Memories of soldiers who made the victory 'famous in five continents'

Memories of the happiest day of my life

History has recorded that the victory of the Dien Bien Phu Campaign had great contributions and support from the Thanh - Nghe - Tinh region. In Nghe An, the greatest contribution to this campaign belonged to the Dien - Yen - Quynh region because each commune had hundreds of people holding guns to fight and participating in the frontline labor force, providing weapons and food to the battlefield.

The Dien Bien Phu campaign shook the world. Photo archive

On this occasion, we returned to Phuong Lich village, Dien Hoa commune (Dien Chau) to meet Mr. Nguyen Quang Phiet (born in 1932), the Head of the Dien Bien Phu Veterans Liaison Committee of the district. At the age of 88, the former Dien Bien soldier is still lucid and still clearly remembers the memories of the time he marched to the Northwest to fight the enemy. “In March 1954, I was in the army of Regiment 57, Division 304 marching to Dien Bien to build trenches. The unit organized to surround the enemy in the Hong Cum area in the southwest of the Dien Bien basin. From here, the arduous and fierce days leading to victory began,” Mr. Phiet recounted.

According to Mr. Phiet, at that time in the Northwest, it often rained heavily, water flooded into shelters and trenches. For months, soldiers lived and fought in waist-deep water, with mud covering their bodies. Just sticking their heads out of the trenches would immediately result in enemy sniper fire just a few hundred meters away.

Mr. Nguyen Quang Phiet (born in 1932), is the Head of the Dien Bien Phu Veterans Liaison Committee, Dien Chau district. Photo: Cong Khang

In each battle, the two sides fought for every inch of land, every meter of trench, many comrades sacrificed their lives while charging to capture enemy bunkers. The most memorable were the last days of the campaign, at night Mr. Phiet and his comrades expanded the trenches, gradually encroaching on the enemy's position, secretly moving weapons in for a decisive battle.

“On May 7, our unit approached Hong Cum, the enemy huddled together and stubbornly resisted, refusing to surrender. The unit was ordered to use concentrated firepower on the enemy bunkers, causing the warehouse to burst into flames and the enemy to flee. Ordered to pursue, we stuck with the enemy to the end and captured all the European and African soldiers in Hong Cum. For me, that was one of the happiest days of my life.”

Mr. Nguyen Quang Phiet

Also in Phuong Lich village, Mr. Cao Xuan Dao (born in 1934) was a soldier of the 308th Division, known as the "Pioneer Division" in the Dien Bien Phu Campaign. Having just joined the army for a year, the young soldier from Phu Dien followed his unit to Dien Bien to carry out the mission of destroying the "impregnable fortress" of the French expeditionary army. Mr. Dao belonged to the mortar unit, carrying out the mission of coordinating with the infantry to destroy the enemy and capture Muong Thanh airport. Mr. Dao recalled: "Marching to Dien Bien, the mortar soldiers had a very hard time, because each person had to carry the bracket, body, barrel and dozens of kilograms of artillery shells, not to mention military equipment. But at that time, thinking about the day of victory, everyone eagerly moved forward."

In the final decisive battle in Dien Bien, Mr. Cao Xuan Dao's unit did not directly attack and capture Muong Thanh airport but carried out the task of shelling key positions. Mortar shells were fired continuously into the airport area, the runway was paralyzed, enemy planes could not take off and land. The French expeditionary army was extremely panicked, the formation disintegrated, faced with the power of firepower and the tight siege, the enemy was forced to surrender. Although they did not witness the French soldiers raising the white flag of surrender, when they heard the news, Mr. Dao and his comrades hugged each other and cheered, the joy seemed endless...

Proud to be a Dien Bien soldier

The campaign of "56 days and nights of digging mountains, sleeping in tunnels, and eating rice in the rain" by our army and people shocked the world. Photo: Archive

Living in the same village, Mr. Phiet, Mr. Dao and 3-4 friends of the same age who participated in the Dien Bien Phu Campaign occasionally meet to reminisce about old memories and find heroic memories of their youth. Mr. Nguyen Quang Phiet said: “More than 10 years ago, when it was first established, the Dien Bien Phu Veterans Liaison Committee had more than 600 members, now there are less than 200. Each year the number of members decreases, but every time we meet, memories of those years come back to life, everyone is proud to be a Dien Bien Phu soldier.”

Veteran Phan Cong Chinh and the captured parachute in Dien Bien Phu. Photo: Cong Khang

On this occasion, we also met Mr. Phan Cong Chinh (90 years old) in Yen Phu hamlet, Hung Thinh commune (Hung Nguyen) - a soldier of Regiment 9 (Division 304). During the Dien Bien Phu Campaign, Mr. Chinh's unit was assigned to dig trenches to surround Muong Thanh airport. Mr. Chinh recalled the moment of attacking the enemy's position: "When the order to charge was given, we got out of the tunnel and went straight to the enemy's command post. Despite the enemy's fierce resistance and counterattack using firepower, many people fell, but those who were still alive rushed forward to capture the target..." And Mr. Chinh and his comrades were overjoyed when they heard the news that the French expeditionary force surrendered unconditionally. The next day, while carrying out the mission of escorting prisoners of war, Mr. Chinh picked up the captured parachute as a souvenir. To this day, after 66 years, the parachute is still preserved. Every time he celebrates the Dien Bien Phu victory, Mr. Chinh often takes out his umbrella to look at it, the nostalgia and memories of the past come flooding back to the old soldier's memory...

There are many touching stories, heroic memories and sacred relics of soldiers returning from the Dien Bien battlefield. That is the memory and gratitude of Mr. Nguyen Van Uy in Dien Xuan commune (Dien Chau) when he was saved by his comrade, also a fellow countryman, during the battle, and later became sworn brothers.

Or the story of Mr. Bui Viet Sy in Quang Trung ward (Vinh city) who hid his mother from going to the military service, then marched to the Northwest - Dien Bien. When he returned, his beloved mother was no longer there, neighbors and relatives said that the mother loved her son, every day she went out to the street to wait...

Time has passed, the soldiers who made the victory “famous in five continents” in the past are now some still alive, some have passed away. But the pride, the tradition of patriotism, indomitability, and resilience of the Vietnamese people will never change.