Provincial armed forces conduct drills to handle oil spills at sea. Photo: Thai Binh.

In the winter of 1944, fueled by intense hatred for the enemy, the people of Cao Bang, Bac Giang, and Lang Son were ready to launch a new armed uprising. The Cao Bang - Bac Giang - Lang Son inter-provincial committee was preparing for a final conference to decide on the date and time for launching the guerrilla war. After reviewing the situation, President Ho Chi Minh instructed that the uprising be postponed, stating: “The plan to launch guerrilla warfare in Cao Bang, Bac Giang, and Lang Son was based only on the local situation and not on the specific situation nationwide; it only considered a part of the problem and not the whole picture. Now, the period of peaceful revolutionary development has passed, but the period of a nationwide uprising has not yet arrived.” According to him: "The struggle now must advance from a political to a military form. However, politics is currently more important than military affairs. We must find a suitable form to advance the movement. If we launch a struggle and every time the enemy arrives, the people have to evacuate to the mountains and forests, we will face many difficulties. We must ensure that armed activities continue while the people remain in their production areas, only needing to strengthen guard duty to prevent the enemy from capturing or harming those involved in the activities." He proposed postponing the uprising; at the same time, he instructed that the Vietnam Propaganda and Liberation Army be urgently established.

According to the memoir "From the People" (People's Army Publishing House, 1969), General Vo Nguyen Giap recounted: "All preparations were complete. A day before the team's founding ceremony, we received a small letter from Uncle Ho placed in a cigarette pack. Upon opening it, we found his directive on the establishment of the Vietnam Propaganda and Liberation Army." The directive stated: "The name, Vietnam Propaganda and Liberation Army, means that politics is more important than military affairs . It is a propaganda team. Because for action to be effective, the main principle in military matters is the principle of concentrating forces. Therefore, according to the new directive of the Party, we will select the most resolute and enthusiastic cadres and team members from the ranks of the Cao-Bac-Lang guerrilla teams and concentrate a large portion of weapons to form the main force." The directive noted: Regarding tactics: "Apply guerrilla tactics, secretly, quickly, actively, coming from the East today and the West tomorrow, arriving without a trace, departing without a trace."

He further instructed: “We must rely on the people, firmly rely on the people, then the enemy will never be able to destroy us. The organization of the unit must have the Party branch as its leading core.” “Within a month, there must be activities to build trust among the soldiers and establish a tradition of swift and proactive action for the troops.”

After a period of hurried preparation, at exactly 5 PM on December 22, 1944, at Slam Cao mountain, in the Tran Hung Dao forest, now in Tam Kim commune, Nguyen Binh district, Cao Bang province, Comrade Vo Nguyen Giap, entrusted by the Party and leader Ho Chi Minh to organize, lead, and command, announced the establishment of the Vietnam Propaganda and Liberation Army, and clearly outlined the team's mission to the Fatherland.

When first established, the team had 34 members (29 of whom were ethnic minorities, and the remaining 5 were Kinh), and only 34 rudimentary weapons of various types. They were organized into 3 platoots led by Comrade Tran Van Ky, also known as Hoang Sam, as team leader; Comrade Duong Mac Thach, also known as Xich Thang, as political commissar; Comrade Hoang Van Thai, also known as Hoang Van Siem, in charge of intelligence and operations; Comrade Lam Kinh, also known as Lam Cam Nhu (the eldest grandson of Nguyen Thuong Hien), in charge of political work; and Comrade Loc Van Lung, also known as Van Tien, as manager. These were resolute and courageous soldiers carefully selected from the Cao-Bac-Lang guerrilla units and from those who had studied military science abroad. Most had combat experience and possessed some knowledge of military techniques and experience.

Following the directive of leader Ho Chi Minh, "we must win the first battle," immediately after its formation, the team cleverly and boldly disguised itself as enemy soldiers and secretly attacked enemy outposts.

On the afternoon of December 25, 1945, at 5 PM, with preparatory plans, the unit unexpectedly raided the Phai Khat outpost, killing one enemy soldier, capturing 17, and seizing 17 weapons; on December 26, 1945, our troops raided the Na Ngan outpost, 15 kilometers away, killing five enemy soldiers, capturing 17, and seizing 27 weapons and much military equipment and supplies…

Implementing the tactic of "coming without a trace, leaving without a trace," and to maintain legitimacy for the people, after carefully implementing policies regarding prisoners of war and distributing war spoils to the local population, the team discussed how to deal with the approaching enemy. The team quickly and secretly moved to a new base. During the one-day, one-night march, everyone only had one meal, but everyone was enthusiastic and proud, feeling like they were "eating one meal a day, fighting two battles a day"...

Duong Hoang