The diary "Marching to Saigon" of a soldier from Nghe An
(Baonghean.vn) - Every year, on the occasion of the anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification Day, Mr. Ho Trong Thanh flips through his old diaries and memorabilia, and so many memories suddenly come flooding back that this veteran feels like he is reliving the war.
Hot diary entries
44 years old, the diary of Mr. Ho Trong Thanh (65 years old) in Yen Ha hamlet, Hung Thinh commune (Hung Nguyen), has now faded, the handwriting has also faded over the years. But this veteran said that this is truly priceless, nothing can be exchanged. That diary is associated with a time of youth, war, with heroic and glorious days.
“I have had the habit of writing diaries since I was a student. During the war years, I wrote three books. Unfortunately, when I sent them back to the base to fight the enemy, two books were lost when I returned. Now, there is only one book left, recording the journey of participating in the historic Ho Chi Minh campaign,” Mr. Thanh said.
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| Whenever he has free time, veteran Ho Trong Thanh and his old comrades often sit down to reminisce about old memories. In particular, Mr. Thanh often looks through his war diaries and photos taken during his military administration work in Saigon after the Ho Chi Minh campaign to bring back old memories... Photo: Cong Kien and character provided |
The diary begins on April 8, 1975 with the following thoughts: “Marching continuously day and night. The sun in the southern homeland was so harsh. The fatigue was beyond words. However, the news of victory in the South made the fatigue disappear, the road to the battle today was brilliant with flags and flowers...".
Next, from April 9 to 15, soldier Ho Trong Thanh recorded quite detailed information about the progress of the combat march and his thoughts and feelings. Everything appeared with the spirit of fighting and victory, everyone had a premonition that victory was very close, one could say it was within reach.
The next and last day recorded in the diary was April 21, the content recorded was still about marching: "Night had just fallen. The marching order had been given, everyone was now in a light, ready posture to go on their combat mission. I was sure that we were going to liberate Bien Hoa. Oh my! What could be more joyful than that?….
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| Although life has its ups and downs, the diary entries and the poem "Marching to Saigon" always remain in the mind of veteran Ho Trong Thanh. Photo: Cong Kien |
Sacred relics
Along with the battlefield diary, Mr. Ho Trong Thanh also has souvenirs that mark the joy of the days of total victory, both precious and sacred. First is the notebook - spoils of war captured at the Office of the General Commissioner of Public Affairs of the Republic of Vietnam regime when he and his unit entered the battle at noon on April 30. This notebook was used to record the content of political study and the content of performing military management tasks.
Next to it is a photo taken with his comrades on an abandoned enemy motorbike while fleeing Saigon. In the photo, Mr. Thanh is the one holding a gun sitting in the back, smiling and with a very radiant expression.“After the victory day, we were assigned to military management duties. Passing by a photo studio, we saw a motorbike abandoned in front. My comrade and I sat on it to take a souvenir photo.”- Mr. Thanh said.
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| Sacred relics of a time of war and war are the source of motivation that helps veteran Ho Trong Thanh rise up in life. Photo: Cong Kien |
Veteran Ho Trong Thanh shared that he was always proud of being a soldier who fought to protect the Fatherland, and even more proud of participating in the historic Ho Chi Minh campaign, contributing to the liberation of Saigon. "The diary entries and battlefield memorabilia help me preserve the heroic and glorious memories and remind me to live a life worthy of the sacrifices of so many comrades and teammates," he said.