The meeting was jointly held by the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front; the Central Commission for Information and Education; the Ministry of National Defense; the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs; the State Bank of Vietnam, and the Vietnam Veteran’s Association.
Reliving the youth
When the automobiles carrying 139 Dien Bien Phu veterans, volunteer soldiers, and frontline conscripted laborers stopped in front of the meeting hall of the Dien Bien provincial Cultural and Conference Center in Dien Bien Phu city, dozens of local troops, Youth Union members, and young people welcomed and took them into the meeting hall. Most of the veterans are old; however, upon returning to the historic land of Dien Bien, all of them felt stronger. Their eyes dewed with tears. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and leaders of the Party and State inquired after their health, creating a warm atmosphere.
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Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Dien Bien veterans, youth volunteers, and frontline conscripted laborers |
Phan Thi Bay, aged 95, is a female volunteer soldier in Huong Thuy commune, Huong Khe district, Ha Tinh province. On October 31, 1955, she was admitted to the Party for her contribution to the transportation of food and ammunition during the Dien Bien Phu campaign. In 1979, she and her husband returned to Dien Bien and developed the economy. Bay touchingly shared that it was precious that she still had the opportunity to meet her old friends again after 70 years. Throwback memories, she did not understand why they were able to climb mountains and cross streams days and nights to transport goods and ammunition to serve the Dien Bien Phu campaign. Perhaps their burning determination to liberate the country helped them overcome those difficulties and hardships, she said.
Recalling the old years, Dien Bien Phu veteran Bui Kim Dieu, aged 94, from Group 9, Him Lam ward, Dien Bien Phu city, proudly related the opening battle of the Dien Bien Phu Campaign of Division 312’s troops. On the afternoon of March 13, 1954, our troops opened fire on Him Lam fortification, starting the Dien Bien Phu Campaign. Him Lam fortification was completely paralyzed. This opening battle made great contribution to the Dien Bien Phu Victory that “resounded across Dien Bien and shook the globe.”
Getting over a distance of nearly 2,000 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City to Dien Bien to gather at the meeting, Senior Colonel Duong Chi Ky, a former soldier of 82mm mortar battery of Regiment 174 of Division 316, was touched as mentioning the days of fighting on Hill A1 with his comrades.
“Our comrades, some sacrificed their life and some left parts of their bodies for national independence. Therefore, we hope that young generations will study hard and follow the examples of former generations; as well as overcome all difficulties and challenges to build stronger and more prosperous hometowns,” Col. Ky shared.
According to Do Van Chien, Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee, Dien Bien Phu soldiers, youth volunteers, and frontline conscripted laborers made great contribution to the Dien Bien Phu campaign. During the campaign, more than 30,000 pack-bikes were used to transport more than 23,000 tons of rice, 266 tons of salt, 2,000 tons of food to the battlefield. After the campaign ended successfully, most of them returned to their normal life. In any position, they have maintained moral qualities, set good examples in all aspects, and continued to make contribution to national development.
Paying much attention to taking care of national contributors
Speaking at the meeting, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh extended the best wishes of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong to Dien Bien veterans, young volunteers, frontline conscripted laborers, as well as people in the province who contributed to the victory of Dien Bien Phu campaign. Deeping from his heart, PM Pham Minh Chinh expressed his gratitude to veteran revolutionaries, heroic Vietnamese mothers, heroes of the People’s Armed Forces, Dien Bien veterans, youth volunteers, and frontline conscripted laborers.
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PM Pham Minh Chinh and delegates present gifts to Dien Bien veterans, youth volunteers, and frontline conscripted laborers. |
The PM affirmed that the Dien Bien Phu Victory will forever be an eternal epic - A shining golden milestone in history. It was a triumph of bravery, intelligence, and revolutionary heroism in Vietnam under the smart and clear-sighted leadership of the Party and President Ho Chi Minh, and the strategic talent of General Vo Nguyen Giap and other generals and soldiers on the battlefield.
He went on to stress that the Party, State and people of Vietnam would never forget tens of thousands of soldiers and people who braved all sacrifice and hardship to achieve the victory.
The PM underscored that over the past years, upholding the “When drinking water, remember its source” tradition, the Party and State have paid special attention to conducting gratitude activities and implementing policies for wounded and sick soldiers, relatives of martyrs, and national contributors, considering it an important and regular political task. He was delighted that in celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory and in response to the “Millions of loving hearts - Thousands of happy homes” program, Dien Bien province successfully completed the construction of great solidarity houses for 5,000 poor and near-poor families in the province, with the engagement of ministries, sectors, agencies, businesses, and individuals.
Apart from hailing the positive outcomes, PM Pham Minh Chinh felt worried and guilty as a number of wounded and sick soldiers, relatives of martyrs, and national contributors are struggling in their daily life, and the remains of many fallen soldiers have yet to be identified or found. On behalf of leaders of the Party and State, the government leader required all levels, branches, and localities to continue to effectively implement the Party’s guidelines and policies and State’s laws, and pay more attention to caring for wounded and sick soldiers, martyrs’ families, and those who had rendered good service to the nation, while synchronously carrying out preferential policies for national contributors to constantly improve the quality of their material and spiritual life, especially those in difficult, lonely, and helpless conditions or in remote and border areas, on islands, or those are ethnic minority people.
* On the same day, PM Pham Minh Chinh and delegates offered incense and flowers in commemoration to fallen soldiers at the National War Cemetery A1; attended the ceremony to start work on Him Lam resistance center renovation project, and a ceremony naming streets, including one in Muong Thanh ward after late Prime Minister Pham Van Dong and another in Noong Bua ward after Dien Bien soldier, hero of the People's Armed Forces Nguyen Ngoc Bao.
Translated by Quynh Oanh