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.
After three years of implementing the Politburo’s Conclusion No. 01-KL/TW on continuing performing Directive 05-CT/TW on enhancing the learning and studying of President Ho Chi Minh’s thought, moral example and lifestyle, Lac Thuy district of Hoa Binh province has discovered many effective models and practices, creating a spillover effect in the local community, helping to develop a clean and strong Party Organisation meeting the requirements in the new situation.
The Hoa Binh Elderly Association and the provincial Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs on May 7 held a working session with a visiting delegation from the Japanese Embassy and sponsors of a local project on reducing senior citizens’ income and health vulnerabilities in Vietnam (VIE071).
Over recent times, in Mai Chau district, there have been many typical examples of studying and following President Ho Chi Minh's ideology, ethics, and lifestyle in all aspects of the social life, contributing to successfully implementing the tasks of socio-economic development, and ensuring social welfare and defence and security in the locality.
Officials of Hoa Binh province led by Bui Van Khanh, Vice Secretary of the provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, along with others from the provinces also taking part in a programme on promoting Vietnamese localities in the US and Canada, visited and had a working session with the Consulate General of Vietnam in Houston on April 24 (local time). The delegation was welcomed by Hoang Thuy Duong, Consul General of Vietnam in the city, and staff members of the consulate.
Officials of Hoa Binh province joining in a programme on promoting Vietnamese localities in the US and Canada began working sessions in New York on April 22. Other provinces participating in this programme, held by the Department for Local Diplomacy Facilitation under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, include Yen Bai, Ha Nam, Ha Tinh, Thua Thien - Hue, and Gia Lai.
The Party Committee, People’s Council, People’s Committee, and Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Hoa Binh province on April 19 held a get-together on April 19 for soldiers, youth volunteers, and transporters who directly engaged in the Dien Bien Phu campaign 70 years ago (1954-2024).
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