70 years of Dien Bien Phu victory: Dien Bien Phu heroes

To achieve the Dien Bien Phu victory that shook the world, many officers and soldiers of the Vietnam People's Army fell during 56 days and nights of "digging mountains and sleeping in tunnels" but their "courage did not waver, their will did not weaken". We would like to recount the sacrifices of you, to honor the heroic martyrs and the value of peace today.

"Go fast, don't hesitate"

Him Lam, Doc Lap, and Ban Keo were three clusters of strongholds north of the French military headquarters in Muong Thanh and were considered "impregnable gates". On the afternoon of March 13, 1954, artillery of the 351st Artillery Corps (the predecessor of the Artillery Corps) was ordered to open fire on the Him Lam stronghold, opening the Dien Bien Phu campaign.

Waving the victory flag, taking control of the Him Lam base cluster

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Mr. Pham Van Nham (former explosive squad leader, Company 245, Battalion 11, Regiment 141, Division 312) said: "At 7:00 p.m. on March 13, 1954, we approached the Him Lam base cluster. At nearly 10:00 p.m., I was ordered to command the explosive squad to continue to break the fence and create an open door. The situation was very tense because we sacrificed a lot". I said: "Lying still would also kill us, the only way left was to rush forward very quickly, without hesitation". "We ran straight from where we were lying to the fence, passing many wounded soldiers lying around. We ran up to place explosives, pulled the detonator, and then ran back under enemy fire. Only one person went up at a time. We shot all the explosives from the squad, and had to use the explosives from the wounded soldiers to continue, a total of 37 explosives and nearly an hour later we were able to open the last 20 meters of the fence. At 10:30 p.m., all 3 bases at Him Lam were destroyed. Of my 16 squad members, 6 were killed, 3 were seriously injured, and no one was left unharmed," Mr. Nham recalled. At 2 p.m. on March 14, 1954, our 105mm artillery simultaneously fired at the Doc Lap base. Mr. Dinh Van Dinh (former training officer of Battalion 29, Regiment 88, Division 308) said: "When fighting, the explosives brothers struggled for nearly 2 hours to break the fence and create an opening. Later, we found out that the opening was off-course and not finished quickly, so the enemy artillery kept hitting that spot. Battalion Commander Vu Nhu told me: "You run down and get 20 explosives to continue fighting, otherwise you will die again". With explosives, we only thought about how to fight, not about death". I don't remember exactly how many people died, I only know that there were many casualties. When we finished fighting Doc Lap, when we returned to the rear base and met the cook, he kept crying "no one will come back to get food anymore"...

Medical forces participating in the Dien Bien Phu campaign

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Immediately after the Doc Lap stronghold was destroyed, Mr. Le Van Doi (at that time, the head of the enemy propaganda department of the 88th Regiment, 308th Division) and Mr. Dai Dong (propaganda officer of the 88th Regiment), who were good at French, were ordered to persuade a prisoner of war to bring a letter to the enemy stationed at the Ban Keo stronghold to surrender. On the afternoon of March 17, 1954, all 264 soldiers of the 3rd Thai Battalion stationed at Ban Keo surrendered to us.

Heroic Pe Luong

After crushing the Northern sub-sector, the Dien Bien Phu Campaign Command decided to build a system of offensive and siege positions around the strongholds in the two remaining sub-sector areas, the center of Muong Thanh and the south of Hong Cum. From mid-March 1954, Company 78 (12.7mm anti-aircraft machine gun battalion of Division 308) deployed its position in the west of Muong Thanh, controlling enemy aircraft, supporting infantry units digging trenches to surround and attack... Early in the morning of March 28, 1954, the French army broke through the front line of defense. The leading group of soldiers tied a white flag to the muzzle of their guns, pretended to surrender, and advanced close to the position of Company 78. Company commander Nguyen Viet Quy shouted in French, asking them to stop, lower their guns, and surrender. Immediately, the group of soldiers turned their guns and fired at our troops.

Acting President Vo Thi Anh Xuan offers incense at the Dien Bien Phu Battlefield Martyrs' Temple

VNA

Following the company commander's order, all four 12.7mm guns of Company 78 lowered their barrels to destroy the enemy and block the attack by tanks and infantry behind. Only when they ran out of ammunition and company commander Nguyen Viet Quy, political commissar Ngo Hanh Phuc and many soldiers were sacrificed, could the enemy invade the battlefield. The remaining people of Company 78 fought steadfastly in close combat and sacrificed themselves. In his memory, Mr. Le Dinh Thinh (former Deputy Company Commander of Company 78), the only survivor who returned to the rear base that day to take care of supplies, said: "The battlefield was only 3 km from the rear base, but the telephone line was broken. In the afternoon, we received the news, went up immediately and found our comrades sacrificed. When we brought them back to the rear base, we had to use bamboo tubes to engrave the names of the martyrs and place them on the graves". Mr. Le Van Huynh (former Deputy Platoon Commander of Company 241, Battalion 387, Division 308), still remembers very clearly the afternoon of March 28, 1954, when he led his unit to overcome the consequences of the battle at the Pe Luong village battlefield of Company 78: "Company Commander Nguyen Viet Quy was still standing with his body pressed against the fortification, his head bowed down. Political commissar Ngo Hanh Phuc was lying in the trench, his head wrapped in a large bandage, his hand on his forehead as if he was sleeping...". "The traces left behind showed the indomitable fighting spirit of the soldiers. None of us said anything to each other, but deep down, everyone thought of fighting to the end to liberate Dien Bien," Mr. Huynh said. (to be continued)

Acting President Vo Thi Anh Xuan pays tribute to Dien Bien soldiers

On April 21, Acting President Vo Thi Anh Xuan and the Central delegation offered incense at the Dien Bien Phu battlefield martyrs' temple, A1 martyrs' cemetery and visited and presented gifts to Dien Bien soldiers.

Acting President Vo Thi Anh Xuan and delegates laid wreaths and offered incense in memory of President Ho Chi Minh, General Vo Nguyen Giap, cadres, soldiers, youth volunteers, frontline workers and people who fought and sacrificed heroically on the heroic land of Dien Bien Phu, contributing to the historic victory that "resounded throughout the five continents and shook the world".

Before the heroic martyrs, the delegates vowed to promote the spirit of Dien Bien Phu victory, continue to make efforts with the entire Party, army and people to successfully carry out the cause of innovation, industrialization and modernization of the country, and build an increasingly prosperous socialist Vietnam.

After the program to pay tribute to Dien Bien soldiers, Acting President Vo Thi Anh Xuan and her delegation visited the Dien Bien Phu Historical Victory Museum.

VNA

Husband died, wife injured

"During the campaign, there were days of continuous fighting, many wounded soldiers returned, we had to perform surgery one after another. Standing all day, our legs were swollen. I will always remember a deputy platoon leader who was wounded in the heart. When he was dying, he asked me to send a message to his wife and two young children in the countryside. A few weeks later, we treated a female civilian worker who was wounded in the thigh by a plane bombing. Before the surgery, we talked and she said that her husband had been fighting in Dien Bien Phu for months and had not heard from her. When she told me her husband's name and unit, it turned out that the deputy platoon leader had died. I felt so sorry for her, but I didn't say anything because I was afraid she would be shocked. We focused on treating her and the surgery was successful, saving her"...

Mr. Le Cong Thuan, nurse at Station Z20, Regiment 57, Division 304

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