Binh Dinh - Pride and Aspiration

After the August Revolution in 1945, Binh Dinh was one of the four free zones (Nam, Ngai, Binh, Phu) of Inter-zone 5. Thoroughly grasping the people's war policy of "all-people, comprehensive, long-term resistance" of the Party and President Ho Chi Minh, under the leadership of the Party Committee, the nurturing and protection of the people, the Binh Dinh armed forces were always cared for, built, consolidated and matured.

With the spirit of "determination to die for the Fatherland", the army and people of Binh Dinh defeated many sweeps, encroachments, and sabotage operations of the French colonialists. This place was also a large and solid rear base, providing human and material support to the battlefields, contributing with the whole country to the historic victory of Dien Bien Phu "famous in 5 continents and shaking the world".

Many people attended the rally to celebrate the liberation of Binh Dinh province. Photo: DOCUMENT

The Geneva Agreement was signed, the whole country was joyfully waiting for the general election day after 2 years of national unification. Binh Dinh was the 300-day assembly area in Quy Nhon for soldiers, cadres, and students to board ships to the North.

However, with its extremely belligerent and reactionary nature, American imperialism replaced France as the new enemy of the Vietnamese revolution.

The beloved land of Binh Dinh was gradually taken over by the US and its puppet regime, and a puppet government was established. They tried to suppress, terrorize, destroy, and sweep away our bases; arrested and imprisoned relatives of those who gathered in the North and escaped to do revolution by many cruel, sinister, and despicable tricks... to the point that "heaven would not tolerate it, earth would not forgive it". The revolutionary movement of Binh Dinh province at that time suffered serious losses.

However, under the leadership of the Party, directly by the Regional Party Committee of Zone 5 and the Provincial Party Committee, the vast majority of Party members, loyal grassroots, and revolutionary masses were all loyal to the Party and Uncle Ho, "rather die than lose the country, rather than become slaves", but stubbornly and courageously stood up to fight, persistently clinging to the land and people, protecting, restoring, expanding the base, and building revolutionary forces...

In the early days, we advocated political struggle to demand the implementation of the Geneva Agreement, but in the face of enemy repression, the Provincial Party Committee directed the gradual building of the armed forces, combining political struggle with armed struggle.

In January 1959, the Central Committee of the Party, term II, held the 15th expanded conference, discussing the guidelines and methods of the revolution in the South, and determined: "The basic path of the Vietnamese revolution in the South is to revolt and seize power for the people. According to the specific situation and current requirements of the revolution, that path is to mainly use the strength of the masses, combining the armed forces to overthrow the domination of imperialism and feudalism and establish the revolutionary government of the people". The conference also predicted: "The uprising of the people in the South is also capable of turning into a long-term armed struggle... and the final victory will definitely be ours".

This was a correct and wise policy of great significance, creating a new wind and new momentum, becoming the driving force to promote the Southern revolution in general and the struggle movement in Binh Dinh in particular to move forward steadily, shifting from a defensive position, preserving forces to an offensive position.

From here, the armed units of the province in particular and Military Region 5 in general were born one after another. From the company and battalion levels, they developed independently to the regimental level, building the armed forces to be more and more standardized; the more they fought, the stronger they became, the more they matured and developed strongly, becoming a solid foundation for the development of the political struggle movement. This was also the unique development of Vietnamese military art, the close combination between local people's warfare and operations by main force troops.

The army and people of Binh Dinh flexibly and skillfully applied the motto "2 legs, 3 prongs, 3 regions" to create an extremely great combined strength and a solid, interconnected battle formation, contributing significantly to the whole country's step-by-step defeat of the strategies of "Unilateral War" (1954 - 1960), "Special War" (1961-1965), "Local War" (1965-1968), "Vietnamization of the war" (1968-1972) of the US imperialists.

On January 27, 1973, the Paris Agreement was signed, and the US and its vassals had to withdraw from Vietnam. Taking advantage of the victory, under the leadership of the Zone 5 Party Committee and the Provincial Party Committee, the army and people of Binh Dinh coordinated with the main units of the Military Region to step up the struggle, attack and revolt, breaking the enemy's grip, destroying many enemy bases, disintegrating many puppet government headquarters; maintaining and expanding the liberated areas and controlling most of the rural areas and deltas; building and developing comprehensive revolutionary strength...

In March 1975, facing favorable developments in the Central Highlands and the whole country; seizing the opportunity, the Regional Party Committee of Zone 5 and the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee directed the army and people of Binh Dinh to coordinate with the 3rd Sao Vang Division to organize a campaign, practice strategic division, step up attacks, simultaneously attack and rise up to completely liberate the districts...

At 8:00 p.m. on March 31, 1975, the victory flag flew over the puppet government's administrative building in Quy Nhon town, the enemy's headquarters in Binh Dinh. From here, Binh Dinh was completely liberated, contributing to the entire country's complete liberation of the South and national reunification.

The land of Binh Dinh, which has been through many years of arduous and fierce war, has now changed dramatically and is constantly developing and becoming more beautiful. Photo: NGUYEN DUNG

This is an extremely great victory, a major historical turning point in the struggle for liberation of Binh Dinh land and people, opening a new page of history: Building and developing Binh Dinh homeland to become increasingly rich, beautiful and civilized.

Tourists visit and take souvenir photos at the Nguyen Sinh Sac - Nguyen Tat Thanh Monument (Quy Nhon City). Photo: NGUYEN DUNG

In the historic days of March, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of Binh Dinh Province, joining the crowd in Nguyen Tat Thanh Square (Quy Nhon City), Binh Dinh people and tourists from all over the country gathered here, enjoying the atmosphere of peace, prosperity, freedom and happiness. Perhaps everyone was proud, moved and respectful, grateful for the steadfastness, bravery and indomitability of generations of fathers and brothers who fell, sacrificing their blood and bones for peace, independence and national unity. Even more proud when the land of Binh Dinh, after many years of arduous and fierce war, has now changed its appearance, constantly developing and becoming rich and beautiful. And surely in each person there is a belief, expectation, with the tradition of "lightning speed, surprise, decisive victory" of the Tay Son insurgents "in cloth and red flag", of the national hero Quang Trung - Nguyen Hue, the place known as the "land of martial arts, heaven of literature" and under the guiding light of the Party, Binh Dinh will continue to accelerate, break through, innovate, create, together with the whole country confidently enter a new era - the era of national growth, towards prosperity, stability and development, realizing the goal of "rich people, strong country, democracy, fairness, civilization".

Colonel DO XUAN HUNG
(Commander of Binh Dinh Provincial Military Command)

Source: https://baobinhdinh.vn/viewer.aspx?macm=1&macmp=1&mabb=343516