PANO - After the French colonialists reinvaded Vietnam and Cambodia, the armies of the two countries enhanced coordination, promoted the war of resistance, and strengthened solidarity to fight the common enemy, protecting their nations' independence.

In October 1948, a battalion of Regiment 305 and a company of Regiment 311 of military Zone 7 of Vietnam joined the Itsarak Unit of Svay Rieng province of Cambodia in forming a joint Khmer - Vietnamese unit called Si Votha soldiers with around 600 troops. Then, Zone 9 also sent units to Cambodia to coordinate with the local armed forces in setting up joint Cambodian - Vietnamese units as units 302 and 305 operating in Kampot province and Unit 632 in Takeo province. In 1949, Zone 9 dispatched Regiment 131 to the Southwestern base to help the Cambodian revolution. With the active and effective support of the Vietnam army, the Cambodian revolution was gradually strengthened and caught up with the general revolutionary movement of the three Indochinese nations.

In the final stage of the resistance war against the French invasion, Vietnam sent volunteer soldiers to Cambodia, helping the Cambodian revolution gain decisive victories. In early April of 1954, Regiment 101 (Infantry Division 325) and Division 200 of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers in Lower Laos advanced southwards to coordinate with Cambodian military units in the Northeastern Cambodia to attack the enemy, wiping out thousands of enemy troops, liberating a vast rural area and some towns (half the Cambodian acreage and one sixth of the nation’s population), contributing to defeating the French invaders. After that victory, along with the Geneva Accords signed in 1954, peace was restored in Cambodia. And the country claimed to develop into a neutral state. However, denying the people of Cambodia to follow their chosen path, on March 18th 1970, Lon Nol, member of the Royal Government of Cambodia, overthrew Norodom Sihanouk to set up a new government with Cheng Heng as the Head of State and Lon Nol as the Prime Minister.

Vietnam voluntary soldiers and Cambodian revolutionary force liberating Phnom Penh in 1979

 

Only five days after the coup d’état, the National Unity Government of Cambodia, the United Front for National Salvation and National Liberation Army of Cambodia were established. After that, the solidarity between the two armies of Vietnam and Cambodia grew up and joint effort in beating the enemy’s plots and tricks of aggression.

On April 30th 1970, the US mobilized its force to invade Cambodia, aiming to put Cambodia under the US influence and lay siege to the revolution in the South of Vietnam. Facing such a situation, the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Labour Party decided to send part of the voluntary force to coordinate with the Cambodian revolutionary forces to fight against invaders. Accordingly, Vietnam voluntary soldiers coordinated with the revolutionary armed forces of Cambodia to open a counter-offensive campaign along the border areas and in the Cambodian Northeastern provinces, foiling the enemy’s plot to expand the war to the whole Indochina. In 1970, Vietnamese soldiers and Cambodian revolutionary armed forces defeated Operation Chenla I. In 1971, the two sides launched the counter-offensive campaign in the Northeastern Cambodia and broke Operation Chenla II. Under the support of the Vietnamese voluntary soldiers, in 1974, the revolutionary armed forces of Cambodia broke back all the enemy’s operations. On April 17th 1975, the Liberation Army of Cambodia took control of Phnom Penh, completely ending the war of resistance of the Cambodian people against the US imperialists.

Just as the resistance war against the US imperialists completed, the Revolution of Cambodia was betrayed. Pol Pot and Ieng Sary took advantage of the achievements of the revolution and established the "Democratic Republic of Cambodia", with extreme internal and external policies, inciting national hatred against Vietnam. To implement that plot, the government of Pol Pot - Ieng Sary rejected all peaceful diplomatic efforts of the Party and State of Vietnam and built up its armed forces, heading for war.

It deployed a large military force along the shared border with Vietnam, waged conflicts and worsened the situation along the Vietnam and Cambodia boder. More seriously, on December 23rd 1978, they mobilized 10 out of the 19 divisions located along the border to open offensive attacks along the entire Southwest border of Vietnam.

Resolutely fighting back the encroachment of the Pol Pot’s force, the Politburo and the Central Military Commission of Vietnam ordered the local army units to conduct counter attacks against the enemy across the border, highly determined to destroy the whole enemy and successfully concluded the national patriotic war along the southwest border. After that, at the request of the people and the Cambodian United Front for National Salvation, Vietnamese voluntary soldiers again joined the patriotic armed forces of Cambodia in major offensives to liberate Phnom Penh (January 7th 1979) and the entire country of Cambodia (January 17th 1979), saving the people of Cambodia from the genocide of the Khmer Rouge.

After Pol Pot - Ieng Sary genocide regime was overthrown, basing on the actual situation of the country, the Cambodian People's Party and the Government of the People's Republic of Cambodia officially required the Vietnamese voluntary soldiers and military specialists to stay on to help protect the country. On the day when the Vietnamese soldiers successfully completed the international mission in Cambodia and returned home, the Prochiachuom (People) Newspapers of the Cambodian People’s Party wrote, "In the extremely tragic years under the genocide regime of Pol Pot, Vietnam was the only country to save our people".

Throughout the history, the solidarity between the two armies of Vietnam and Cambodia has always been strengthened, nurtured and developed. That solidarity is the important factor contributing to defeating invaders and helping the people of Cambodia win over the genocide regime to revive the country.

Today, as the international and regional situations are becoming increasingly complicated, more than ever, the lessons of solidarity between the two armies should be promoted to contribute to the development of the relations and solidarity between Vietnam and Cambodia, meeting the legitimate interests and aspirations of the people of the two countries.

Written by Le Van Phong

Translated by Huu Duong