(HBO) – In 1965, when its special warfare strategy failed disastrously, the US sent large numbers of troops to the south of Vietnam while extending the war to the north and conducting sabotage. In Hoa Binh, which was viewed as one of the important localities for providing support for the Lao battlefield, during only a short period of time, the US conducted 69 bombings to destroy local residential areas, economic premises and roads.
Bui Van Kenh, a resident in
Tha hamlet of Thu Phong commune, who directly commanded the fight as deputy
head of the commune’s militia force.
In
particular, it launched continual attacks on locations across the province from
early 1966. To cope with new plots and ruses of the US imperialists, the province
ordered its communes to make plans for dealing with the war of sabotage,
instruct locals how to take shelter from air raids, dig tunnels, build lookout
towers, and stay ready to shoot down low-altitude fighters.
One of the most successful battles of the militia
of Thu Phong commune was the downing of an F105 fighter of the US on July 20,
1966.
Recalling the battle, Bui Van Kenh, a resident
in Tha hamlet of Thu Phong commune, who directly commanded the fight as deputy
head of the commune’s militia force, said he was on guard at the commune’s
administrative committee at about 3pm on July 20, 1966 when two F105 fighters
flew in from the northwest. Above Cun Slope on Road 12B, they dived and fired
at an automobile of the Hoa Binh transport company that was parking on the top
of the slope. Kenh immediately called on militias to move to the trench behind
a warehouse of the Nam Son Cooperative to ready the combat formation.
Observing the enemy fighters’ direction, Kenh
ordered the first volley to be fired, but the bullets missed their targets. The
militia team shortly learned from this and waited for the two aircraft to lower
to focus their attack on the front one. Braving a rain of bullets from the
enemy fighters, the militias still calmly waited for the planes to come within
the suitable range.
When the leading fighter just entered the right
range, under Kenh’s command, the team focused firing on it. Being hit by
bullets, the fighter burst into flames and crashed onto Cun Slope, causing a
big explosion that shook the entire mountain and forest, Doan Duc Tinh, a
member of the then Nam Son Cooperative’s militia team, recounted.
Not only being heroes in combat, the populace of
Thu Phong also helped safeguard many central agencies that evacuated to the
commune while actively working to ensure livelihoods and support the "great
front” in the south.
In peacetime, they have worked hard to develop
economy and enrich the homeland. In 2019, the local per capita income
approximated 31 million VND (over 1,300 USD at the current exchange rate), and
the household poverty rate was brought down to 3.9 percent. The commune has met
all criteria for a new-style rural area while people’s cultural and spiritual
life has also been improved continually./.
With the motto of "polite, dedicated, professional, and lawful,” over the years, Phu Cuong commune in Tan Lac district has gradually improved the quality of processing administrative procedures, winning high satisfaction from local people and businesses.
Stretching over 300 meters, valued at hundreds of million dong and built to the new-style rural standards, a concrete road in De hamlet, Bac Phong commune, Cao Phong district, was completed by the end of 2023 thanks to the collective contributions of armed forces at provincial and district levels coupled with the active participation of military units stationed throughout the district.
Over the years, the People’s Committee of Lac Thuy district has issued many plans and programmes to speed up the administrative reform, aiming to better serve local people and businesses.
Kim Boi district is drafting 23 planning projects which are expected to help boost the local socio-economic development, attract investors, and mobilise resources for development, said Vice chairman of the district People’s Committee Tran Tuan Son.
They include the one on Bo urban area development until 2045, 20 zoning, and 12 on rural residential areas in communes.
This year, Hoa Binh province strives to have eight communes recognised as meeting new-style rural area standards and five communes satisfying exemplary new-style rural area standards. Since the beginning of the year, the provincial People's Committee has drastically directed the implementation of the national target programme on new-style rural area building to fulfil the set target.
Cao Phong district achieved positive socio-economic development results last year as drastic comprehensive measures were implemented with high determination of its whole political system, said the Secretary of the district Party Committee Ha Van Di.
.jpg)
.jpg)
