The silent contributions of teachers in the Spring 1975 victory

Teachers go to B

From May 22, 1961 to December 10, 1974 - the day the "Northern teachers' delegation went to B" to support the Southern battlefield to fight the Americans, there were a total of 31 delegations with 2,752 teachers. Among them, according to incomplete statistics, there were nearly 200 teachers from Nghe An...“Let's carry out universal education, develop mass education, expand schools... teach day and night, hoping that our children will follow in our heroic footsteps…”- Professor - Hero of Labor Vu Khieu wrote in the epitaph for martyr teachers.

Many teachers directed the construction of an anti-slavery culture education system at the central level such as: Head of the subcommittee Nguyen Huu Dung (from Nam Dan), after liberation was Deputy Minister of Education and Training; Head of the Bac Lieu Education Subcommittee, martyr Phan Van Cuong (from Do Luong); Director of education in Soc Trang province, martyr Chu Dinh Bang; Deputy Head of the Can Tho subcommittee, literature teacher at Hanoi University, martyr Phan Dinh Hong (from Yen Thanh); Chu Cap (from Yen Thanh) in charge of education in My Tho...

Most of the teachers directly trained teachers to teach in schools concentrated in liberated areas or directly built education in each commune and hamlet. In particular, some teachers worked in other arduous fields, such as physical education teacher, Heroic Martyr Le Thi Bach Cat (from Cua Lo) - former Secretary of the District Youth Union, Commander of the Special Forces Team, District 1, Saigon; Literature teacher of martyr Nguyen Canh Han (from Thanh Chuong) - reporter of the Liberation Army Newspaper...

The teachers who went the farthest and had the most difficult time were looking for a way to the Southwest (Zone 9 or T3). Of the 7 teachers who went, 3 died. Of the 11 teachers who went to Zone 8 (Central South or T2) and worked with overseas Vietnamese in Cambodia, 2 died, 4 were arrested, including 2 teachers, Chu Cap and Tran Van Mau, who were exiled to Con Dao by the enemy; 2 teachers, Thai Duy Trap and Tran Hanh, who refused to report anything, were forced into the puppet army by the enemy, and both teachers escaped and found their way back to the liberated zone. Also working with overseas Vietnamese in the Song Ca region were teachers Ngo Duc Tien (from Yen Thanh); Ho Minh Kha (from Quynh Luu)...

In war zone D, Dong Nai, Ba Ria, out of 5 teachers, 3 were sacrificed. The martyred Chemistry teacher from Hung Nguyen, Hoang Nghia Minh, came to this area in 1965. In the war zone of Tay Ninh, Binh Phuoc Long, there were many teachers working in Party agencies, the Provisional Revolutionary Government, the National Liberation Front, in the R education subcommittee (Central Bureau), teaching in concentrated schools, medical schools... and in communes and hamlets...

Studying the battlefields of Zone V and the resilient Central Highlands, 20 teachers came here, two of them were sacrificed: Phan Thanh Hoa (from Nghi Loc), who taught at Ba To Pedagogical School; teacher Phan Van Buu (from Yen Thanh) who was shelled while on a propaganda trip to show mobile films in Que Son, Quang Nam. Teacher Tran Doan Cu (from Do Luong) - Principal of Binh Son Secondary School, Quang Ngai - a school, a fortress against the US, was awarded the First Class Medal of Military Exploit. After the liberation of Quang Tri in 1973 and 1974, more than 100 teachers from Nghe An were sent to reinforce the army; many of them were new graduates of teacher training schools.

The force of teachers who went to B also contributed greatly to the takeover of educational facilities and the stabilization of society after the complete liberation of the South (April 30, 1975). The reception of teachers to declare, classify and then send those who participated in the puppet army and puppet government to re-education schools was very urgent. The teachers who went to B were the core human resources in organizing training on revolutionary education policies, reopening schools to complete the 1974-1975 school year program.

In the unstable social situation after the liberation, the 12th grade graduation exam had to be held in June 1975 with many new contents, especially in social sciences, so the direction and implementation were very complicated and difficult. But everything went smoothly. Preparations for the opening of the new school year 1975 - 1976 according to the new textbook program were urgently prepared.

When the teachers returned to white chalk and blackboards

In the following years, the social and educational situation gradually stabilized, and many teachers who went to B were able to return to their hometowns after many years away. Most of the teachers returned to the blackboard and chalk. Only a few teachers held management positions in the industry or were transferred to Party and State agencies...

We, class 75 of Huynh Thuc Khang High School, were fortunate to have Mr. Hoang Tu Hau, a teacher who went to B (1973), directly teach Chemistry. True to the meaning of his name, he is a kind, devoted, and devoted person to his students. We often call him "Dad!" because he is always close, worried, and takes care of his students like a father in the family. He always finds out about the difficult family circumstances of his students to ask them to come to his house to study for free. After stressful hours of studying, he recalls the days of going to B with pride and endless nostalgia for his comrades.

Mr. Hoang Tu Hau said: "Missing their comrades during the days in Truong Son, during the difficult days of bombs and bullets, in 2000, the brothers came together and voluntarily established a Liaison Committee to celebrate the 25th anniversary of liberation. After 25 years of operation, the Liaison Committee has gathered a relatively complete number of teachers who went to B. During this time, the Liaison Committee edited, published, and then republished the book“Nghe An teacher goes to B, a time to remember”.The book was awarded the Encouragement Prize for Historical Science by the People's Committee of Nghe An province in 2017.

With the support of the Provincial People's Committee, the Department of Finance, the Department of Education, the Provincial Association of Former Teachers, many former students and some agencies..., the Liaison Committee has organized 8 meetings on the occasion of the anniversary of the liberation of the South and the reunification of the country on April 30. In 2018, to commemorate the 1968 Tet Offensive, all teachers who went to B signed a petition to the Government, the Central Government and the Ministry of Education and Training to posthumously award the title of Hero to martyr teacher Le Thi Bach Cat.

Teacher Le Thi Bach Cat, a native of the Cua Lo coastal area, entered the Saigon - Gia Dinh battlefield to join the special forces (codename Sau Xuan); in May 1966, she participated in the establishment of the Le Thi Rieng Women's Special Forces Battalion; in March 1968, she was a member of the District Party Committee and Secretary of the District Youth Union of District 3. In the fierce battle on May 5, 1968, Sau Xuan bravely and intelligently commanded her teammates to fight, holding out against the enemy for many hours. When there were no more bullets, in a critical situation, Sau Xuan ordered her teammates to retreat, while she herself stayed behind to block the enemy's path with the last grenade and heroically sacrificed herself.

Towards the 50th Anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification (April 30, 2025), the Liaison Committee also proposed to organize for comrades to revisit the old battlefield and attend the 50th Anniversary of building the revolutionary education in the South; attend the Inauguration Ceremony of the Martyrs' Cemetery at Hill 82, Tay Ninh...".

Nearly 200 teachers from Nghe An who went to B brought with them to the battlefield the tradition of generations of teachers from their home province. The dedication and heroic sacrifice of the teachers who went to B in Nghe An province contributed significantly to the glorious victory and complete Spring of 1975 of our nation.