the Phu Yen District Veterans Association, is still agile and clear-minded. He recalls his youthful days, in early 1953 when the C261 Youth Volunteer Company (under the General Department of Supply, now the General Department of Logistics) was established, at that time, young Ha Xuan Chien and more than 170 young men from Phu Yen, Bac Yen, Yen Chau districts (Son La province) volunteered to participate and were directly responsible for ensuring safety for Highway 13.

At first, the youth volunteer force was assigned to ensure traffic safety at Chen Pass (Bac Yen District), and then transferred to Ta Khoa ferry. At that time, the ferry was still rudimentary, only made of large wooden panels and equipped with an engine, each time it could only carry one car across the river. At that time, the Da River had not been dammed for hydroelectric power like it is now, so it was extremely ferocious, especially in the rainy season, the water flow was even bigger and faster, making it very dangerous.

This was a key point on our army's transport route, and the French army regularly sent reconnaissance planes and dropped bombs. Therefore, to avoid being detected by the enemy, the security force had to hide the ferry under the river during the day and only surface it at night.

The daily work of the youth volunteers was very hard. At night, ferries were used to ensure traffic across the river, but when the sky began to lighten, people had to use baskets of rocks to put on the ferries to make them sink into the river. When it was getting dark, people dived down again, took out the rocks to make the ferries float.

The hardest part is winter, the weather is very cold but the ferrymen still have to soak themselves in cold water to ensure safety during river crossings.

Because the ferry only ran at night to ensure the safety of people, goods and equipment, operating the ferry was extremely difficult for the ferrymen at that time, especially with the distance between the two banks being more than 200m in the fast-flowing water.

Thanks to the resilience and bravery of the youth volunteers, Ta Khoa ferry was never hit by bombs.

Former youth volunteer Ha Xuan Chien added that the hardest thing in those days was not having enough food to eat every day. When the traffic was jammed for months and food could not be delivered in time, people had no choice but to go into the forest to dig up cassava roots to eat instead of rice. The healthy people ate the bad roots, while the big, delicious roots were reserved for the wounded or those who were seriously ill.

Living in the middle of the forest, lacking food and often being bitten by leeches and fruit flies..., hardships did not discourage the young volunteers. Despite the difficulties, lack of everything, and poor health, everyone still worked enthusiastically with the highest determination to ensure that the trucks delivering goods to the front were not blocked.

With the spirit and enthusiasm of youth, the porters and young volunteers who participated in clearing the road and ensuring traffic on that 13-day route contributed significantly to the Dien Bien Phu victory that "resounded throughout the five continents and shook the world."

Now, they are at a rare old age, but the memories of a time when they devoted themselves to their youth still remain in each person's mind. That spirit has become a shining example for the next generation to follow and continue writing the heroic history of the nation with a tradition of resilience and indomitability.

According to Vietnam+