Vietnamese defense minister and Chinese counterpart visit commemorative stele of Ho Chi Minh Trail at Sea

PANO - As part of the activities in China within the framework of the 10th Vietnam-China Border Defense Friendship Exchange, General Phan Van Giang, Minister of National Defense of Vietnam, and Senior Lieutenant General Dong Jun, Minister of National Defense of China, together with delegations from both countries, visited the commemorative stele marking the “Starting Point of the Ho Chi Minh Trail at Sea” at Fangcheng Port (Guangxi province).

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At the site, the two defense ministers toured the commemorative stele and an exhibition area featuring historical materials related to the Ho Chi Minh Trail at Sea.

The stele was constructed on April 30, 2015. Designed in the shape of a lighthouse, it bears bilingual Chinese–Vietnamese inscriptions reading: “Starting Point of the Ho Chi Minh Trail at Sea.”

In March 1968, with approval from the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the authority of Fangchenggang city launched the construction of a port facility under the codename “Guangxi Project 322,” aimed at supporting combat operations. This initiative opened a secret maritime transport route stretching 35 nautical miles, helping to break the U.S. naval blockade against Vietnam and provide critical support for Vietnam’s resistance war against the U.S. imperialists for national salvation.

During the 1972–1973 period, through this route, more than 1,000 voyages transported a total of 161,800 tons of aid supplies for the Vietnamese revolution. It was regarded as a vital maritime lifeline during Vietnam's resistance war and is known in Vietnam as the “Ho Chi Minh Trail at Sea.”