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| Mr. Nguyen Quang Vinh (left), Mr. Hoang Trong Thoan at the grave of martyr Ngo Si Nguyen at Tan Xuan Martyrs Cemetery - Hoc Mon District, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: S.Quang |
Under the scorching sun of April, we rented a 7-seater car and sped from Bien Hoa city to An Suong intersection along Highway 1. The sweltering heat could not slow down the footsteps of people eagerly searching for a sacred memory.
Just arriving at Binh Phuoc 1 bridge, Vinh suddenly raised his voice, as if choking up: “Here… Nguyen sacrificed himself right on this bridge, on this very day, April 29…”
The car stopped. We quietly got off, bowed our heads, and observed a minute of silence. The Binh Phuoc 1 bridge has gone through many ups and downs over the years, witnessing many events.
At An Suong crossroads, we turned right onto Highway 22A and continued on, then saw the cemetery appear before our eyes with two large lines of letters: "SMALL LAND 18 VILLAGE OF BAT DIET BETEL GARDEN/TAN XUAN MARTYRS CEMETERY".
In 2015, Vinh went to the South alone to find the grave of his old comrade. After many days of searching, he learned that Nguyen was resting there. But the strange thing was that the tombstone was engraved with the name Ho Si Nguyen, while his friend's real name was Ngo Si Nguyen. Vinh immediately returned to the North, contacted the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs of Nghe An province, and asked them to coordinate with the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs of Ho Chi Minh City to verify the identity of the martyr. After the procedures of comparing the records, the final conclusion was clear: Ho Si Nguyen on the tombstone was Ngo Si Nguyen.
The grave of martyr Ngo Si Nguyen lies quietly in the second row, from the back, in the middle of the cemetery stained with time. Ngo Si Nguyen, a son of Dien Hai commune, Dien Chau district, Nghe An province, was not only a comrade but also a close friend of Nguyen Quang Vinh and Hoang Trong Thoan. The three of them shared heroic and tragic moments in the final campaign, paving the way for our army to liberate Saigon. For decades, Vinh and Thoan have always had a burning desire - to find the resting place of their friend. And now, standing in front of Nguyen's grave, they have the opportunity to learn more about their comrade who sacrificed his youth for the Fatherland.
They called Nguyen “The Immortal Special Forces Soldier”, the one who bravely raised the flag amidst bullets and bullets, leading the troops to Saigon. In the solemn atmosphere, everyone quietly listened to the story of the hero, as if time had gone backwards, recreating the image of Nguyen and his comrades charging through the rain of bombs and bullets, only to lie forever here, in the heart of mother earth…
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The last days of the Ho Chi Minh Campaign, 1975.
In the sky, enemy planes were still circling for reconnaissance, the roar of their engines seemed to tear the air apart. On the ground, the commandos were still hiding in the mud, hiding under the dense grass. With just a few branches of the myrtle tree, they could build a simple shelter from the thin tank. When the gunfire stopped, lying on hammocks in the middle of the night, everyone let themselves drift into their thoughts, dreaming of the day of total victory, while worrying about the tasks ahead.
| Now, the soldiers, including Ngo Si Nguyen, rest in peace in the bosom of the motherland - who witnessed the glorious and heroic history of the nation's war against the US to save the country; where revolutionary leaders such as General Secretary Le Duan, Phan Dang Luu, Vo Van Tan... met to discuss the Southern uprising in 1940. His soul is intertwined with the land, the sky, and every inch of the homeland to which he devoted his entire youth... |
The artillery fire from the enemy bases of Dong Du, Tan Quy, and Ben Cat was like a daily meal, shaking the whole sky. Thoan said to his comrades: “This is the last battle! Our commando mission is to capture and hold Binh Phuoc bridge, ensuring the liberation army enters Saigon safely!”
The space suddenly became quiet. In everyone's mind appeared the image of the important bridge, the place that would mark a historical milestone. Vinh suddenly remembered the words of the Political Commissar and Party Cell Secretary Nguyen Ngoc Dau: "Party members must be the pioneers in combat... Do not let the enemy destroy the bridge!".
Thoan turned to Nguyen, his eyes serious but also filled with confidence: "Your mission is to plant the victory flag on Binh Phuoc bridge. This is the final challenge for you to be officially admitted into the Party's ranks!"
Thoan recalled the instructions of Party Cell Secretary Nguyen Ngoc Dau: "I assigned comrade Hoang Trong Thoan to represent the Party Cell to announce the admission of comrade Ngo Si Nguyen to the Party after completing the task of planting the flag on Binh Phuoc bridge!"
In the deep night of April 28, when everything was asleep, the commandos silently crawled through the canals and swamps, their military equipment heavy with mud. Not a sound. The moment of action had come - more important than ever. At the guard posts, the enemy kept their eyes wide open, extremely vigilant, as if not letting even a single ant slip through. Vinh leaned close to Nguyen and whispered:
- This battle will decide everything. Saigon must be liberated. Are you worried?
Nguyen, firm voice:
- No! I'm honored to be here.
Then the signal for the explosion sounded - the order to attack had been given! The squads charged forward simultaneously, attacking the bunkers and machine gun emplacements... The enemy counterattacked madly. Enemy tanks roared forward, firing bullets, and smoke filled the sky. The liberation soldiers fell, but the formation still held firm.
On the morning of April 29, the battle for Binh Phuoc Bridge became more intense. Platoon leader Hoang Trong Thoan suddenly fired a volley of AKs - the attack command sounded instead of explosives! The naval commandos had managed to defuse the enemy's self-destruct mines. Other attacks gradually approached the bridgehead.
Right when the gunfire stopped, Nguyen rushed onto the bridge, tightly gripped the flagpole, then waved it strongly, shouting: "We captured the bridge!".
The liberation flag fluttered in the wind… but only for a moment. A series of enemy bullets pierced Nguyen’s body. He collapsed next to the flag.
Hoang Trong Thoan loudly declared: "I, Hoang Trong Thoan, Party Cell Committee Member, Party Cell C59, on behalf of the Party Cell, respectfully announce the admission of comrade Ngo Si Nguyen into the Communist Party of Vietnam from today, April 29, 1975!"
It was not until April 30 that our army captured Binh Phuoc bridge so that the liberation army could enter Saigon's inner city.
*
Ngo Si Nguyen, the hero who rested on the land of “Eighteen Villages of Betel Garden,” has spent 50 springs in the motherland. Here, the Hoc Mon government has taken care of, gathered, and built graves for the loyal sons who fell for independence and freedom.
Vinh and Thoan looked at each other silently, without needing to speak, they understood the same thought. Mr. Hoang Trong Thoan choked up as he recounted: that day, when the superior asked who volunteered to plant the flag, all the strong arms raised in unison. But in the end, the Party cell trusted and gave that sacred responsibility to Ngo Si Nguyen. And then, he passed away forever before the country was filled with joy of reunification.
Diary of Dao Sy Quang
Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/dong-nai-cuoi-tuan/202504/anh-nam-xuong-da-50-mua-xuan-73a5be8/
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