The march of 10,000 young men after the liberation of the South

April is also the time when memories of 50 years ago appear more clearly in the mind of this 86-year-old city official.

50 years of the Liberation of the South and the reunification of the country, Mr. Pham Chanh Truc (alias Nam Nghi) witnessed and experienced all 50 years with all 3 periods: war, transition and renovation.

For someone who has held many positions, from Secretary of the Saigon - Gia Dinh Youth Union, Deputy Head of the Central Economic Committee to Permanent Deputy Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council, the march of 10,000 young men after the liberation of Saigon is an unforgettable memory.

Mr. Pham Chanh Truc, former Standing Deputy Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee.

After liberation, the city had a population of 4 million. In addition to consolidating and perfecting the revolutionary government, the city faced two major problems: hunger and unemployment. Therefore, solving the shortage of food and jobs became an extremely urgent task.

“Famine relief is the first step, but then we have to organize production to create material wealth. Without jobs, people will starve, ” said Mr. Truc.

And so in July 1975, the City Youth Union organization of which he was Secretary at that time planned to prepare to launch a youth volunteer army.

A company of young people will be sent to the suburbs to do business.

Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Vo Van Kiet presented the flag to Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union Pham Chanh Truc to join the Youth Volunteers in 1976. (Photo: Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union Documents)

He said that in early 1976, when reporting to the Secretary of the City Party Committee, Vo Van Kiet, about implementing this intention to solve the famine, and at the same time having to send troops to reduce unemployment, the Secretary was very welcoming.

“At first, because our strength was small, we planned to do it on a small scale. When we reported our intention, comrade Vo Van Kiet raised it to a major policy. That is, the City Party Committee launched and mobilized a large-scale youth volunteer campaign of up to 10,000 people.

To do that, we must now recruit soldiers from the grassroots. We must mobilize people to send their children to join, and organize from the bottom up. Our group system can do that, but the logistics are extremely difficult," Mr. Truc shared.

He said, the difficulties at that time were many. Traveling like that, even though it was done manually, still required tools such as knives, machetes, hoes and shovels. Each volunteer had to have 2 sets of clothes to wear, a hammock to sleep in and a nylon jacket to protect against the rain. That alone was very difficult.

Photo from 1976.

When it came to the transportation, the City Youth Union did not have many vehicles. Therefore, the army had to help. The Secretary of the City Party Committee at that time mobilized the whole city to help. Mobilizing from buses, army transport vehicles and many other places to have enough for the day of departure.

This was not just a small-scale campaign, but a city-wide campaign to help young volunteers join the army. And so the policy was very clear, and the people were very excited to send their children to join.

“On March 28, 1976, 10,000 young people from the city volunteered. The Central leaders at that time were almost all present to witness this campaign. At Thong Nhat Stadium at that time, there were 10,000 young people, which could be called the most complete group of people, from young people, workers to students, etc., all registered to participate,” Mr. Truc recalled.

He also did not forget to mention the advice of the Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Vo Van Kiet at the military departure ceremony that day: "Is there any young person who is not moved by the lyrics: "If I were you, I would die for my homeland"? Today's homeland no longer requires every young person to die for the homeland to live. The country is forever independent and free. The homeland requires you to live and live to the fullest... To live is to share the joys and sorrows with the people. To live is not to depend on others, but to work."

And so, these 10,000 young people spread out to new economic zones in the Southeast, Southwest, then to the Central Highlands and even the city's suburbs such as Thu Duc, Cu Chi, Binh Chanh, and Can Gio. These were all areas that had been devastated by enemy B52 bombs before.

Ten thousand young people of the city joined the army in 1976. (Photo: Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union)

“The youth volunteer force has a very important meaning. From a city that provided commercial aid to serve the war, it went into production. The youth volunteer force created a new awareness in society. We must be self-reliant, we must work and produce to live, to build the country, not to depend on others, not to depend on others.

That is also the wish of Secretary of the City Party Committee Vo Van Kiet to put his trust in the youth and let the Youth Union carry out that mission," said Mr. Truc.

Going beyond a military campaign to solve hunger and unemployment, Mr. Truc said that it was also the first activity in the policy of national reconciliation, first of all, the reconciliation of youth groups led by the Youth Union.

“It is that harmony that moves people. People see that the Party's policies are very clear, without discrimination when there is a very diverse group of young people,” Mr. Truc shared.

These ten thousand young people have spread out to new economic zones in many places and even the city's suburbs such as Thu Duc, Cu Chi, Binh Chanh, and Can Gio. (Photo courtesy)

In his memoirs about the expedition of 10,000 young men, he also did not forget to mention the decisive moment leading to April 30, 1975.

In the days before the historic moment of April 30, 1975, the City Youth Union played an important role in the uprisings in Saigon, coordinating with armed forces to seize power in many key areas. These were central areas and adjacent to large bases, the enemy's brains such as the Independence Palace, the US Embassy... Therefore, the City Party Committee directed the mobilization of mass forces to rise up. From the neighborhoods, the working-class neighborhoods to seize power at the grassroots level and develop.

Mr. Truc was then assigned to be the Secretary of the District 11 Executive Committee, and together with the masses launched an uprising, creating internal support for the main force to enter the city.

At dawn on April 30, when the Saigon government ordered “standstill”, the local forces immediately rose up. Mr. Truc’s group entered District 11, leading with flags and AK guns, and together with the people took over the government. By 10am, uprising sites broke out simultaneously, and at 11:30am, the troops entered the Independence Palace, completing the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign.

Mr. Truc recalled the miraculous moment of victory, when the city suddenly fell silent, people poured into the streets cheering, joining the liberation army in the joy of national reunification.

“My feelings on the afternoon of April 30 were very joyful, I even found it sudden. That is, suddenly, the sky did not have a single sound of airplanes, not a single sound of gunfire. That was very different from a few hours ago. So I had a very strange feeling. It was close, it was expected, it was extremely miraculous. The people were excited, they took to the streets cheering, and wherever the soldiers went, they followed. Our people and the army became one in that moment,” he recalled.

HONG LIEN - Vtcnews.vn

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/cuoc-xuat-quan-cua-1-van-thanh-nien-sau-ngay-giai-phong-mien-nam-ar935328.html