Memories of the Colonel on the day he marched straight into Saigon

Suppress the ultimate pain

Like many other soldiers, these days Colonel Nguyen Son Van (born 1945) in Dien Hanh commune (Dien Chau) is nostalgic about his military career. All day long he flips through his old unit's documents, rereading each line and looking at old photos to relive the glorious and heroic years of his youth.

His health had declined a lot but Mr. Van tried to complete his studies.memoirs“The power of an army” records memorable events during his days of holding a gun. He shared: “The years are fading away, but the painful memories, the images of my relatives and comrades, the developments of each major battle I participated in, and the joy of the day of total victory are always imprinted in my memory. That is the source of spiritual strength that helps me overcome the difficulties and hardships in life...”.

Colonel Nguyen Son Van recalls battlefield memories through documentary photos. Photo: Cong Kien

According to Colonel Nguyen Son Van, his life has two memories deeply engraved in his mind, the first is the painful memory when he was in prison.battlefieldheard the news “thunderbolt” in the hometown. In early 1973, while preparing with the unit for big battles, young officer Nguyen Son Van received news that his family was hit by a bomb in a bombing raid by the US air force.

A bomb hit the shelter, taking the lives of three relatives: the father, his younger brother and his firstborn child. His mother and younger brother were seriously injured, and his wife, who was a commune health worker at the time, was also hit by shrapnel while on duty as a medic. The incident happened in late 1972, but at that time he was the Chief of Staff of Regiment 9 (Division 304), with the unit on the mission of recapturing and holding Hill 367 in Quang Tri, so his superiors decided not to inform him.

Returning from the battlefield, witnessing the scene of houses and villages devastated, each family evacuated to a different place, the soldier tried to suppress his pain, burying the sorrow deep in his heart. Because more than anyone, Mr. Van understood that at this time he was the spiritual support of his family and relatives, so he had to be truly steadfast, showing his determination to avenge his family and repay his debt to the country.

Acting Commander of Regiment 66 Nguyen Son Van (third from right) during the reception of comrade Fidel Castro in Quang Tri.Photo archive

A few days on leave, the soldier went to the Bung riverbank to carry mud and soil mixed with straw, and begged for bamboo trees to build a small house for his wife to have a place to avoid the sun and rain.

At once, he lost three of his own blood relatives, especially his son who was only a few years old and was buried by a bomb.woundThe pain of his mother and wife had not yet healed, and the resentment surged like a wave. That urged the young officer to quickly finish his work, pack his things and return to the battlefield, continuing the life-and-death battles with the enemy.

Before leaving, the soldier held his wife's hand and said: "I feel that victory day is near. Stay home and try to work well, complete your mission and spend time taking care of your mother. I will definitely return after the day the South is liberated and the country is unified."

Happy day of national reunification

Returning to the battlefield, Nguyen Son Van was assigned as Deputy Commander of Regiment 9, continuing to fight in Quang Tri. Here, the regiment was honored to receive a visit and encouragement from Comrade Fidel Castro - Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Chairman of the State Council and Council of Ministers of the People's Republic of Cuba. To this day, he still keeps the photo taken with Comrade Fidel Castro on the battlefield.

After that, he and his unit entered the Quang - Da front, surrounded and captured the Thuong Duc base. After several months of fighting with 3 attacks, our army won. At this time, Mr. Van was assigned as the Acting Regiment Commander of the 66th Regiment, continuing to stay in Thuong Duc to guard the 1062 hill.

Acting Commander of Regiment 66 Nguyen Son Van (third from right) discussed the plan to attack Saigon during the Ho Chi Minh campaign.Photo archive

Colonel Nguyen Son Van continued: “On March 26, 1975, while stationed in Thuong Duc, we received orders to march to Highway 14, finding a way to Da Nang to capture Nuoc Man Airport. The entire regiment was filled with enthusiasm, regardless of marching and fighting day and night, causing the enemy to flee in disarray. Having completed the mission of liberating Da Nang, the unit stationed at the training site of the 3rd Puppet Army Division.”

In mid-April, under the orders of the 2nd Corps commander, the 66th Regiment marched to liberate Saigon, along the way coordinating with other forces to fight to liberate the provinces along the coastal and Southeast regions. On April 26, the 66th Regiment participated inHo Chi Minh campaignin the direction of attack from the Northeast gateway of Saigon. This is the direction where the enemy organized a tight defense and strong resistance, causing us many difficulties.

The joy of the liberation army and people of Saigon in the moment of victory (April 30, 1975).Photo archive

At 11:30 a.m. on April 30, Nguyen Son Van's Regiment 66 Command Headquarters arrived in front of the Independence Palace, coordinated with other units to surround and liberate the enemy's last stronghold.

“At that moment, not only me, but everyone was happy, so happy that we cried. Happy because the mission had been completed, crying because we missed our comrades who had fallen on all the battlefields.”

Colonel Nguyen Son Van

In particular, witnessing the scene of peopleSaigonholding flags, flowers overflowing all over the streets, cheering and waving to the liberation army, the soldiers felt as if they were in a dream. At this moment, the officer from Nghe An suddenly remembered his homeland, his family, his loved ones buried by American bombs, tears fell again...

Saigon people waved flags and flowers to welcome the liberation army.Photo archive

This is the second memorable memory in Colonel Nguyen Son Van's military career, because not every soldier or unit was able to enter the inner city of Saigon to liberate it, to reach the final victory of the war, to witness the glorious moment of history, to witness the joy of the day.unify the country…

Mr. Nguyen Son Van said: “After the liberation of the South, our unit marched to the Central Highlands to suppress the Phun-ro rebellion and keep the strategic land peaceful. I was sent to attend a senior officer training course and held the following positions: Deputy Commander of the 325th Division, Principal of the Military School, Commander of the 306th Division and Deputy Chief of Staff of the 2nd Army Corps, and retired in my hometown in 1993.”