Of those activities, the visit to Vientiane, Laos in late 2019 was the biggest event with the largest number of participants, contributing to strengthening the time-honored friendship and special solidarity between Vietnam and Laos.
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Former Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and advisors in Laos gathering in Vientiane |
In December 2019, four delegations with more than 500 members started their trip to Laos from Dien Bien, Nghe An, and Ha Tinh provinces and Da Nang city. They went through many former battlefields in Laos to gather in Vientiane, the capital city of Laos. Nguyen Huu Than and Dang Minh Nhien, former soldiers of Battalion 43 of the Nghe An provincial Military Command were deeply moved when passing Cau Treo International Border Gate, as the memories of the time carrying out international services in Laos flooded their mind. They recalled that from 1965 to 1972, Vietnamese volunteer soldiers participated in around 200 battles to help the Lao people neutralize bandits. The remains of many of the Vietnamese soldiers who laid down their lives here have not been found yet.
The veterans also reminisced about the wholehearted support of the Lao people while they were performing their international service in Laos. The former soldiers said that Lao people from different walks of life and different age groups protected and helped them fulfill their duties and treated them like their family members.
One of the main activities of the trip was a solemn ceremony held in Vientiane in commemoration of Vietnamese and Lao fallen soldiers who had sacrificed for the independence and freedom of both countries. The event, jointly organized by relevant agencies of the two countries, satisfied the aspirations of generations of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and advisors in Laos in particular and troops and people of the two countries in general.
Earlier, 500 former Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and advisors in Laos were also very touched to attend a meeting in the presence of Lao Defense Minister General Chansamone Chanyalath and representatives from central agencies and the People's Army of Laos. It seemed to make no difference among the participants whether they were Vietnamese or Lao citizens, or which country or which culture they came from, or which language they spoke. It was comradeship and brotherhood that brought them closer together.
At the event, General Chansamone Chanyalath shook former Vietnamese soldiers' hands and inquired about their lives. The Lao defense leader recalled the joint victories of the Lao and Vietnamese troops and people such as the Nam Bak Campaign Victory in Phongsaly province in 1968 and other feats-of-arms that contributed to liberating many localities in Laos.
General Chansamone Chanyalath said that Uncle Ho’s soldiers had sacrificed their lives, shed their blood, and contributed their youth in order to implement international services. In all parts of Laos, the blood and bones of the Vietnamese soldiers were shed and mingled with those of the Lao troops for the independence and freedom of Laos.
At a cultural exchange held as part of the trip, Vietnamese and Lao delegates were impressed by a dance performed by veteran Ngo Thi Kim Chinh. From 1966 to 1972, as a member of the Art Troupe of the Northwest Military Region, Chinh used to perform the dance to encourage troops. She recalled the time when Laos’ Prince Souphanouvong visited her team in a cave. After the performance, the Lao Prince presented a basket of boiled cassava and said that Laos was now in a difficult time, so we could only give you boiled cassava. One day when Laos is liberated and developed, we will give you better food.
During the visit to Laos, the Liaison Board of the Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and advisors in Laos and the Buddhist Sangha of Vietnam presented hundreds of gifts, including blankets, mosquito nets, clothes, books, and pens, to Lao troops and people. Receiving the gifts from the Vietnamese friends, Vice President and General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Laos-Vietnam Friendship Organization Saykhong Saynasine said that in wartime, Vietnamese volunteer soldiers, advisors, and people impartially shed their blood and bones for Laos’ independence and freedom. In peacetime, they came back and gave gifts of brotherhood to the Lao people. He promised to hand over the gifts to Lao veterans, policy beneficiaries, national contributors, and needy people, especially those who had protected and helped Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and advisors complete noble international services.
Accompanying Vietnamese veterans, volunteer soldiers, and advisors to the beautiful and hospitable country of Laos, we, reporters of the People’s Army Newspaper, understand the fierceness and the hardships faced during the national construction and defense cause of each country as well as the Vietnam - Laos close-knit relationship which is a model of faithfulness, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation. A faithful relationship like that of Vietnam and Laos is rarely found in international relations. Generations of cadres, troops, and people of the two countries learnt by heart President Ho Chi Minh’s verses, “Vietnam and Laos, our two nations’ relations are deeper than the Red and Mekong rivers” and President Kaysone Phomvihane’s famous saying, “Rivers may dry up and mountains may wear out, but the Vietnamese and Lao people’s affection and gratitude will stay forever.”
The Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and advisors in Laos are proud to be the symbol of the close-knit relationship and special solidarity between Vietnam and Laos. All of them pledged to contribute to Vietnamese and Lao people’s efforts to preserve and pass down the valuable relationship to the next generations.
Translated by Tran Hoai