Half a century of remembering and following Uncle Ho's teachings.

The Museum of Military Region 4 still preserves the MI4 helicopter that carried President Ho Chi Minh on his first visit to his hometown. In the outdoor area in front of the museum is a cluster of traditional reliefs representing six provinces: Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, and Thua Thien-Hue. These reliefs, symbolizing pink lotus petals embracing a statue of President Ho Chi Minh waving, are placed on a granite pedestal serving as a commemorative plaque: "Here, President Ho Chi Minh visited and spoke with officers and soldiers of the Armed Forces of Military Region 4 on June 15, 1957." On that day, President Ho Chi Minh visited the Military Region headquarters. At dawn, officers, soldiers, and defense workers eagerly lined up at the gate to welcome him. However, when the Military Region Commander went to the Nghe An Provincial Party Committee to greet him, President Ho Chi Minh asked to be taken through the side gate to inspect the dining hall and restrooms before coming out to the courtyard to speak with everyone.

Uncle Ho kindly said: "Today, in speaking with you all, I only have three points of praise, four points of criticism, and five points of advice. Try to develop the points of praise, and try to follow the advice given."

"I hope you all will continue to improve..."

Deeply imbued with President Ho Chi Minh's teachings, whether in peacetime construction or throughout the war of resistance against the US to save the nation, generations of officers, soldiers, and defense workers of the Armed Forces of Military Region 4 have always resolved to strive to achieve meritorious deeds to be worthy of "President Ho Chi Minh's boundless love and affection."

Keeping their promise to the Party and the people, and determined to fulfill Uncle Ho's five instructions, the army and people of Military Region 4 bravely entered the fight against the destructive war waged by the American imperialists, ensuring transportation and providing support to the front lines. From 1964 to 1973, the army and people of Military Region 4 fought tens of thousands of battles, large and small, shooting down 2,183 aircraft of all types (accounting for half of the total number of American aircraft shot down by the army and people of North Vietnam). They also sank or destroyed American warships 25 times. Everywhere they fought well, and every day they achieved victories. The army and people of Military Region 4 were honored to receive 32 letters of commendation from Uncle Ho; awarded the banner "Determined to defeat the American invaders" to 18 units; and presented many badges from him to militia and soldiers who achieved victories.

With the spirit of "All for the front lines; all for victory," Military Region 4 mobilized human and material resources for the battlefield, fulfilling its role as a major rear area supporting the front lines. Together with the rest of the country, it participated in opening the Ho Chi Minh Trail. 423,216 young people enlisted in the army; 8,093,324 joined the youth volunteer corps and served as civilian laborers on the front lines. The people in the region contributed 5,534,740 man-days to support combat, and nearly 79,000,000 man-days to ensure transportation and support for the front lines, simultaneously fighting and building socialism. The military and people of Military Region 4 leveraged the strength of the major rear area to support the Southern front lines and the Indochina battlefield. They truly deserved President Ho Chi Minh's praise: "Military Region 4 is truly worthy of being the heroic front line of the North, crushing all the barbaric tactics of the American aggressors…" Famous battles at Lang Vay, Ta Con, Khe Sanh, Con Tien, Doc Mieu, the Tri Thien Delta, Route 9 South Laos, Hue, Dong Ha, and Quang Tri Citadel, along with historical landmarks such as Nam Ngan - Ham Rong, Vinh - Ben Thuy, Truong Bon, Dong Loc Crossroads, and Xuan Son Ferry, will forever be etched in the golden pages of the resistance war against the US, saving the nation. These battles illuminate the revolutionary heroism of the Ho Chi Minh era, forging the glorious tradition of the heroic Armed Forces of Military Region 4: "Absolute loyalty to the Party, readiness to fight and sacrifice for the country and the people, determination to fight and win, knowing how to fight and defeat all enemies. A blood-and-flesh bond with the people. The rear and front lines are united, always for the whole country, with the whole country. Solidarity and loyalty with friendly nations."

With the complete liberation of the South and the peaceful reunification of the country, the armed forces of the Military Region, together with the Party committees, governments, and people of the localities, participated in removing tens of millions of bombs and mines of all kinds, liberating hundreds of thousands of square kilometers of land for the people to cultivate. They actively participated in restoring and developing the socio-economic and cultural sectors; building the unified railway; and achieving many successes in healing the wounds of war. Without hesitation, they bravely rescued the people during natural disasters and floods; built up the armed forces and the national defense system, linked with the people's war strategy, contributing to the successful implementation of the two strategic tasks of building and protecting the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

Entering the period of reform, the armed forces of Military Region 4 have thoroughly grasped the two strategic tasks, upholding the revolutionary and cultural traditions of the Military Region in the homeland of beloved President Ho Chi Minh, demonstrating a spirit of self-reliance and self-strength, actively and proactively overcoming difficulties, strictly complying with directives and orders from above, and continuously improving the overall strength of the people's armed forces; closely coordinating with the Party committees, governments, and people of the six provinces in the region to build a national defense system and a national defense posture, building and consolidating the defense zone step by step into depth and solidity, especially the defense capabilities along the border lines, coastal lines, and key strategic positions, successfully fulfilling the task of protecting national sovereignty and territorial integrity and successfully completing international tasks. They have defeated the strategic plots of "peaceful evolution" and subversive riots of hostile forces, contributing to maintaining political stability and promoting socio-economic development in the localities.

The 50th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's visit to the Armed Forces of Military Region 4 is an opportunity for every officer, soldier, non-commissioned officer, and defense worker in the entire region to reflect on themselves in light of President Ho Chi Minh's teachings, to recognize the honor, pride, and glorious responsibility before the Party and the people, and the demands of new tasks. From there, they can best implement the "Study and follow the moral example of Ho Chi Minh" campaign.

For half a century, the armed forces of Military Region 4 have always strived to uphold and follow President Ho Chi Minh's teachings, using his three points of praise, his four points of criticism to strive for improvement, and his five admonitions to diligently implement, gradually building a strong and comprehensive armed forces for the Military Region, building a strong and exemplary Party Committee for the Military Region, and forever living up to the title of "Ho Chi Minh's soldiers" in the homeland of the great President Ho Chi Minh.

Text and photos: NGUYEN DINH THAI (Military Region 4 Newspaper)