Seventy years have passed, but the memories of the Dien Bien Phu campaign in 1954 have never faded in the mind of veteran Ly Van Ngoan from Dong Tien hamlet, Phu Thanh commune, Lac Thuy district.
Old as he is,
veteran Ly Van Ngoan still maintains the quality of Uncle Ho's soldiers.
Ngoan said he volunteered to join the army when
he was only 19, and he was admitted to Regiment 55 in the central province of
Thanh Hoa. In January 1954, he was transferred to Regiment 77, which was
assigned to design artillery fortifications for Division 351 to serve the Dien
Bien Phu campaign.
"We began to shell Doc Lap Hill, one of the
strongest posts of the enemy, at 3am on March 15, and the attack ended at
6:30am the same day, with the complete annihilation of this stronghold, forcing
French forces to flee to Muong Thanh – the central keep,” he recalled.
For A1 Hill, the veteran said after four days of
fighting, Vietnamese soldiers controlled only a small part of the position as
it was defended by an elite battalion. Given this, the Campaign Command decided
to dig tunnels to bring in guns and blow off the enemy’s bunkers. "With strong determination, we wiped out the
stronghold,” he said.
Following the second phase of the campaign, the
soldier took prisoners to the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang, and
was given other tasks. After completing his military services in 1962,
Ngoan worked at the Moc Chau Farm, and as a teacher at a husbandry school from
October 1965 to 1985 when he retired.
The veteran was presented with the second-class
Victory Medal, the Glorious Soldier Order, the first-class Anti-American
Resistance Medal, and the Dien Bien Victory Badge.
A high-ranking delegation of Hoa Binh province on July 14 offered incense in commemoration of martyrs at the Truong Son National Martyrs’ Cemetery and the Road 9 National Martyrs’ Cemetery in Quang Tri province on the occasion of the 77th War Invalids and Martyrs’ Day (July 27, 1947-2024).
The Party committee of Phu Cuong commune, Tan Lac district is directing sectors and mass organisations to perform key plans and tasks, bringing resolutions of the communal Party Congress for the 2020-2025 tenure and the communal Party Committee into life.
Thai Ambassador to Vietnam Urawadee Sriphiromya on July 15 led a delegation to pay a working visit to Hoa Binh province. The delegation was welcomed by Bui Van Khanh, Deputy Secretary of the Hoa Binh Party Committee and Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, as well as leaders of provincial departments, sectors and Da Bac district.
Receiving the Party admission decision from the Secretary of the Mai Chau district Party Committee, new Party member Mua Thi Vang, of Pa Co commune, felt so proud and emotional. The district Party Committee held a solemn ceremony to hand over the decisions to Vang and 61 other new Party members on the occasion of the 134th birthday of President Ho Chi Minh (May 19, 1890-2024). The ceremony saw the participation of leaders of local Party organisations, representatives from political, social organisations, outstanding youth, and armed forces.
The People's Committee of Hoa Binh province recently organised the Determined to Win Emulation Congress of the provincial armed forces in the 2019 – 2024 period.
On July 5th, the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee organized a conference to ask for the opinions from the former provincial leaders to contribute to the 1/10,000 scale urban master planning project of Hoa Binh City by 2045. Mr. Nguyen Phi Long, the alternate member of the Party Central Committee, and the Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee chaired the conference.