A time of Dien Bien Phu through the memories of soldiers in Vinh.

(Baonghean.vn) -On the occasion of the 52nd anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory in 2006, the Dien Bien Phu Veterans Liaison Committee of Vinh City (Nghe An province) released a valuable book for readers near and far.Soldiers of the Dien Bien Phu battle in Vinh City.68 soldiers who participated in the Dien Bien Phu battle, each from a different hometown, many of them still live and contribute in Thanh Vinh area today...

The book is 250 pages long, 15x21cm in size, with a very modest print run: only 400 copies on regular paper. Yet, since its publication,Soldiers of Dien Bien Phu in Vinh CityIt has become a publication that many readers borrow from the Nghe An Provincial Library, with the purpose of reviewing the history of their homeland and nation, supplementing materials for lectures, lessons, articles, or sometimes just finding the face of an old comrade!

The editorial board dedicated the first 70 pages of the book to reintroducing some valuable articles about the Dien Bien Phu Campaign, by authors who directly participated in the event, such as President Ho Chi Minh, General Vo Nguyen Giap; and by generals, scientists, and journalists with thorough and profound knowledge of the Dien Bien Phu front... It is truly moving, 52 years after the campaign, to reread the lines of President Ho Chi Minh's letter to the officers and soldiers of Dien Bien Phu on March 11, 1954:You are about to go into battle. Your mission this time is enormous, difficult, but very glorious... I'm waiting for your reports on your achievements so I can reward the most outstanding units and individuals! I wish you great victory! I kiss you all!"

In Vinh City, there are 68 Dien Bien Phu veterans who lived, worked, and contributed to the cause, some of whom have passed away. They served in five divisions and various units that fought alongside them on the Dien Bien Phu front. Throughout the period of the war against the US and the reunification of the country, as well as the building of socialism, they continued to make outstanding and exemplary contributions. This is the main part of the book.Dien Bien Phu Soldiers of Vinh CityThis space is dedicated to introducing these 68 soldiers of Dien Bien Phu. Each person has a small photograph, a few dozen lines of military biography, memories of a vibrant youth, a poem, or a couplet...

After the war, they returned to civilian life, each with their own circumstances at an age "rarely seen before." Though the victory at Dien Bien Phu is long gone, strangely enough, in every word and sentence of these veterans, the genuine, concrete, and warm feelings of camaraderie, the close bond between soldiers and civilians, and the familial relationship between generals and those who directly fought in the war are evident. And most noble and sacred of all is their devotion to Uncle Ho – the beloved Father of the Vietnamese People's Armed Forces.Male.

Through the pages of the book, readers have the opportunity to become acquainted with veteran Nguyen Dinh Chuan, "Artilleryman in the Dien Bien Phu Campaign"; veteran Tran Duc Tuan with "Our Elephants Marching to Fight the Enemy"; veteran Uong Nhat Hoan with "Driving Through Danger"; Hero of the People's Armed Forces Dang Dinh Ho with "The Story of Two Heroes"; veteran Tran Hoi enthusiastically recounts "That Day"; veteran Nguyen Van Khoa recalls the historical moment of "Digging Tunnels Through Hill A1"; and Major General Bui Duc Tung recounts the event of "Capturing Independence Hill"...

Mr. Bui Duc Tung (born 1928, from Anh Son) vividly remembers: “The battle became increasingly fierce and intense towards the end, with their intention to hold out until dawn, when the forces in Muong Thanh would come to our rescue. But the determination of our officers and soldiers was to resolutely resolve the situation before sunrise. The battle lasted from 3:30 AM to 6:30 AM on March 15, 1954, before finally ending. Our troops completely took control of Independence Hill...”. After the Dien Bien Phu victory, Mr. Tung also participated in several major battles and achieved great victories during the war against the US to save the country. His family has three brothers, all of whom fought in the Southern battlefield and all returned to their hometowns. By the time our country achieved peace and reunification in 1975, Major General Bui Duc Tung had already spent 30 years in the military... This year, he is 86 years old. A reporter from Nghe An newspaper, who had the opportunity to meet and talk with him, recorded that at the age of 86, Major General Bui Duc Tung still dedicates his time and effort each day to recording plans, operations, developments, and lessons learned from each significant battle. He then carefully packages and sends these records back to his old unit to help his comrades create "living documents," supplementing the unit's traditional archives!

Meeting with Dien Bien Phu veterans in Vinh City.

Veteran Tran Hoi (born 1935, from Thanh Chuong) enthusiastically recounted his experience after the Dien Bien Phu victory, when he was assigned the task of escorting prisoners of war back to the camp: “At first, we were escorting enemy prisoners. After two days, Nguyen Van Sang – the platoon leader – assigned me a French prisoner of war who was almost twice my size. At that time, I was only 19 years old!” During the Dien Bien Phu Campaign, veteran Nguyen Van Khoa (born 1930, from Yen Thanh) had the honor of participating in digging a 43-meter-long underground tunnel to detonate a nearly 1000kg explosive charge at Hill A1, a very important strategic position of the French army that was built and guarded with utmost care… Mr. Khoa participated in both the resistance wars against France and the United States. After the reunification of the country, he retired to the Lien Co block, Hung Binh ward, Vinh City. In the midst of everyday life, still full of hardships and difficulties, and with his wife having passed away long ago, despite his contributions to the nation, Mr. Nguyen Van Khoa still lives a very simple and humble life, enthusiastically and regularly participating in cultural and social organizations of the neighborhood and ward, and is highly respected and admired by everyone!

And here are some verses by veteran Pham Van Ly (born 1934, from Hung Nguyen) to forever "Remember my comrades at Dien Bien Phu":

I returned to historic Dien Bien Phu.

Incense sticks are placed on the tombstone.

The nation honors a hero.

The soldier's grave is unmarked.

There are many, many more touching memories and poems that I don't have the opportunity to recount here. 68 faces in the book.Soldiers of Dien Bien PhuVinh StreetAs Major General Hoang Trong Tinh, former Head of Political Affairs of Military Region IV, wrote in the introduction: Despite their advanced age and declining health, the soldiers remain extremely enthusiastic and bonded with their comrades through noble gestures.

Published in May 2006, the book has remained relevant until now.Soldiers of Dien Bien PhuVinh StreetIt has been six years. As far as we know, since then, the Liaison Committee of Dien Bien Phu Veterans in Vinh City has compiled and published new, more substantial and elaborate volumes to supplement the existing content. These are undoubtedly valuable living proofs, contributing to a more comprehensive and valuable history of the Dien Bien Phu victory in particular, and of the history of fighting and defeating foreign invaders by the Vietnamese Army in general!

Kim Hung