'Memories of the motorbike taxi drivers' in Dien Bien

(Baonghean) - During the war against the French, there was a special "military branch" that contributed to the victory – the "bicycle transport corps". The French themselves admitted that their defeat in Vietnam stemmed from these bicycles used for transporting goods.

When I was a child, my grandfather's neighbor had a cargo bicycle, which he often used to transport firewood, corn, and rice home. It carried almost as much as an ox cart but went faster. He was very proud of it because that bicycle had accompanied his grandfather on his military service, carrying supplies all the way to Northwest Vietnam and Dien Bien Phu. Occasionally, his grandfather would recount memories of those rice transport trips to the battlefield, the hardships and dangers, but also the immense pride and glory of those journeys.

At that time, we thought that Dien Bien Phu was only as far away as the neighboring village, and that the Pha Din Pass and Lung Lo Pass were perhaps as treacherous as the two high slopes in the mountain range behind our house... As we grew older and studied history, we learned that Dien Bien Phu was incredibly remote and treacherous, surrounded on all sides by mountains, with a vast valley in the middle, making supplying the campaign extremely difficult.

A convoy of bicycles used by civilian laborers in Military Region 4 transported supplies to support the Dien Bien Phu campaign. (Archival photo)

Only the handcart could traverse those treacherous, winding roads, and only feet could grip the stream beds and muddy swamps. Then, after reading the article "Memories of the Handcart" by veteran Tran Nhat Hoi from Dien Hanh (Dien Chau), I gained a deeper understanding of the journey of the Nghe An farmers, using their handcarts to travel hundreds of kilometers to support the Northwest battlefield.

Mr. Hoi recounted that in mid-March 1954, his squad of civilian laborers built support posts for the frame, made makeshift forks, and tied the handles and carrying poles to the carts before setting off. On their first trip, upon reaching Hoang Mai slope, they encountered rain, slippery roads, and darkness. Unfamiliar with pushing carts, they fell and lagged behind. The squad's deputy had to return to find and assist them before they could continue. They traveled at night and rested at people's homes during the day, traversing the rugged roads of western Thanh Hoa, then through Hoa Binh, Son La, and finally finding their way to Lai Chau and the Dien Bien basin.

According to regulations, each person had to carry 100kg of goods. Mr. Tran Nhat Hoi, being young and inexperienced at the time, was helped by the squad deputy by his team leader, who carried 20kg. He only had 80kg left, but after much effort, he couldn't load it onto the vehicle, so his teammates had to help. But gradually, he became more familiar with the task, each trip becoming a struggle. From the third trip onwards, he carried the full 100kg, then 150kg, 180kg, and finally 200kg.

This photo shows Mr. Cao Van Ty (from Thanh Hoa province) - "The Champion of Cart Transport" - on his way to transport goods to the Dien Bien Phu battlefield. (Archival photo)

Along the way, many people were afflicted with malaria, and Mr. Hoi was no exception. At such times, they had to lie down, pulling over to the side of the road to lie under blankets. Those who were lucky would encounter passing army units, and the medical personnel would help by injecting quinine to reduce the fever so they could continue their journey. Each time they climbed a steep hill or crossed a deep stream, the entire group had to stop and help each other push the vehicles.

The journeys were always arduous but joyful. Along the way, everyone sang, recited poetry, and chanted verses, making the long journey seem shorter and the loads on the carts lighter. On the last trip in early May 1954, everyone knew victory was near, so they volunteered to carry supplies all the way to the front lines. With Dien Bien Phu less than 10km away, they received news that the enemy had surrendered unconditionally, and the civilian laborers were ordered to push their carts back.

The road was congested with convoys of prisoner-of-war heading south, so Mr. Hoi and the others decided to temporarily abandon their carts by the roadside and go to the front lines to witness the victory of our army firsthand. But after a few kilometers, they were stopped by a barrier, guarded by a unit of soldiers because there were unexploded bombs nearby. After much pleading, the soldiers finally lent them binoculars, and they climbed up to the observation post to view the battlefield.

Through binoculars, the dark bunkers and loopholes lay scattered about, then the intricate network of tunnels crisscrossing the Dien Bien Phu basin, and countless white parachutes dropped by the enemy from their planes still stuck in the treetops... The soldiers gave him a few parachutes as souvenirs, mementos from the Northwest battlefield - Dien Bien Phu.

Mr. Tran Nhat Hoi once met and greatly admired Mr. Cao Van Ty, a native of Thanh Hoa province – whom his friends nicknamed "The Champion of Cart Transport," a small man who could carry up to 320kg of goods per trip. Later, during our visits to the Museum of Military Region 4 (Vinh City), we came to understand more about this son of Thanh Hoa.

The cargo bicycle is on display at the Museum of Military Region 4. Photo: Cong Kien

Mr. Ty's cargo bicycle was reinforced with an additional frame, rims, and handlebars. A horizontal bar was attached along the body, allowing it to carry up to 200kg of goods. The rims and spokes were also reinforced with bamboo strips to increase load-bearing capacity, significantly increasing the bicycle's carrying capacity. Currently, Mr. Cao Van Ty's bicycle is on display at the museum, helping future generations better understand the hardships, difficulties, creativity, willpower, and determination of those who came before, and fostering greater appreciation for life today.

It is known that during the resistance war against the French, the Inter-regional Zone 4 (mainly Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, and Ha Tinh provinces) mobilized 250,000 people for civilian labor and more than 11,000 bicycles to transport 15,000 tons of rice and 400 tons of food supplies to the battlefield. It can be said that the Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, and Ha Tinh region was a major rear base for the resistance war in general and the Dien Bien Phu campaign in particular.

And the bicycle, used for transporting goods, embodies the will and strength of the Vietnamese people, contributing to the destruction of the "impregnable fortress" of the French army at Dien Bien Phu, leading to the bitter defeat of this expeditionary force. Therefore, the late General Secretary Le Duan affirmed: "Without Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, and Ha Tinh provinces, there would have been no Dien Bien Phu campaign, no victory in the resistance war against the French."

Cong Kien