Never lay down your arms to defend the homeland.
During the war against the US, with the spirit of "cutting through the Truong Son mountain range to save the country," Nghe An had nearly 300,000 cadres, soldiers, and militia members participating in combat and supporting combat on various battlefields.
Execution: Thanh Chung - Technical support: Diep Thanh
Publication date: April 26, 2025
During the war against the US, with the spirit of "cutting through the Truong Son mountain range to save the country," Nghe An had nearly 300,000 cadres, soldiers, and militia members participating in combat and supporting combat on various battlefields.
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of Southern Vietnam and the reunification of the country (April 30, 1975 - April 30, 2025), a reporter from Nghe An Newspaper had an interview with war invalid Vu Duc Chat (82 years old, residing in Quynh Lap commune, Hoang Mai town) - a soldier who participated in four wars to defend the Fatherland and fulfilled international duties.
PV: Sir, during the war against the US to save the country, generations of young people from Nghe An enthusiastically volunteered to go to the front lines. Could you share the spirit of patriotism in your hometown of Nghe An in general, and Quynh Lap commune in particular, during those years?
Mr. Vu Duc Chat:As we know, during the resistance war against the US (1954-1975), Nghe An was a solid base of Military Region 4 - one of the most important bases in the country. Nghe An served as both a frontline border, a major rear area providing manpower and resources to the front lines with the spirit of "not a single grain of rice is lacking, not a single soldier is lacking"; and a resilient frontline of "fire zones" resisting the US imperialists' sabotage of the North.
During the resistance years in my hometown of Quynh Lap commune, the spirit of fighting against the Americans to save the country was surging. Young people, upon reaching adulthood, volunteered to join the army. Those who remained fought, supported the fighting, and engaged in production. All the people in the commune participated in the militia, manning air defenses, digging trenches and building fortifications, transporting ammunition for anti-aircraft artillery to shoot down planes, and transporting supplies to the battlefields, ensuring the smooth flow of transportation routes.
Patriotic and revolutionary emulation movements such as "Coastal Waves," "Great Wind," "Three-One Flag," "Aim straight at the enemy and shoot," "Hammer in hand, gun in hand," "Three Ready," "Three Capable," "Live clinging to bridges and roads, die bravely and resolutely," "No regrets about leaving the house untouched"... took place with great enthusiasm. All were determined with the spirit of "All for the front lines! All for the liberation of the South!"national reunification".
Personally, I was also very actively involved in those movements. My family has four siblings. My eldest brother and father died in the 1945 famine. My mother remarried. At the age of three, I was adopted by my uncle. The Party and the revolutionary government raised my siblings and me, providing us with a full education. After finishing junior high school, I studied accounting and worked at a local cooperative. From the age of 18 onwards, I repeatedly wrote letters volunteering to join the army, hoping to serve my country, but the cooperative refused. The reason was that I was short, an only son, and the head of my clan...
However, I persevered in writing letters, expressing my desire to enlist. In 1965, at the age of 22, my wish was granted. On August 19, 1965, I enlisted in Battalion 43 – Red Nghe An, Military Region 4. For me, it was a great joy to be able to directly take up arms and participate in the fight for national liberation.
PV: It is known that during the Ho Chi Minh Campaign, he was also part of the victorious army advancing towards Saigon. Could he share his feelings during that historic moment?
Mr. Vu Duc Chat:In 1966, I was transferred from the 43rd Battalion to the 38th Regiment, Military Region 3; in 1967, I was deployed to the South to fight and destroy the Plei Kan and Pleiku bases on the Gia Lai - Kon Tum Front. In 1969, due to injuries, I was sent to Military Region 3 for recuperation and training at the Military Political School.
In 1970, I returned to combat as Company Commander of Company 7, Battalion 38, Division 320, participating in the Route 9 – Southern Laos Campaign. Subsequently, Company 7 was handed over, and I became Company Commander of Company 11, Battalion 9, Regiment 18, Division 325, Corps 2, stationed southwest of the Thach Han River, protecting the liberated zone of Quang Tri province and providing support for the 81-day and 81-night battle to defend Quang Tri Citadel in 1972.
After three years of holding out in Quang Tri, on February 20, 1975, my unit was ordered to hand over the area to the local troops and move south. On March 21, 1975, my unit captured Heights 494 and 560 on the Kim Sac mountain range in Phu Loc district (Hue), preventing the enemy from retreating from Hue to Da Nang. Subsequently, my unit, along with many other units of the 2nd Corps and Military Region 5, advanced to liberate Da Nang on March 29, 1975; together with units of the 2nd Corps, we liberated the provinces in the Central region, then advanced straight to Saigon. By April 27, 1975, our 2nd Corps had gathered in the rubber forest north of Long Thanh (Dong Nai) to receive instructions for the Ho Chi Minh Campaign...
Following orders from the Campaign Command, on the night of April 29th and the early morning of April 30th, 1975, the main army units on each front simultaneously attacked the inner city, seizing key targets of the campaign. My unit was assigned to cross the Cat Lai ferry to attack and capture Nha Rong Port. At 11:30 AM on April 30th, 1975, the Liberation flag flew atop the Independence Palace. From this moment on, the enemy essentially laid down their arms and surrendered. By 4 PM on April 30th, 1975, my unit had captured Nha Rong Port...
After arranging the guard duty at the port, on the morning of May 1, 1975, I and a deputy political commissar of the company decided to visit the Independence Palace. At that moment, tears of joy streamed down my face. From then on, the country was unified. Peace had arrived; there would be no more war, no more painful losses. We would soon be able to return to our families and loved ones. At this moment, I remembered my comrades who had sacrificed their lives... However, not long after, my unit embarked on a new mission: to wipe out the remnants of the old regime and protect the revolutionary government. Only then did I truly understand that danger always lurks, and even in the joy of victory, we must not lay down our weapons to defend the Fatherland.
From June 1976 to July 1978, the unit continued to be assigned the task of suppressing bandits in Laos. At this time, I was the Deputy Battalion Commander of Battalion 9, Regiment 18, Division 325.
From August 1978 to March 1979, my unit was deployed to Tay Ninh, fighting the Pol Pot invaders and helping the Cambodian people escape genocide. From April 1979 to June 1979, my battalion went north to fight the Chinese expansionist forces in Lang Son province...
I was granted retirement by the State and the military in 1987 with the rank of Captain. Looking back on my military career, I feel very proud to have contributed my blood and lives to the struggle for national reunification and the protection of the integrity and peace of the Fatherland. I am also very honored to have been awarded 12 medals of various kinds by the Party, the State, and the Army.
Throughout his military career, Mr. Vu Duc Chat was awarded 12 medals by the Party and the State, including 4 Military Merit Medals (1 Second-Class Medal, 3 Third-Class Medals), 1 Second-Class Anti-American Resistance Medal, 2 Liberation Medals, and 3 Seniority Medals.
PV: It is known that recently, during the program commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of Southern Vietnam and the reunification of the country, he was one of the members of the delegation from Nghe An province who traveled to Ho Chi Minh City to attend the event. What were his feelings upon returning to the old "battlefield"?
Mr. Vu Duc Chat:I am deeply honored and proud to be one of the 26 veterans who directly contributed to the Great Victory of Spring 1975 and to have been selected and given the opportunity by Nghe An province to revisit the old battlefield. During the trip, the province made meticulous arrangements, from transportation and accommodation to healthcare and sightseeing. The leaders of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee and People's Committee gave us a very warm welcome.
Returning to my old battlefield after 50 years, I am delighted to witness the remarkable and brilliant development of Ho Chi Minh City; becoming the most modern and dynamic metropolis in the country and the region. I am even more proud to have once fought and been associated with the city named after President Ho Chi Minh.
I am truly grateful that Nghe An province organized this meaningful trip for us. I am even more grateful for the province's effective implementation of policies supporting the military, consistently caring for and looking after policy beneficiaries and those who have contributed to the revolution. Every year, Party committees, government agencies, and all departments in the province have effectively implemented policies for wounded soldiers, martyrs, and those who have contributed to the revolution; carried out activities of gratitude such as caring for and supporting Vietnamese Heroic Mothers, building houses of compassion, visiting and giving gifts to policy beneficiaries during holidays and Tet; and implemented comprehensive solutions to improve the effectiveness of the search and repatriation of the remains of martyrs...
Returning to the "old battlefield," the melody of the old song "Marching Towards Saigon" by composer Luu Huu Phuoc resonates in our minds."Saigon! I've returned, I've returned!"The verses of the poem "Star of Victory" by poet Chế Lan Viên echoed faintly in the air."Oh, my homeland, I love you like my flesh and blood/Like my parents, like my wife and husband/Oh, my homeland, if necessary, I will die/For every house, every mountain, every river..."
In the midst of the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and the reunification of the country, as someone who experienced the flames of war, I would like to share a few words with today's young generation: Thousands of years ago, our ancestors built and defended our borders and territory with courage, without hesitation, fighting against foreign invaders to establish our nation. Achieving independence, peace, and national reunification, and protecting territorial integrity, was difficult; preserving and developing these achievements, and leading the country to prosperity and beauty, is even more challenging. I hope that today's and future generations will continue to nurture and develop these achievements.patriotism, using all their strength to build their homeland into a more prosperous and stronger place.
Interviewer: Thank you, sir!
