Two tanks entered the Independence Palace 40 years ago

When coming to the museum to see tank 390 again, the veterans were "tested" with the question "Are you sure this is the tank that crashed into the main gate of the Independence Palace at noon on April 30, 1975?".

Two tanks, T59 number 390 and T54B number 843, were both recognized as national treasures in 2012. During the war against the US, these two vehicles belonged to Company 4, Battalion 1, Tank Brigade 203, Army Corps 2.

Tank 390 is currently on display at the Armored Museum (Hoang Quoc Viet, Hanoi), next to dozens of other rusty tanks. The vehicle's license plate is clear, the turret is intact and still bears bullet marks from its participation in campaigns. Despite many battles and exhibitions, the vehicle still starts regularly and works well.

The original, unique 390 tank is currently on display at the Armored Vehicle Museum. Photo: HP

Tank 843 is on display in the Vietnam Military History Museum (28B Dien Bien Phu), placed in a prominent position among images of the Ho Chi Minh campaign in 1975. The fuel lines and batteries are aging, so the vehicle can no longer function. To limit the impact of the hot and humid climate, museum staff clean and maintain it every day and annually.

"After many maintenances, tank 843 is almost original, only some rusty parts and small details need to be replaced. In December 2014, the vehicle was repainted. The technical council had to find the correct paint source and color of the vehicle because if it is not the right type, the original paint layer of the vehicle will be destroyed," said Lieutenant Colonel Cao The Duyen, a preservation officer at the Vietnam Military History Museum.

There was a time when public opinion wondered which of the two tanks crashed into the main gate of the Independence Palace?Finally, French female journalist Francoise Demulder was present at that historic moment and captured images proving that tank 390 crashed through the main gate and entered the Independence Palace.

On the morning of April 30, 1975, two tanks were part of the 4th Company's formation, penetrating deep, crossing Thi Nghe Bridge, opening the way for the 2nd Corps' forces to advance to the Independence Palace. On vehicle 390 were Lieutenant Vu Dang Toan, political commissar of Company 4, vehicle commander; gunner No. 1 Ngo Sy Nguyen; gunner No. 2 Le Van Phuong and driver Nguyen Van Tap following vehicle 843 of company commander Bui Quang Than to the palace gate.

At that time, tank 843 leading the attack formation crashed into the side gate of the palace and got stuck. Tank 390 following behind immediately charged forward, crashing the main gate. Company Commander Bui Quang Than jumped out of tank 843, ran to the roof of the palace, lowered the flag of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam and hung the flag of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam.

Soldiers on tanks 390 and 843 were the first liberation forces to arrive at the Independence Palace on April 30, 1975. Photo: Francoise Demulder. Courtesy of the LSQS Museum.

After the incident was verified and concluded clearly, Major General Le Ma Luong, former Director of the Vietnam Military History Museum at that time, reported to the General Department of Politics, Ministry of National Defense, requesting to bring tank 390, which was being used and trained at Tank Brigade 203, Army Corps 2, to display at the museum next to tank 843.

"My opinion was approved by my superiors, but when working with the armored side, Major General Doan Sinh Huong, Commander of the corps, replied that he wanted to keep tank 390 and display it at the museum to serve propaganda and education for officers and soldiers in the corps, the people, and international friends," said General Luong.

Before entering the museum, tank 390 accompanied the soldiers on a long journey across the country following the liberation army's advance route.This is a medium-class main combat vehicle produced by China based on the Soviet T54A production line, and provided to Vietnam in 1969. During that journey, tank 390 from A Luoi participated in the battle to liberate Hue - Da Nang, becoming the first vehicle to crash the main gate of the Independence Palace at noon on April 30, 1975.

Video: Armored Vehicle Museum Documents

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During the anti-American period, tank 390 continued to participate in protecting the southwestern border, performing international missions in Cambodia, then boarding a ship, crossing the sea to the North, and participating in the war to protect the northern border. In 1980, the vehicle and the unit were stationed in Lang Giang (Bac Giang) and were used as training vehicles, ready for combat.

When the Armored Corps inaugurated the museum in 1999, the soldiers who were on the tank were invited to meet and identify the original artifacts. The museum staff "challenged" the tank crew by asking, "Are you sure this is the tank that crashed into the main gate of the Independence Palace at noon on April 30, 1975?"

Gunner Ngo Sy Nguyen recited the vehicle's identification features, such as the left side of the turret still having two dents, about one centimeter deep, from being shot by bullets. On the surface of the turret, right after the fixed weld, there was a dent longer than a hand's span from a bomb fragment. Each dent and vehicle's serial number were exactly as described by the veterans. At that time, the museum staff opened the door to bring the witnesses to see the vehicle again. "The vehicle was newly painted, but it had been with us throughout the entire fighting journey since 1972, so how could we forget it?" Mr. Nguyen shared.

Colonel Le Xuan Khanh, Director of Z153 factory, former technical officer - who participated in inspecting and repairing tank 390, said that in 1999, the technical department of Z153 factory was ordered to receive the tank for repair. Knowing that this was an artifact of special historical value, the technical team tried to keep the originality of the vehicle, only replacing some common damaged parts.

After nearly 2 months of repairs, the vehicle was handed over to Brigade 201 for transport to the museum. The transport team had to use a specialized vehicle to bring the 36-ton artifact back to the display site.

Tank 843 carried Captain Bui Quang Than - the person who planted the flag on the roof of Independence Palace at 11:30 a.m. on April 30, 1975. Photo: HP

Accompanying tank 390 entering the Independence Palace was tank T54B number 843, manufactured by the former Soviet Union and provided to Vietnam during the resistance war against America.After the reunification day, tank 843 was ordered to take over Nha Be port (now Nha Rong port) and then march to Long Binh depot. Afterwards, the tank was brought to Hanoi to attend the exhibition celebrating the reunification day.

At the end of the exhibition, tank 843 returned to training duty at Brigade 203 until 1979 when it was brought back to be displayed at the museum.

In 2011, when preparing the dossier to recognize the tank as a national treasure, the museum invited witnesses to certify that the tank was an original artifact. The crew, including tank commander Bui Quang Than, gunner number 2 Nguyen Van Ky and driver Lu Van Hoa (gunner number 1 Thai Ba Minh had passed away earlier), once again reunited with their "old friend".

The soldiers of the past clearly remember the scratch on the plastic knob of the right-hand steering wheel that the driver of the Fire truck hit when changing the machine gun magazine. The mudguard at the rear of the truck was deformed when turning the truck in the Truong Son forest. The dent on the front of the truck, 3 cm in diameter and 1 cm deep, was a bullet wound from the American army in the front of the truck, injuring gunner Nguyen Van Ky while using a 12.7 mm gun to shoot American infantry at the Nuoc Trong base. Now, that bullet fragment is still in Mr. Ky's wrist.

40 years have passed, the two vehicles are no longer in combat duty but continue to pass on historical knowledge and pride to the next generation when they are present at the museum. In a recent exchange, a young person asked gunner Ngo Sy Nguyen, who was on vehicle 390, if he was sad that history did not mention the soldiers who drove vehicle 390 and only remembered the tanks on the anniversary of April 30?

"For us, which car arrived first or which car arrived later is no longer important. There is no need to compete for credit or blame. History has given my teammates and I a moment of glory when we were in Saigon the earliest, at the moment of national reunification. So we are luckier and happier than our teammates who died on the way to Saigon," he replied.

According to VnExpress