Truong Son Troops - More than songs

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh with officers, commanders and soldiers of Army Corps 12 (Ministry of National Defense)

On the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the opening of the Ho Chi Minh Trail - Truong Son Troops' Traditional Day (May 19, 1959 - May 19, 2024), on the afternoon of May 10, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh visited and worked with the 12th Army Corps and the Truong Son - Ho Chi Minh Trail Traditional Association.

The Prime Minister spoke to officers, soldiers, workers of the Corps and the Truong Son Traditional Association at the main bridge in Hanoi, and online to 27 bridges at the Corps' units nationwide.

Also attending were Minister of Defense, General Phan Van Giang; leaders of several central ministries, departments and agencies.

Splitting Truong Son to save the country

During the resistance war against the US to save the country, in response to the requirements of the revolutionary mission, the Politburo decided to organize a military transport route on land and at sea.

On May 19, 1959, the special military task force was officially assigned by the Standing Committee of the General Military Commission to open roads, transport military goods, organize troop pick-up and drop-off, and transfer official dispatches and documents from the North to the South and vice versa. The group was given the code name Group 559, and was later renamed Command 559, then Truong Son Command, Army Corps 12 - Truong Son Construction Corporation.

During the 16 years of resistance war against the US, the Truong Son road was always the focus of fierce attacks by the enemy using sophisticated and cunning tricks and modern weapons of the US empire.

Group 559 - Truong Son soldiers always uphold the spirit of resilience and courage, overcome all difficulties, hardships and sacrifices, creating the legendary Truong Son road, contributing especially to the great victory of Spring 1975 to unify the country.

In particular, the Truong Son route - the legendary Ho Chi Minh trail - a strategic military transport route with a total length of nearly 17,000km, over 3,000km of liaison roads; 1,967km of oil and gas pipelines; 1,200km of closed roads along with a system of bypasses, border crossings, rivers, and communication routes have created a "bagua battle formation through the jungle."

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh delivered a congratulatory speech to officers and soldiers of Army Corps 12.

Group 559 - Truong Son Army transported and supported the battlefields with over 1.5 million tons of goods and 5.5 million tons of gasoline; ensured the movement of more than 1.1 million officers and soldiers to the Southern battlefield and the front lines, and brought more than 650,000 officers and soldiers from the battlefields to the Northern rear.

The forces on the Truong Son strategic transport route fought over 2,500 battles, killed 18,740 enemies, captured 1,200, called on over 10,000 to surrender, shot down 2,455 enemy planes, and destroyed tens of thousands of tons of weapons and other enemy war vehicles.

The Truong Son Troops were honored by the Party and State as Heroes of the People's Armed Forces, with the Gold Star Order and the Ho Chi Minh Order. 85 groups and 52 individuals of the Truong Son Troops were honored and posthumously awarded the title of Heroes of the People's Armed Forces; 202 groups were awarded the Military Exploit Order, 4,814 Feat Orders and 11,000 orders and medals of various types.

After the resistance war against the US to save the country, the Central Military Commission assigned the Truong Son Army to switch to the task of economic development. Entering the new front of building and developing the country's economy combined with national defense, with the spirit of revolutionary offensive, the cadres, soldiers, workers and defense officials of the 12th Army Corps continuously developed, grew and matured.

From 1989 to 2024, the production scale of the Corps has been expanded. Production value has continuously increased, with an average growth of 15% per year, especially in 2023, it increased by 87% compared to 2022 and increased 2.5 times compared to 2019. The Corps has fully performed its budget payment obligations to the State.

Along with that, the Corps promotes the application of advanced science and technology; invests in and modernizes vehicles, motorbikes, and equipment to improve competitiveness, production and business capacity, and national defense potential.

From 2019 to present, the Corps has invested in purchasing and equipping 353 motorbikes and equipment worth nearly 750 billion VND. At the same time, research and application of advanced technology in production has brought practical results, contributing significantly to improving productivity, progress and quality of works.

Currently, Corps 12 is constructing over 110 projects, many of which are of great value, and the unit has been selected to lead many joint ventures.

Being the main contractor for most of the country's key traffic projects such as expressways; Ring Road 4 - Hanoi Capital Region; Ring Road 3 - Ho Chi Minh City; coastal connection roads of Quang Ninh province; bid packages at Long Thanh, Phan Thiet, Noi Bai, Tan Son Nhat airport projects; Hoa Binh and Ialy hydropower projects; major seaports such as Cai Mep-Thi Vai; bid packages for the construction of the 108 Central Military Hospital, the 175 Military Hospital and a number of projects for the construction of urban roads, sea dykes, islands, border patrol roads, and mine clearance in the provinces...

Corps 12 - Truong Son Construction Corporation is currently one of the strong enterprises in the field of basic construction in the country.

During the process of building, striving and growing, Corps 12 - Truong Son Construction Corporation has always been absolutely loyal to the Party, the Fatherland and the people; united, proactive, creative, self-reliant, overcoming difficulties, striving to excellently complete assigned tasks, worthy of being the unit that continues and promotes the glorious tradition of the heroic Truong Son Army.

Speaking to officers and soldiers of the 12th Corps and the Truong Son-Ho Chi Minh Trail Traditional Association, at the main bridge in Hanoi, online to 27 bridges at the Corps' units across the country, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh sent his best regards, greetings and congratulations to the generals and veterans of the Vietnam Truong Son-Ho Chi Minh Trail Traditional Association; officers, soldiers and workers of the 12th Corps - Truong Son Construction Corporation.

Fighting army, working army, production labor army

Recalling the fierce developments of the nation's resistance war against the US to save the country, the birth of Group 559, the Prime Minister said that with the spirit of "Splitting Truong Son to save the country", "Living to stick to the road, dying steadfastly and bravely", "Blood can be shed, the road cannot be blocked", Truong Son troops were proactive, creative, resourceful, brave, correctly and creatively applying political, military and scientific guidelines, the art of people's war; ready to sacrifice, overcome all hardships, both organizing road opening, road repair, ensuring traffic and transportation; while fighting the enemy on the spot, destroying tens of thousands of enemies, shooting down thousands of planes, destroying a large amount of enemy war vehicles, defeating all types of enemy warfare, establishing heroic feats, creating a legendary Truong Son.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh visits and works with Army Corps 12 (Ministry of National Defense)

According to the Prime Minister, the opening of the Truong Son-Ho Chi Minh Trail is a strategic creation of our Party; it is the art of organizing forces, organizing battle positions, organizing leadership, command, and management systems, organizing road networks and systems of military stations and warehouses; opening roads, ensuring marching, traffic, transportation...

At the same time, it is a symbol of revolutionary heroism, of the will to fight and win, of the indomitable spirit and the creative, unique strength of the Vietnamese people's war.

In order to establish the glorious and legendary feats of arms of Truong Son, nearly 20,000 cadres, soldiers and youth volunteers heroically sacrificed their lives, more than 30,000 people were injured, and thousands of people were severely affected by Agent Orange. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh respectfully acknowledged and expressed gratitude for the sacrifices, dedication and great contributions of generations of Truong Son soldiers.

“No one, no song, no story, no painting, no work of art can fully describe the ferocity of war, as well as the hardships, heroism, resilience, creativity, and the noble sacrifices and losses of our people and our army, including the Truong Son Corps, in the resistance war against the US to save the country,” the Prime Minister said emotionally.

Reviewing the milestones of Corps 12 - Truong Son Construction Corporation in the task of economic development, the Prime Minister expressed his joy at the development of the Corps in terms of stature, scale, and results in implementing political tasks; continuing to affirm the position, prestige, and brand of Truong Son, contributing to the development of the country; affirming the name of Corps 12 - Truong Son Construction Corporation has been associated with many key and important projects of the country, truly a "fighting army, a working army, a production labor army."

The officers, soldiers and workers of the Corps have promoted the organization, discipline and determination of a military enterprise. They have done what they said and completed what they promised, with the spirit of "overcoming the sun", "overcoming the rain", "only discussing work, not backing down", "eating quickly, sleeping urgently, paving the way for the Fatherland", "if you do something, you have a product and that product must be weighed and measured" through projects and works that ensure progress and quality.

Along with that, the 12th Corps has performed well its military and defense tasks, trained the reserve mobilization force; performed well its role as a national defense and security enterprise, a strategic reserve bridge and road engineering corps; was ready to prevent and combat natural disasters, rescue and salvage; always paid attention to social security work, created jobs for tens of thousands of workers in localities, contributed to stabilizing people's lives; implemented well the military rear policy, showed gratitude, and focused on mass mobilization work in the areas where the unit was stationed and constructed.

In particular, the 12th Army Corps and the Truong Son Traditional Association have done a good job of educating historical traditions for generations, especially the young generation. The Ho Chi Minh Trail Museum has become a red address welcoming millions of visitors.

“The achievements of the 12th Corps in recent years have enhanced the tradition of the heroic Truong Son Army; affirmed the role, functions and tasks of the production labor force, contributing to socio-economic development, and strengthening national defense and security,” the Prime Minister emphasized.

Analyzing the situation in the coming time, the new requirements for the tasks of building the Army, building and protecting the Fatherland, the Prime Minister requested that the 12th Army Corps - Truong Son Construction Corporation must continue to thoroughly grasp the Party's viewpoint on combining economy with national defense and security, in order to successfully carry out the two tasks of building and protecting the Fatherland; effectively implement the Party's resolutions, directives, conclusions, and State laws and policies on socio-economic development, national defense, security, and protecting the Fatherland.

The Prime Minister wishes that the 12th Corps needs to implement "3 pioneering": Pioneering in the application of science and technology, innovation, digital transformation, and human resource training; Pioneering in developing strategic infrastructure, especially transport infrastructure, improving the quality of works and products; Pioneering in building a clean and strong Party, further enhancing the image of Uncle Ho's soldiers in production and work.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh with officers, commanders and soldiers of Army Corps 12 (Ministry of National Defense)

The 12th Corps must perform well the functions and tasks of the production labor army, contributing to the construction and development of the socio-economy associated with the consolidation of national defense and security; produce and do business well, be highly combat-ready; creatively apply the military art of "Ngu binh u nong" of our ancestors in the new era.

Renewing thinking, improving management capacity, legal and effective production and business; striving to build Army Corps 12 - Truong Son Construction Corporation into a large-scale enterprise with capacity and experience in constructing key projects, especially in difficult areas, promoting the qualities of "Uncle Ho's soldiers"; affirming the Truong Son brand in the fields of basic construction, bridges, roads, airports, ports, hydropower, irrigation.

The Corps must organize military and professional training, build a disciplined and corporate culture; be ready to carry out military and defense tasks, switch to combat readiness, participate in disaster prevention and control, search and rescue; focus on training, fostering, and training a team of cadres and engineers who are good at their profession and expertise; be politically steadfast, exemplary in ethics and lifestyle, dedicated and committed to their profession. Prepare human resources early to participate in new projects such as high-speed railways, large seaports, etc.

The Prime Minister requested that the 12th Corps focus on building a strong Party organization in terms of politics, ideology, organization, ethics and cadres, associated with building a strong and comprehensive Corps that is "exemplary and typical"; pay attention to ensuring jobs, life and income for workers; do a good job of educating about traditions, gratitude activities, social security, caring for and helping families with meritorious services; and resolve policies.

The Prime Minister believes and hopes that the 12th Corps - Truong Son Construction Corporation will continue to be united, proactive, creative, self-reliant, self-reliant, overcome all difficulties, excellently complete assigned tasks, worthy of being the unit inheriting the glorious and heroic 65-year tradition of the Truong Son Corps, shining with the qualities of Uncle Ho's soldiers and the heroic Vietnam People's Army "complete any task, overcome any difficulty, defeat any enemy"; the Truong Son Traditional Association will continue to create motivation and inspiration for generations to follow.

TB (according to VNA)

Source: https://baohaiduong.vn/bo-doi-truong-son-hon-nhung-bai-ca-381301.html