Seventy years have passed, but the memories of the Dien Bien Phu campaign in 1954 have never faded in the mind of veteran Ly Van Ngoan from Dong Tien hamlet, Phu Thanh commune, Lac Thuy district.
Old as he is,
veteran Ly Van Ngoan still maintains the quality of Uncle Ho's soldiers.
Ngoan said he volunteered to join the army when
he was only 19, and he was admitted to Regiment 55 in the central province of
Thanh Hoa. In January 1954, he was transferred to Regiment 77, which was
assigned to design artillery fortifications for Division 351 to serve the Dien
Bien Phu campaign.
"We began to shell Doc Lap Hill, one of the
strongest posts of the enemy, at 3am on March 15, and the attack ended at
6:30am the same day, with the complete annihilation of this stronghold, forcing
French forces to flee to Muong Thanh – the central keep,” he recalled.
For A1 Hill, the veteran said after four days of
fighting, Vietnamese soldiers controlled only a small part of the position as
it was defended by an elite battalion. Given this, the Campaign Command decided
to dig tunnels to bring in guns and blow off the enemy’s bunkers. "With strong determination, we wiped out the
stronghold,” he said.
Following the second phase of the campaign, the
soldier took prisoners to the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang, and
was given other tasks. After completing his military services in 1962,
Ngoan worked at the Moc Chau Farm, and as a teacher at a husbandry school from
October 1965 to 1985 when he retired.
The veteran was presented with the second-class
Victory Medal, the Glorious Soldier Order, the first-class Anti-American
Resistance Medal, and the Dien Bien Victory Badge.
In mid-May, the provincial Museum organised an exhibition named "Duoi la co Dang Cong san Viet Nam quang vinh” (Under the flag of the glorious Communist Party of Vietnam). This meaningful activity took place in the joyful atmosphere to celebrate the country's major holidays and the Party congresses at all levels for the 2025-2030 term, towards the 14th National Party Congress.
A delegation from Hoa Binh province led by Colonel Trinh Duc Thiem, Commander of the provincial Military Command, completed a mission to visit and encourage officers and soldiers stationed on Truong Sa and a DK1 platform from May 20 to 26 as part of activities of the Vietnam People’s Navy. The delegation included 12 senior officials from various provincial agencies and units.
Storytelling and painting contests honouring President Ho Chi Minh have been held at the Hoa Binh provincial Youth Activity Centre.
The Hoa Binh provincial People's Committee held a gathering at the provincial Military Command headquarters on May 20 to commend the armed forces that took part in a military parade celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification on April 30.
Throughout his revolutionary life, Uncle Ho visited Hoa Binh province four times. He also sent dozens of letters, telegrams, greeting cards, and heartfelt messages to local officials, Party members, and people of all ethnic groups, urging them to remain united, support one another, strive for progress, and actively engage in both production and resistance efforts to build a prosperous homeland.
To unlock the full potential of its forest resources, the standing board of the provincial Party Committee on July 30, 2020 issued a Resolution on the sustainable development of production forests through 2025, with a vision toward 2030.
