Memories of 'eating rice balls, fighting the French' of a 100-year-old Dien Bien Phu veteran in Nghe An

Eat rice balls, fight the French

Every May, veterans like Mr. Thanh are moved by the unforgettable memories of the "fire and flower" during the resistance war against the French, especiallyDien Bien Phu CampaignAccording to him, in 1951, he enlisted in the army, went to Laos to fight the French in Upper Laos and Central Laos, then returned to Tho Xuan (Thanh Hoa) for training and marched to the Northwest, participating in the Dien Bien Phu Campaign.

Mr. Pham Van Thanh - veteran of the Dien Bien Phu Campaign. Photo: Huy Thu

This year he turned 100, but he was still healthy, walking, talking lively, with rosy skin, bright eyes, a clear mind, only his hearing was a little hard of hearing. When asked about the Dien Bien Phu battlefield, he put his hand on his forehead "to remember", and flipped through his memories in an engaging voice. As he spoke, he used his hands to imitate gestures, very impressive.

It was truly admirable to hear him tell about the Winter-Spring Campaign of 1953-1954 in a detailed, specific, clear, and coherent manner like a historical researcher. The balance of power between the enemy and us; the plots and tricks of the Navarre plan; our combat strategy; the advantageous strategic position of Dien Bien Phu; the enemy's defense arrangements and our attacks...

Mr. Thanh said that after the re-education camp in Thanh Hoa, his unit, which was then Company 50 (Battalion 346, Regiment 57, Division 304), moved to the Northwest. On the march, each person had to carry a "rice statue" weighing about 3-5 kg ​​around their necks along with a backpack, guns and ammunition that were quite heavy. After more than ten days and nights of continuous movement, his unit gathered at a location in the Northwest mountains and forests, about 10 km from Dien Bien Phu.

Mr. Thanh's time-worn war relics. Photo: Huy Thu

During the Dien Bien Phu Campaign, he participated in all three attacks. Mr. Thanh said: After we changed our combat strategy from "Fight fast, win fast" to "Fight steady, advance steady", before entering the campaign, our units all launched their determination. EachsoldierEach wrote a resolution to fight. The slogan of the soldiers of the unit at that time was "Fast as a squirrel, strong as a tiger, destroy the enemy".

Recalling the opening day of the Dien Bien Phu Campaign on March 13, 1954, Mr. Thanh said: “That afternoon, after finishing dinner, we heard 9 signal flares, then our cannons fired loudly, and an hour later we launched. I was equipped with a K50 gun, 4 ammunition belts and many grenades.”

According to Mr. Thanh, his unit (Division 304) was responsible for attacking, besieging, and destroying enemy bases in the Hong Cum sub-region. Here, the enemy deployed a fairly strong force, including many African and Thai battalions, 105mm artillery, in addition to 120mm mortars, flamethrowers, tanks, and thousands of soldiers.

The fighting in Hong Cum as well as on the Dien Bien Phu battlefield was fierce. Our soldiers had to dig into mountains and sleep in tunnels. There were times when both sides fought over every hill and every gun emplacement. We and the enemy were only a few dozen meters apart...

Dien Bien Phu Soldier badge of Mr. Thanh. Photo: Huy Thu

The memory that he remembers most on the Dien Bien Phu battlefield is eating rice balls. Due to the war conditions at that time, the rice was cooked by the military food department, squeezed into orange-sized pieces and carried to the front. When the "foodies" went to distribute rice, they would drop rice down whenever they saw soldiers, tunnel doors, or gun emplacements.

“A person could only eat a few handfuls, not much. There were days when they had rice balls with salty buffalo meat,” Mr. Thanh said. Not only were they “not full”, our soldiers often had to endure thirst, in the trenches, there was no water, sometimes they had to crawl down to the stream to drink water…

Determined to fight, determined to win

68 years have passed, but the fighting spirit of the Dien Bien Phu soldiers of that day is still boiling in Mr. Thanh's story. He said that not only were they hungry and thirsty (thirsty for water, thirsty for sleep) in the trenches during the heavy rains, with water and mud sometimes up to their stomachs, he and his comrades were determined to fight until the last minute. Many of his comrades sacrificed themselves, falling into the trenches covered in mud.

Talking about the Dien Bien Phu Campaign, he often mentioned the directives and determination of the Politburo, the attention of Uncle Ho and General Vo Nguyen Giap. “The battlefield was fierce and urgent, with the determination to defeat the enemy, we had to overcome hardships and sacrifices to fight” – Mr. Thanh said.

Mr. Thanh is living a healthy life with his son's family. Photo: Huy Thu

As the only son in the family, he was already married when he joined the army. During the Winter-Spring War of 1953-1954 and the Dien Bien Phu Campaign, although he missed his home, his wife and children, due to the war conditions, he could not write letters home. He said: That day, when I left, I really did not dare to think about the day I would return. In the midst of the fierce battlefield, I only thought about fighting and defeating the French. That was the greatest wish of me and my comrades.

In the nostalgic vein of Dien Bien Phu, Mr. Thanh was excited: On the afternoon of May 7, the liberation flag of our army flew over the roof of General De Castries' bunker. That night, our unit continued to pursue and destroy the enemy units retreating in Hong Cum. The news of victory spread throughout the battlefield, the joy was indescribable.

According to Mr. Thanh, fighting at the Dien Bien Phu front that day, his unit also had 3 fellow villagers, Mr. Xin, Mr. Ba and Mr. Sy. The most pitiful was Mr. Sy, who was deaf and hard of hearing, so he was assigned to the unit to feed the troops. While carrying rice balls to the trenches, Mr. Sy was cut in half by enemy bomb fragments at the edge of the forest, sacrificing himself when the Dien Bien Phu Campaign was in its fiercest days.

Mr. Thanh and his sister took a souvenir photo to celebrate his 100th birthday. Photo: Huy Thu

After the Dien Bien Phu victory, Mr. Thanh was transferred to the military warehouse, performing the task of calibrating weapons, belonging to Base 2, Right Bank Military Region, stationed in Hoa Binh province. In July 1975, he retired with the rank of professional Second Lieutenant.

Special witness

Remembering his comrades in arms, Mr. Thanh said: I think of myself as a grain of rice on a sieve. So many comrades sacrificed on the battlefield, I am very lucky to survive and return to my homeland and family.

It is known that his two sons (Mr. Pham Van Hoa, born in 1953, Mr. Pham Van Son, born in 1958) also joined the army, one retired with the rank of Major. Mr. Thanh is currently living with his second son's family, his wife passed away more than 20 years ago.

In early spring of Nham Dan 2022, Mr. Thanh received a birthday card from the President to celebrate his 100th birthday. Photo: Huy Thu

According to Mr. Pham Van Son, Mr. Thanh lived a moderate and happy life, and enjoyed doing housework to help his children and grandchildren. He knew both Chinese and Vietnamese, and recited many poems and folk songs, especially poems about the resistance against the French, including poems about the Dien Bien Phu victory.

68 years laterwinDien Bien Phu, he has never been back to visit the old battlefield. When mentioning Dien Bien Phu, he feels nostalgic, "That place must have changed a lot now." Flipping through the badges of Dien Bien Soldier, Glorious Soldier, Brave Soldier... stained with time in a plastic box, he said: When I first retired, I had a lot of badges, now I have lost and only have a few left. I hope my children and grandchildren will keep them as souvenirs.

At home, he likes to watch television. Watching television programs celebrating the 68th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu victory, he shared: “Watching the old days, I miss my comrades. The truth on the battlefield at that time was much more fierce.”

At 100 years old, he is still healthy and clear-headed, still generously telling stories of Dien Bien Phu to his children and grandchildren. He is not only a veteran of Nghe An who lived to be a long-lived soldier, but also one of the "special witnesses" who directly contributed to the historic victory of Dien Bien Phu "Resounding throughout the five continents, shaking the world".