Meeting the security detail of the negotiating team that signed the Paris Agreement.

Unforgettable memories

On a bitterly cold winter day, we went to Dong Van hamlet, Hung Tien commune (Nam Dan district) to meet Mr. Le Viet Hung (also known by the pseudonym Le Viet Bac) - one of the five members of the security team for the two Vietnamese delegations during the negotiations of the Paris Agreement in 1973. Nearly 80 years old and a Party member for 50 years, Mr. Hung still maintains a quick and agile demeanor. Recalling the days of protecting the negotiating delegations during the signing of the Paris Agreement in France, memories of the past flooded back, filling him with emotion.



The Democratic Republic of Vietnam's negotiating delegation in 1968



From left to right (Minister Xuan Thuy; Special Advisor Le Duc Tho and Mr. Le Viet Hung (aka Bac) (standing slightly behind) in Paris in 1968.

“...One day at the end of April 1968, I (Le Viet Hung - PV) and five other comrades were summoned by the Director of the Security Department (now the Security Command - Ministry of Public Security) and assigned an important task: protecting the Democratic Republic of Vietnam's negotiating delegation led by Comrade Xuan Thuy to Paris. All five chosen were physically fit, elite, skilled in martial arts, and quick-witted. To ensure secrecy, they were given five different pseudonyms, but together they had a very meaningful meaning: North, Central, South, Unification, and Unity. “North” was Le Viet Hung, from Nam Dan, Nghe An; “Central” was Comrade Cao Nam, from Dien Chau, Nghe An; “South” was Comrade Phan Van Soan, from the South; “Unification” was Comrade Nguyen Huu Tong, from Thanh Hoa; and “Unity” was Comrade Nguyen Minh Niem, from Hanoi. On May 9, 1968, the security team accompanied the Democratic Republic of Vietnam's negotiating delegation.” The Republic, led by Minister Xuan Thuy and special advisor Le Duc Tho, departed for Paris. The delegation stayed at the Lutetia Hotel at 45 Raspail Avenue, 16th arrondissement – ​​Paris. A few days later, for various reasons, the French Communist Party arranged for the delegation to stay at the Choisy Le Roi Party School. There, Mr. Hung was assigned the task of closely monitoring and protecting Comrade Xuan Thuy at all times.

During their time in France, the impression Comrade Xuan Thuy – Head of the Delegation of the Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam at the Paris Conference – left on the security guard Nguyen Viet Hung was that of “a capable, talented, and prestigious diplomat, but also very virtuous, approachable, and caring. Although he was provided with separate meals and accommodations, he still went to the communal kitchen to see how the members of the delegation were eating and living…”. To facilitate communication, Comrade Xuan Thuy assigned the delegation the code name Delegation 37 (meaning the delegation consisted of 37 members). During their time in France, the delegation received enthusiastic support from the Vietnamese diaspora; many women even bought pickled vegetables and boiled water spinach because they were worried the delegation wouldn't like the Western food. The French people were very fond of the Vietnamese delegation; wherever the Vietnamese delegation went, they were greeted with waves and smiles. The comrades in the French Communist Party showed particular interest, provided support, and facilitated everything from accommodation to security... The person responsible for driving for comrades Xuan Thuy and Nguyen Thi Binh was also a member of the French Communist Party...

After the delegation of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam, led by Comrade Nguyen Thi Binh, arrived to conduct the four-party conference, Mr. Le Viet Hung was transferred to protect Comrade Nguyen Thi Binh's delegation until he was replaced and returned to Vietnam to take on a new assignment at the end of December 1970. The three years from 1968 to 1970, serving as security for the two negotiating delegations leading to the signing of the Paris Agreement, are the fondest memories of Mr. Le Viet Hung's life. On the day the Paris Agreement was signed, marking the beginning of the end of the war and the restoration of peace in Vietnam (January 21, 1973), Mr. Hung was in Hanoi when he heard the news and "shed tears of joy mixed with pride and excitement..."

....And the life of the Colonel from Nghe An

The former security guard now lives a simple, humble life in a small house with a lush green vegetable garden in the countryside of Nghe An province. Except for his family and a few close friends, few know that he was a historical witness who participated in protecting the two negotiating delegations that signed the Paris Agreement in France. He confided: "Although I was allocated a house in Hanoi, I still prefer to return to my hometown to enjoy the scenery of the fields and gardens..." His life has many interesting aspects that inspire admiration. He was born in 1934 into a poor farming family in Nam Lac commune (now Hung Tien), Nam Dan district.



Mr. Le Viet Hung (holding the jacket) accompanied Minister Xuan Thuy in Paris in 1968.

As a child, Le Viet Hung was adopted by a landlord family in Thanh Chuong. He later escaped back to his hometown, working in the fields while participating in local activities, and was elected Deputy Secretary of the Youth Union branch in Nam Lac commune. In early 1954, he joined the Central Youth Volunteer Corps. Later, he transferred to the Security Department and participated in protecting the delegations of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam during the signing of the Paris Agreement in France from 1968-1970. Upon returning from France, he was sent by his unit to study at the Police Academy. Subsequently, from 1978 to 1983, he was sent to work as a security expert for the Ministry of Interior of Laos. After returning from Laos, he continued working at the Guard Command, serving as Head of the Protection Department for Comrade Truong Chinh until Comrade Truong Chinh's death in 1988. From 1989, Mr. Le Viet Hung was the Head of the Logistics Department of the Guard Command until his retirement in 1993 with the rank of Colonel. After retiring in late 2007, Colonel Le Viet Hung returned to his hometown of Hung Tien, Nam Dan district, and is currently the Chairman of the Retired Police Officers Association of Nam Dan district, a member of the organization of former bodyguards of President Ho Chi Minh and the former Politburo members (from the 3rd Party Congress onwards)...

Throughout his life, he served in security teams both domestically and internationally for many national leaders, including President Ho Chi Minh, General Vo Nguyen Giap, Prime Minister Pham Van Dong, and General Secretary Truong Chinh... Forty years have passed, and of the original five members who formed the slogan "North, Central, and South United" to protect the negotiating delegation, only three remain: Mr. Le Viet Hung, also known as "Bac" (North), Major General Phan Van Soan, also known as "Nam" (South), and Mr. Nguyen Minh Niem, also known as "Nhat" (First). Each lives in a different place, but every year on the anniversary of the signing of the Paris Agreement, they call each other to inquire about each other and reminisce about those unforgettable days in France.

Khanh Ly