Thanh Hoa women silently and resiliently participated in the Dien Bien Phu Campaign

During the resistance war against French colonialism, Thanh Hoa was located in the Thanh - Nghe - Tinh free zone and was the gateway to the free zone, as well as the rear of the resistance. Under the leadership of the Party Central Committee and Uncle Ho, directly by the Thanh Hoa Party Committee, the army and people of Thanh Hoa implemented the Resistance - Nation Building policy, united to overcome all sacrifices and hardships, built Thanh Hoa into a strong base, and provided timely and adequate support to the battlefield.

Thanh Hoa women silently and resiliently participated in the Dien Bien Phu Campaign Women's Union of Ba Dinh Ward (Bim Son Town) in traditional Ao Dai parade to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the historic Dien Bien Phu Victory.

Among thousands and tens of thousands of Thanh Hoa women at that time, there was an old lady Nguyen Thi Nen in Tuong Linh commune (Nong Cong) who participated in two campaigns to serve the Dien Bien Phu Campaign. The first time was in 1953 and the second time was in 1954. Once, when transporting ammunition to Hoa Binh, she heard the news of victory. Mrs. Nen said: "When we received the news, we were extremely happy. Everyone laughed and hugged each other and cried. Nothing can describe the joy of victory. Years of hard work transporting goods, weapons and ammunition to serve the resistance, having to eat broken rice dipped in white salt, wading through streams to avoid bombs and bullets, suffering from malaria... all were worthily rewarded when defeating the French colonialists". After returning to her locality, Mrs. Nen was elected by the people as the president of the women's association and did protection work at the school.

Serving the resistance war against the French, thousands of young women from Thanh Hoa's rural areas joined the youth volunteers, transport workers, frontline workers... and overcame many hardships and dangers to build roads, transport food by shoulder poles on bumpy, steep roads through mountains, hills, deep streams in the dark, with only moonlight to light the way, many times they had to hold their breath, be silent, and be careful with each step to avoid being discovered.

Along with women serving on the front lines, many women in the rear also silently sacrificed and contributed their strength to the historic resistance war, including Mrs. Vu Thi Nien (91 years old) in Te Nong commune (Nong Cong). Mrs. Nien married former youth volunteer Le Van Du, who was from the same hometown and also participated in the resistance war against the French. When she was young, Mrs. Nien worked hard, saved food to support the resistance war and waited for her partner to return. The couple had 6 children, the eldest of whom were successful, the grandchildren and great-grandchildren were healthy and filial... and also regularly did charity work in the village and commune because of the camaraderie and neighborliness.

Whether in the rear or on the front line, Thanh Hoa women encountered countless hardships but always maintained an optimistic spirit, encouraged, shared, and overcame them together. In the rear, mothers, sisters, wives, and younger sisters sent letters of encouragement to soldiers on the battlefield, becoming a source of strength for the troops. With the determination to mobilize human and material resources to the maximum for the battlefield, all for the victory of Dien Bien Phu, in the transportation for the third phase of the Dien Bien Phu campaign, Thanh Hoa porters accounted for 80% and among them were 25,000 female soldiers. There were many shining examples of Thanh Hoa women serving the Dien Bien Phu Campaign that were commended by the Government and President Ho.

Proud of the achievements that contributed to the historic Dien Bien Phu Campaign "famous in five continents, shaking the land", cadres, members, and women of all ethnic groups in Thanh Hoa province are continuing the tradition of patriotism, strong will, solidarity, joint efforts, and dedication to effectively carry out the movement, association activities, and build a strong association; building the image of Thanh Hoa women not only beautiful during the resistance war but also beautiful in peacetime, beautiful in the eyes of international friends with the qualities of "patriotism, humanity, self-reliance, self-improvement, and aspiration to rise up".

On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of Dien Bien Phu Victory, the Women's Union at all levels in the province participated in activities to return to the source and show gratitude; promoted propaganda and organized many cultural, artistic and sports activities to create a vibrant competitive atmosphere, in which the Provincial Women's Union responded to the activities to return to the source of the Central Vietnam Women's Union: "Women of the whole country turn to Dien Bien" to pay tribute to heroes and martyrs; participated in the conference "Forever the love between the army and the people" in Dien Bien City, Dien Bien Province; held a festival of creative models and activities, promoting good cultural customs of ethnic minorities to contribute to promoting gender equality and won third prize.

The above activities aim to highlight the contributions of women in the Dien Bien Phu Campaign and continue to arouse pride in the heroic fighting tradition of Vietnamese women; at the same time, further promote national pride, patriotism and revolutionary spirit of cadres, members, women, female soldiers and the People. Thereby, affirming the position and role of women in the new era, worthy of the 8 golden words that Uncle Ho gave to Vietnamese women: "Heroic - Indomitable - Loyal - Responsible".

Article and photos: Le Ha

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