Visiting the General's Forest

(Baonghean) - During the Dien Bien Phu Campaign, General Vo Nguyen Giap chose the old-growth forest at the foot of Pu Don mountain, Muong Phang commune, Dien Bien district (Dien Bien province) as the campaign's command post. Here, the General and his staff directly issued crucial directives and orders that led to the decisive victory on May 7, 1954. Sixty years later, the old-growth forest still bears the indelible mark of the legendary General, and the people of Muong Phang affectionately call it: "The General's Forest."

Simple and unpretentious

Muong Phang commune is 38 km by road from Dien Bien Phu city. In the pristine Northwest landscape, the small road winding through the forest, named after General Hoang Dao Thuy, becomes a magical link connecting the present with the past 60 years ago. The small stream flowing gently at the foot of Pu Don mountain seems to still reflect the vibrant days of the campaign. There remains the Information Department's working hut, the telephone switchboard bunker, the intelligence agents' sleeping quarters, and the living and working quarters of the Campaign Information Department Head, Hoang Dao Thuy. Deeper inside the hut is the meeting hall – where meetings convened by the Party Committee and the Command took place, and the Hoang Cam kitchen… All are simple and humble in the old forest, carefully preserved and protected by the people of Muong Phang for the past 60 years.

The simple living and working quarters of General Vo Nguyen Giap in the Dien Bien Phu Campaign Command Headquarters.

In that setting, General Vo Nguyen Giap's living and working quarters were simple and unpretentious. The house, thatched with straw and clad in bamboo, was divided into two rooms nestled against the mountain. Inside, there was a set of desk and chair, and a bamboo bed. Next to the quarters was a 96-meter-long tunnel connecting to the working quarters of the campaign's Chief of Staff, Hoang Van Thai. It was in that very quarters that the General made decisions of epochal significance, leading to a Dien Bien Phu victory that "shook the world and resonated across continents." We cannot fully express our emotions upon witnessing the General's workplace, and surely, the same feelings are shared by tourists who have visited this place.

Mr. Chu Van Kiem, a veteran from Bac Can, shared: “Only by coming here did I realize how much more difficult the command and combat conditions were for our troops compared to the French. The General's working hut was in stark contrast to the fortified command bunker with modern equipment of General De Castries (commander of the French army at the Dien Bien Phu stronghold) in the Muong Thanh field that I visited. Under the brilliant command of the General, the French army suffered a complete defeat, and General De Castries had to surrender. I truly admire the courageous and resilient fighting spirit of our troops and the brilliant command and strategy of the General and his comrades in the Campaign Command.”

The school named after General Vo Nguyen Giap is located in Muong Phang commune.

For international tourists who visit Dien Bien Phu and Muong Phang, they gain a more authentic and complete understanding of the reasons for the French defeat in Indochina in a war that Western media often likened to "a grasshopper fighting an elephant"; at the same time, they gain a profound and complete explanation of the source of the Vietnamese people's strength. This strength lies in their fervent patriotism and unwavering determination to fight for national independence, freedom, and happiness for the people, even if it meant overcoming countless hardships and sacrifices. When viewing General Vo Nguyen Giap's working hut at the campaign headquarters, Mathieu Jean Paul and his wife, tourists from France, couldn't help but feel surprised. “For our generation, Vietnam has had a profound influence and left a lasting impression. I myself greatly admire the talent of General Giap – a brilliant general not only of Vietnam but of the world. Visiting Dien Bien Phu and the campaign headquarters over the past few days, I was truly impressed. Despite the scarcity and rudimentary conditions, General Giap led the Viet Minh army to victory against the well-trained and modernly equipped French army.”

Perhaps it was because of those profound meanings that the Dien Bien Phu Campaign Command Post in Muong Phang became a symbol of the pinnacle of military intelligence and the indomitable heroic spirit of the Vietnamese people in the Ho Chi Minh era. And General Vo Nguyen Giap became a legend in the hearts of the nation.

Live on in the hearts of the people

In Muong Phang, the image of the brilliant yet incredibly simple and approachable General Giap remains deeply etched in the minds and hearts of the local people. Every Muong Phang resident we met affectionately called the General "Uncle Giap." We had the opportunity to meet the descendants of Mr. Lo Van Bong, a Thai ethnic guerrilla fighter who served as the outer perimeter guard for the campaign headquarters 60 years ago. After the Dien Bien Phu campaign ended, for decades Mr. Bong voluntarily protected and looked after the campaign headquarters without demanding any benefits. In his small stilt house in Bua village, Muong Phang commune, Mr. Lo Van Bien – Mr. Bong's son – showed us a photograph of his father with the General at his home and another photograph of Mr. Bong meeting the General in Muong Phang. All were proudly displayed alongside numerous certificates of merit, medals, and decorations recognizing Mr. Bong's revolutionary life. Mrs. Lo Thi Lanh – the wife of Mr. Bong – has cherished the cassette player that General Giap gifted to the family since her husband's death. For the whole family, the player is a priceless treasure, even though life is now more comfortable and they have modern audiovisual equipment. “At that time, there was no electricity in Muong Phang, so General Giap gave the player to my husband so he could listen to news and music. The whole family treasured it,” Mr. Lo Van Bien shared.

During his lifetime, General Vo Nguyen Giap showed special care and affection for the people of Muong Phang commune. This was a token of gratitude from the elder brother of the Vietnam People's Army to the people of the Northwest highlands who wholeheartedly protected and assisted the Campaign Command Headquarters. Mr. Lo Van Thanh – Chairman of the People's Committee of Muong Phang commune, Dien Bien district, Dien Bien province, shared: “Many key projects in the area bear the strong imprint of General Vo Nguyen Giap, such as the Loong Luong 1 water reservoir, the construction of schools, and roads… Therefore, despite being in a remote area, Muong Phang has made steady progress, with a rapid rate of poverty reduction. The poverty rate decreased to 26% by the end of 2013. The Thai, Mong, and Kinh ethnic communities living in the area all remember and are grateful for the General's affection for Muong Phang.” Bearing in mind the deep and profound affection for the General, nurtured over 60 years, the entire Muong Phang community was plunged into immeasurable grief upon hearing the news of his passing. The people organized a memorial service at the Dien Bien Phu Campaign Command Post historical site and sent representatives to pay their respects to the General at 30 Hoang Dieu Street, Hanoi.

That special affection is also a source of pride that motivates generations of people in Muong Phang to strive to build a more developed homeland, worthy of the affection that General Vo Nguyen Giap dedicated to the land and people here. Especially the younger generation – the future seedlings of Muong Phang, from preschool to elementary and junior high school students – are all very proud that their schools were renamed Vo Nguyen Giap School after the General's passing. Cu Thi Xuan, a student in class 8A at Vo Nguyen Giap Junior High School in Muong Phang commune, shared: “We are very honored to be born in Muong Phang and to study in a school named after General Vo Nguyen Giap. That motivates us to strive to study hard, train ourselves to become useful members of society, and contribute to building our homeland.”

Returning to Muong Phang, a place that marks a glorious milestone in the illustrious military career of the elder brother of the Vietnam People's Army, whether walking through the tranquil sacred forests or in the highland villages, everything seems to bear the imprint of the General. For the people of Muong Phang, no memento can compare to the boundless love and affection that the General dedicated to the land and people of Muong Phang, as well as the unwavering loyalty of thousands of Muong Phang people across generations to the legendary General: Vo Nguyen Giap.

Text and photos:Thanh Duy - Duc Anh