The battle of the Quyet Thang Squadron at Tan Son Nhat airport in April 1975 was a milestone in the glorious history of the Vietnam People's Air Force.

Veteran Pham Duy Do, the son of the "rice land, the cradle of cheo singing" - Thai Binh, known by the intimate name Do "Gu," is a special forces soldier with silent achievements and great contributions to the cause of national liberation.

He once held the position of Captain of Company 1, Battalion 19, Regiment 116, Southeast Special Forces and achieved many glorious feats during the years of resistance against American imperialism.

Witness of history

Preparing for the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification Day (April 30, 1975 - April 30, 2025), we went to house number 06, lane 129, group 4, Tran Lam ward, Thai Binh city and met veteran Pham Duy Do - a special forces soldier with outstanding achievements. Mr. Do is 75 years old this year, still healthy and agile.

Confiding and telling about his military life, Mr. Do said that at the age of 19, he volunteered to join the army and was trained in the Special Forces. In 1971, he and his comrades crossed Truong Son to the Southeast battlefield to fight the American imperialists. With a brave and intelligent spirit, he and his comrades participated in many fierce battles, achieving many glorious feats.

Mr. Pham Duy Do reviews the pages of his war diary. (Photo: Vu Quang/VNA)

In particular, on April 30, 1975, he was one of the first commandos to enter the Independence Palace. He directly guided the tank of Captain Bui Quang Than. He was also the commander of the combat team, participating in the arrest of President Duong Van Minh and the cabinet of the Republic of Vietnam Government... contributing to the final victory of the resistance war against American imperialism to save the country.

Three times special mission

During his military career, Mr. Pham Duy Do was assigned three special missions that marked important historical milestones for the country.

The first time, in 1971, he had the honor of participating in a rehearsal to serve Prime Minister Pham Van Dong and General Vo Nguyen Giap to welcome Cuban leader Fidel Castro and the Polish General Secretary.

He and his teammates demonstrated their water commando combat techniques, swimming across the Red River, approaching Gia Lam airport and performing special combat situations. The performance was so impressive that immediately afterwards, Cuban leader Fidel Castro came to shake hands and praise the spirit and talent of the Vietnamese commando soldiers.

Less than a week after that memorable event, Mr. Do was assigned a special mission for the second time - with 9 soldiers to protect and guide 24 Lao and Cambodian students who had just graduated from Vietnamese medical universities across Truong Son to hand over to Laos and Cambodia. With a high sense of responsibility, he and his 9 teammates overcame countless difficulties and hardships for nearly 5 months, ensuring absolute safety for the group of students.

After completing the second special mission, Mr. Pham Duy Do did not return to the North but continued to fight in the Southeast battlefield. He was assigned to Company 1, Battalion 19, Regiment 116, Southeast Special Forces, and together with his teammates directly conducted reconnaissance, research, and participated in dozens of important battles such as the battle at the Long Binh bomb depot, Battalion 43, Armored Inter-School, capturing and protecting Dong Nai bridge, Nuoc Trong field airport...

At the end of 1973, he received his third special mission, which was perhaps the most important mission in his military career. Senior Lieutenant General Tran Van Tra, then Commander of the Southern Liberation Army, and Regiment Commander Vo Tan Sy directly assigned him and two excellent fighters, Do Duc Toc and Le Huy Hoat, to infiltrate Saigon city, conduct research and draw a battle map of the Independence Palace and surrounding targets. This was an extremely dangerous and complicated mission, requiring courage, intelligence and a high sense of responsibility.

With the help of the inner-city revolutionary base, Pham Duy Do's reconnaissance team took advantage of the entire underground sewer system to secretly research important targets, collect information and draw a detailed map of the Independence Palace. After nearly half a month of "appearing like ghosts and gods," Pham Duy Do and his reconnaissance team successfully completed their mission, providing extremely valuable information for the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign in 1975.

Noble Orders, Medals and Certificates of Merit for Mr. Pham Duy Do's contributions. (Photo: Vu Quang/VNA)

Live simply in everyday life

After years of war and military service, in 1983, Mr. Pham Duy Do returned to his hometown to retire from disability and enjoy the 2/4 disabled soldier regime. Although life was still difficult, he always maintained the qualities of Uncle Ho's soldiers, lived simply, sincerely, full of compassion and continued to contribute to the community.

Mr. Tran Xuan Trieu - Head of the Veterans Association of Group 4, Tran Lam Ward, Thai Binh City (Thai Binh Province), said that despite his many glorious achievements, Mr. Pham Duy Do always lived modestly and simply, always gave up noble honors to his comrades and was an exemplary member, always actively participating in the activities of the Veterans Association and the locality despite his old age. He always maintained the qualities of Uncle Ho's soldier, living with affection for his comrades and neighbors.

Mr. Pham Ngoc Hong, a neighbor who is also a member of the Veterans Association with Mr. Do, said that comrade Pham Duy Do, a former special forces soldier, is always a shining example of patriotism, bravery, modesty and selfless dedication to the Fatherland. All of us here respect comrade Do. He lives very harmoniously and always cares about the people around him. Stories about his exploits are always a great source of encouragement for local people, especially the younger generation.

Mr. Do’s contributions to the country have been recognized with many noble medals, awards and certificates of merit. His comrades and those who know him always express their respect and admiration for the bravery, loyalty and humility of special forces soldier Pham Duy Do…./.

Source: http://vietnamplus.vn/nguoi-linh-pham-duy-do-nhan-chung-lich-su-trong-gio-phut-giai-phong-mien-nam-post1027094.vnp