The event saw the presence of Politburo members: Permanent member of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat Vo Van Thuong, Defense Minister General Phan Van Giang, Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Dinh Tien Dung.
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An overview of the ceremony |
Former Politburo members, senior officials of the Party, State and military, representatives of central ministries, Northern localities, revolutionaries, heroic Vietnamese people, heroes of the people’s armed forces, people from all walks of life, historical witnesses and Hanoi armed forces were also present at the event.
In his speech, Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Dinh Tien Dung cited President Ho Chi Minh as saying that “Sooner or later, the U.S. will send B-52s to attack Hanoi,” “In Vietnam, the U.S. will definitely lose, but it will only give up after losing in the sky of Hanoi."
According to the party chief of Hanoi, under the sound leadership of the Party Central Committee and the Central Military Commission, the Air Defense - Air Force Service developed combat plans, promoted Vietnamese military strategy and combined strength of the people’s warfare, and the firm people’s defense posture as well as effective collaboration among forces to destroy the U.S.’s Operation Linebacker II, making the resounding “Hanoi - Dien Bien Phu in the air” victory.
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Participants at the event |
In the 12-day air defense campaign, troops and people of Hanoi, and other Northern localities worked closely with local armed forces, particularly those from the Air Defense - Air Force Service to win over the U.S.’s large-scale air raids. During this campaign, 81 U.S. planes of all kinds, including 34 B-52 bombers were downed and hundreds of U.S. troops were caught alive. It was the first time the U.S. Air Force experienced heavy losses.
That was the victory of justice, patriotism, national pride, national great unity, pinnacle of Vietnamese wisdom and bravery. The victory contributed to the signing of the Paris Peace Accords, ending the war, restoring peace in Vietnam and to the liberation of the South and national reunification in Spring 1975.
The Hanoi official underlined that it was among the most glorious feats-of-arms in the country’s history of fighting foreign invaders in the Ho Chi Minh era.
According to him, the Party, people and military are determined to preserve and promote the tradition during the cause of national construction and protection. In addition, the valuable lessons learned from the struggle for national liberation and reunification, including those from the “Hanoi - Dien Bien Phu in the air” campaign, have been upheld by Hanoi’s Party organization, people and armed forces to serve the city’s development, and the national construction and defense cause.
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Delegates at the ceremony |
At the event, Lieutenant General Pham Tuan recalled the historic feats-of-arms of himself, other comrades, and the local people in 12 days in late December 1972. The hero of the people's armed forces, labor hero, former Deputy Commander in charge of politics of the Air Defense - Air Force Service affirmed that the “Hanoi - Dien Bien Phu in the air” victory was great in terms of military, politics, foreign relations, operation, tactics, and techniques.
On behalf of young officers of the air defense and air force, Major Bui Thanh Binh, Commanding Officer of Battalion 77, Regiment 257, Division 361, the Air Defense - Ai Force Service, stressed that today’s generation would bring into play the spirit of the “Hanoi - Dien Bien Phu in the air” victory, and creatively apply acquired knowledge to training, improve combat readiness capacity, heighten vigilance to avoid being put into a passive position in any circumstances in the sky, and fulfill all assigned missions.
Translated by Mai Huong