"Mine-clearing hero" of Cu Chi steel land: The man "stepping out" from the heroic history page

Hero of the People's Armed Forces To Van Duc shared with the youth of Vietnam News Agency at an exchange yesterday afternoon, April 21, in Hanoi. (Photo: Hoai Nam/Vietnam+)

The last days of April were truly special for the Hero of the People's Armed Forces To Van Duc (who was nicknamed "The Hero of the Mines" or "The Tank Destroyer" for his innovations in creating mines to destroy enemy tanks in the steel land of Cu Chi during the anti-American war). The story of Mr. Duc's "mines to destroy tanks" sounds like a legend, but it is the historical truth about the strength and intelligence of the Vietnamese people.

At the age of over 80, yesterday afternoon, April 21, the old soldier with silver hair in a simple military uniform, although walking slowly because of the "wind and weather", still proudly walked into the National Cinema Center, to interact with nearly a hundred young people of the Vietnam News Agency about his and his comrades' fight, which was recreated in "Tunnels: Sun in the Dark" - a new historical war film released in early April 2025, towards the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification.

Memories of bombs and bullets are still intact

- Dear Hero To Van Duc, the film “Tunnel: Sun in the Dark” was made by Director Bui Thac Chuyen and investors with a lot of effort over 11 years to recreate the story of your generation in the past. When you watch the film about the fight of you and your comrades, how do you feel?

Hero To Van Duc : During the historic days of April, especially after watching the movie Tunnels , I was very moved, because the memories of a time of bombs and bullets were always present in my mind. Although many soldiers and people who participated in the revolution with me at that time had sacrificed and died, my memories of them are still intact.

With “Tunnels: Sun in the Dark,” although the film only depicts a “slice” of the story, a part of the image of history, it has shown the fighting spirit against America of the people of Cu Chi at that time.

The stories and images recreated in the film are a testament to the will, strength and intelligence of the people in the Cu Chi tunnels.

- In the film “Tunnel: Sun in the Dark,” the character Tu Dap (based on himself) is portrayed as a very intelligent engineer who specializes in creating weapons to support the guerrilla team. Could you share your feelings when you first saw the image of “Tu Dap” introduced to the public?

Hero To Van Duc : Talking about the character Tu Dap's scene in the movie, I think actor Quang Tuan performed very well.

Vietnam News Agency Youth took a photo with People's Armed Forces Hero To Van Duc and representatives of the film crew "Tunnels: Sun in the Dark." (Photo: Hoai Nam/Vietnam+)

Before making the film, Director Bui Thac Chuyen asked me to advise him on how to dig tunnels, how to make mines, and to advise him on other details about the war. Therefore, the image of Uncle Tu Dap in the film when he defusing bombs, getting medicine, making mines, and then setting mines, is exactly like the work I did in the past. But to be honest, the film only shows a part of it, the war at that time was much more fierce and intense.

"Minecraft hero" with the miracle of destroying tanks

- Indeed, many viewers were particularly impressed with the "trick" of placing mines to destroy enemy tanks in tunnels. You are also the real person who was once called the famous "tank destroyer" by your teammates. So what is the story behind that nickname? Can you tell us so that the young people here can understand better?

Hero To Van Duc : In February 1962, when I was just 20 years old, I joined the fight to expel the invading imperialists and joined the militia and guerrillas of Nhuan Duc commune, Cu Chi district.

With a passion for mechanics, I was assigned by the organization to be in charge of the local workshop with the main task of repairing weapons damaged during the war. It was called a workshop, but in reality it was just an old local forge, with no equipment except for a simple furnace blower and a few files.

Faced with that difficulty, I researched the weapons that my brothers collected, then improved them from the horse-horse gun for close-range shooting to the long-range rifle for guerrilla combat. Then I created the K54 pistol, upgrading it from 8 rounds to 14 rounds.

However, in 1966, tanks were sweeping the Cu Chi area fiercely, while we only had rudimentary guns, especially the guerrillas who did not have B40s to fight against tanks. Therefore, after being lent 2 mines by an engineer, I placed them right away in a “loophole” about 50 meters away, and when a tank ran over them, the mines exploded.

Seeing that the mine was very effective, I picked it up again to research and produce mines to block the advance of enemy tanks.

In the series of bombs dropped by the enemy at that time, there were many bombs that did not explode. Some were very big. So, during the day, I went to pick up the bombs that did not explode and saw them apart. I told everyone to move aside and let me go down and look at the bombs alone.

Then I studied how to saw bombs, took explosives from enemy bombs and invented a type of landmine. Fortunately, the new landmines I made at that time were more effective than mines, because with landmines, if a tank or enemy soldier passed by and got stuck in the wire, the mine would automatically detonate.

Successfully, I spread to everyone how to make gunpowder from dud bombs, mines, grenades...

And so the number of weapons I made kept multiplying. Nearly 5,000 American tanks were destroyed during the fiercest years of the war in Cu Chi, most of them from homemade landmines. That’s why many people still call me “Landmine Hero.”

With outstanding achievements in manufacturing effective anti-tank weapons, at the age of 21, I was honored to be admitted to the Communist Party of Vietnam right in the Cu Chi tunnels. After that, I was honored to be awarded the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces by the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam.

At the exchange between the Vietnam News Agency Union and the film crew of "Tunnels" on the afternoon of April 21, Mr. Duc hoped that the younger generations would understand the resilience of the guerrillas of the past, and see the indomitable fighting spirit of our ancestors in the fight against the US to protect the country.

- Having gone through the heroic years of war, with countless difficulties and dangers, now in peacetime - when reviewing your and your comrades' fight recreated in the film, do you want to tell the younger generation anything?

Hero To Van Duc : Through many ups and downs in life, I still love life passionately and still remember the heroic years of the revolution in the Cu Chi region.

I am always willing to share with everyone, especially the young generation, about the bloody time of the war for national independence.

Through the film “Tunnels: Sun in the Dark,” I hope that the younger generations will understand the resilience of the guerrillas of the past, and see the indomitable fighting spirit of our ancestors in the fight against the Americans to protect the country. The stories of those who emerged from the war are always authentic. Looking back at the past is also a way to cherish what we have now.

- Sincere thanks to Hero of the People's Armed Forces To Van Duc./.

(Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/anh-hung-min-gat-vung-dat-thep-cu-chi-nguoi-buoc-ra-tu-trang-su-hao-hung-post1034202.vnp