50 years and the unknown in the photo of tanks entering the Independence Palace

Historic moment

At that historic moment, journalist Tran Mai Huong, former General Director of Vietnam News Agency, then a reporter specializing in writing, recorded the image of tank number 846 entering the middle gate of the Independence Palace.

During a working trip to Ho Chi Minh City to celebrate the 50th anniversary of national reunification, Mr. Huong emotionally recounted the story of a photo taken half a century ago.

Photo of tank number 846 entering the Independence Palace taken by journalist Tran Mai Huong on April 30, 1975

On the morning of April 30, 1975, he followed the convoy to penetrate deep into the city center. He recalled that before reaching the Palace, the two sides were still fighting in Thu Duc. The reporter convoy had to move to the side to avoid the bullets. “If we didn’t go fast, we wouldn’t make it, and stopping would be very dangerous,” he said.

On the way to the Palace, journalist Tran Mai Huong was moved to record images of people on both sides of the road joyfully welcoming him.

Of the 7 photos taken from the small roll of film, 4 captured that memorable moment.

He still remembers the image of children climbing onto the convoy's vehicles, people following on motorbikes, singing loudly the song "Marching to Hanoi" by musician Van Cao.

When he reached the Palace gate, he quickly got out of the car carrying him and his colleagues. Before that, tanks had entered.

By natural reflex, he raised his camera to take a picture of the fourth tank.

"In terms of space, it was through the gate of the Independence Palace, in terms of time, you could see the light from above shining down on the cannon barrel splitting in half, that was noon, if it was afternoon, there would not be this light. On the vehicle, in addition to the forces of the 203rd Brigade, there were also 2 infantrymen of the 304th Division," journalist Mai Huong recounted.

At that moment of pressing the shutter, journalist Tran Mai Huong did not think that it would be a photo with lasting historical significance, but simply thought that it was a beautiful moment. The film roll was then sent to Bien Hoa and then flown back to Hanoi.

"It's hard for anyone to tell in a split second what the photo looks like. I don't know what my photos look like, because after I returned from the campaign, I saw the newspapers published them. At that time, I just finished taking the photos and sent the film roll to Hanoi, where they developed it and used it," Mr. Huong said.

Journalist Tran Mai Huong

Recalling the moment 50 years ago, journalist Tran Mai Huong still considers it the most beautiful memory in his journalism career.

April 30, 1975 was also the day of the press's military gathering, and at that historic moment, it can be said that the press had fulfilled its mission well.

"People say that there are days in history that go by at a speed of 20 years per day, and 1975 was exactly such a year," said journalist Tran Mai Huong.

The journey to find two infantrymen

The photo of tank 846 entering the Independence Palace that year not only had the image of the tank soldiers but also the presence of two infantry soldiers. However, until now, information about these two soldiers remains a mystery.

Mr. Phung Quang Trung, leader of Skyline Group - a group specializing in editing and restoring photos for free for families of martyrs and Vietnamese Heroic Mothers, said he received a request from the National Defense Television channel to restore this historical photo with the aim of finding information about the two infantrymen more conveniently.

This is also the wish of many people, because nearly 50 years have passed, the identities of the two soldiers have still not been determined.

"This is probably the concern of veterans who have been waiting for many years but have not found the two comrades sitting in front of the tank even though they are from different units, one side is in the armored tank, the other side is in the infantry. This is the concern of the veterans for many years. During the process, I also received a lot of encouragement and support, including from the tank driver that day, who still texts me every day to ask about the situation," said Mr. Trung.

The photo was restored by Mr. Phung Quang Trung - Skyline group (photo: NVCC)

In addition, the leader of Skyline group printed and donated 700 photos of tank 846 entering the Independence Palace, and shared the restored and colored photo files to promote and educate the younger generation on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of national reunification.

According to VOV

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/50-nam-va-an-so-trong-buc-anh-xe-tang-tien-vao-dinh-doc-lap-245444.htm