(HBO) – In 1965, when its special warfare strategy failed disastrously, the US sent large numbers of troops to the south of Vietnam while extending the war to the north and conducting sabotage. In Hoa Binh, which was viewed as one of the important localities for providing support for the Lao battlefield, during only a short period of time, the US conducted 69 bombings to destroy local residential areas, economic premises and roads.
Bui Van Kenh, a resident in
Tha hamlet of Thu Phong commune, who directly commanded the fight as deputy
head of the commune’s militia force.
In
particular, it launched continual attacks on locations across the province from
early 1966. To cope with new plots and ruses of the US imperialists, the province
ordered its communes to make plans for dealing with the war of sabotage,
instruct locals how to take shelter from air raids, dig tunnels, build lookout
towers, and stay ready to shoot down low-altitude fighters.
One of the most successful battles of the militia
of Thu Phong commune was the downing of an F105 fighter of the US on July 20,
1966.
Recalling the battle, Bui Van Kenh, a resident
in Tha hamlet of Thu Phong commune, who directly commanded the fight as deputy
head of the commune’s militia force, said he was on guard at the commune’s
administrative committee at about 3pm on July 20, 1966 when two F105 fighters
flew in from the northwest. Above Cun Slope on Road 12B, they dived and fired
at an automobile of the Hoa Binh transport company that was parking on the top
of the slope. Kenh immediately called on militias to move to the trench behind
a warehouse of the Nam Son Cooperative to ready the combat formation.
Observing the enemy fighters’ direction, Kenh
ordered the first volley to be fired, but the bullets missed their targets. The
militia team shortly learned from this and waited for the two aircraft to lower
to focus their attack on the front one. Braving a rain of bullets from the
enemy fighters, the militias still calmly waited for the planes to come within
the suitable range.
When the leading fighter just entered the right
range, under Kenh’s command, the team focused firing on it. Being hit by
bullets, the fighter burst into flames and crashed onto Cun Slope, causing a
big explosion that shook the entire mountain and forest, Doan Duc Tinh, a
member of the then Nam Son Cooperative’s militia team, recounted.
Not only being heroes in combat, the populace of
Thu Phong also helped safeguard many central agencies that evacuated to the
commune while actively working to ensure livelihoods and support the "great
front” in the south.
In peacetime, they have worked hard to develop
economy and enrich the homeland. In 2019, the local per capita income
approximated 31 million VND (over 1,300 USD at the current exchange rate), and
the household poverty rate was brought down to 3.9 percent. The commune has met
all criteria for a new-style rural area while people’s cultural and spiritual
life has also been improved continually./.
On May 15, the Hoa Binh Steering Committee for Science, Technology, Innovation, and Digital Transformation launched the "Digital Literacy for All” movement. The event was held both in-person and virtually, connecting provincial authorities with district-level Party committees and local communities across communes, wards, and townships.
The People’s Committee of Hoa Binh province on May 16 held a conference to honour outstanding intellectuals for their contributions in 2025.
The Standing Board of the Hoa Binh provincial Party Committee has held a conference to announce the provincial Party Committee’s decision about the merger of Hoa Binh Newspaper and the provincial Radio and Television Station, along with the Standing Board’s appointment decisions.
After the historic victory on April 30, 1975, which liberated the South and reunified the country, the whole Vietnam embarked on a new mission — promoting peace and reconstructing the nation with century-defining projects. On the fierce Da River, over 30,000 engineers, sappers, and construction workers battled against rocky mountains and raging floods to achieve a remarkable feat. The Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant, the largest of its kind in Southeast Asia at that time, officially began generating electricity, lighting up the North and ushering in a new era of industrialisation.
Muong Dong in Kim Boi district, one of the four major Muong regions in Hoa Binh province, is harnessing its revolutionary legacy and cultural heritage to drive socio-economic transformation.
Throughout April, the joyful atmosphere of the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification spread nationwide. Together with the whole country, residents in Hoa Binh city also expressed their patriotism through meaningful and practical actions.
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