Three brothers in the same family participated in the 1975 Spring Campaign.

A family of 4 soldiers fighting against the US to save the country, 3 of whom directly participated in the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign in the spring of 1975, was awarded the "Golden Board of Honor" by the Government, which is one such story.

Photo of the three brothers Hoang Kim Tuyen (deceased), Hoang Kim Hien and Hoang Phuc Hung. (Family souvenir photo)

1. I went to Cu Chinh Lan Street (Thanh Xuan District) to visit Colonel Hoang Kim Hien, former political officer of the Political Department of the 1st Army Corps. The house is located in a hidden alley. Colonel Hoang Kim Hien is 85 years old this year, but his soldierly spirit still radiates in his strong appearance.

He used to be a contributor to the Hanoi Moi Newspaper. After many discussions and conversations with him, I accidentally learned that his family had four brothers, all of whom served in the military. They were Mr. Hoang Kim Tuyen, Mr. Hoang Kim Hien, Mr. Hoang Kim Hien, and Mr. Hoang Phuc Hung. And three of the four of them participated in the Spring Campaign in 1975. Only Mr. Hien was a military doctor of the 11th Corps, so he did not directly participate.

The four brothers of Mr. Hien were born into a family with a rich revolutionary tradition. Their parents, Mr. Hoang Kim Tu and Mrs. Nguyen Thi Nguyen, were both born in 1910. Mr. Tu was a self-defense member of Hoang Dieu citadel and participated in the fierce battle to protect the capital in the opening battle of the resistance war against the French in the winter of 1946.

After that day, the whole family evacuated to Bac Ninh, then continued to the Viet Bac resistance base, residing in Phu Binh district, Thai Nguyen. Here, Mr. Tu was sent to study medicine , then participated in the Dien Bien Phu campaign. In 1954, the whole family returned to Hanoi. At first, the family opened a shop on Trang Tien street, then moved to Trang Thi.

As life went on, the four brothers grew up in the arms of their parents during the difficult years when the country was divided. Everyone tried to study hard, strived and was always ready to go to serve the Fatherland. Perhaps due to his father's affinity with military medicine, the eldest brother Hoang Kim Tuyen joined the army and also followed the medical profession, serving at Hospital 103, then transferred to Hospital of Military Region 4, especially having a lot of time serving in combat in Laos before participating in the campaign to liberate the South. Later, when changing careers, Mr. Tuyen became a doctor at Viet Duc Hospital.

Colonel Hoang Kim Hien is the second child in the family. He studied economics and finance and after graduating, he worked at Giao Te Magazine. In 1965, following the call of the country, he joined the army and participated in all four major campaigns: Khe Sanh in 1968, Route 9 in Southern Laos in 1971, Quang Tri in 1972 and the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign in 1975.

The third son, Hoang Kim Hien, enlisted in the army in 1963, then was sent to study medicine and served in the 11th Army Corps, stationed in the North.

The fourth son is Hoang Phuc Hung. While in high school, Mr. Hung was examined and sent to study air force in China. In 1968, he returned and joined the battle in Laos.

Colonel Hoang Kim Hien shared that when the neighborhood cadre brought the youngest son's military enlistment notice to Mr. Hoang Kim Tu, he said that out of the four children in the family, three had already left, and he could not bear to let the youngest go. But because of his patriotism and desire to unify the country, he still let his son go and did not forget to tell him: "Remember, no matter how hard or dangerous it is, you must not desert!"

Colonel Hoang Kim Hien tells about the Spring Campaign of 1975.

2. Recalling the heroic days 50 years ago when joining the flow of the whole country towards the beloved South, Colonel Hoang Kim Hien said that when he heard the order for the 1st Corps to rush to Dong Xoai, the officers and soldiers in his unit were extremely happy.

He himself confided that having participated in 3 campaigns but only reaching Quang Tri, it was like "The liberation road was only half-way done". Now the opportunity has come to truly fulfill his wish of "advancing to Saigon to wipe out the enemy" so that "North and South can reunite in a happier spring". "Saigon! Those two dear words kept ringing out, urging and urging us to urgently prepare in all aspects for the historic march" - he shared.

The unit marched immediately to complete the mission. The bumpy journey from National Highway 1, through Vinh, Ngang Pass, Dong Hoi, Ben Hai River, Doc Mieu, Gio Linh, Dong Ha town, then Highway 9 through Cam Lo, Ba Long, Khe Sanh, Huong Hoa; then to Lao Bao, Chaky Bridge, Huoi San, Ban Dong in Laos... After that, the unit marched to Se Pon, then turned south along the Western Truong Son Road through Thakhek, Savannakhet, Bolaven Plateau in Laos.

The marching formation had just reached Nua Pass when it received orders from General - Commander-in-Chief Vo Nguyen Giap: “Fast, faster! Bold, bolder! Seize every hour, every minute, rush to the front! Liberate the South! Determined battle and total victory!”. The content of the order, like a sacred proclamation, was quickly transmitted throughout the units, written into slogans pasted on hat brims, gun butts, on truck beds, on barrels, on cannon shields...

Mr. Hien excitedly recounted: A competitive spirit rose up throughout the entire corps, everyone wanted to "speed" to the front. People stuck to the vehicle, the vehicle stuck to the road, and when a vehicle broke down, it was quickly repaired and towed away. The main driver and assistant driver ensured that the vehicle was always rolling, the marching speed was raised to a high level of 100 to 150km/day, increasing to 200 and then 250km/day... The soldiers rested and slept on the bumpy truck bed... On April 13, 1975, the 1st Corps arrived in Dong Xoai - Binh Long. The Corps successfully carried out the lightning-fast march, going through the longest route, the most complex terrain, moving the largest number of combined arms ever...

The first night I lay in a hammock in the Dong Xoai rubber forest was also the first time I set foot with the 1st Army Corps at the Citadel of the Fatherland, the heroic frontline. At 0:00 on April 29, 1975, five armies in all directions of the historic Ho Chi Minh campaign, with the spirit: "Forward, total victory will surely be ours", attacked 5 main targets in the inner city of Saigon... In the North, the 1st Army Corps, after disintegrating the 5th Division, the 3rd Armored Brigade and 4 puppet security battalions, liberating Binh Duong province, continued to rapidly attack and take control of the puppet General Staff, excellently completing the assigned mission...

At this point, Colonel Hoang Kim Hien held up a photo of the three brothers and showed it to me, and he emotionally shared: "By coincidence, all three brothers went on the campaign together, contributing a small part with the army and people of the whole country to create the great victory of spring 1975". While he was with the 1st Army Corps, from March 16, 1975, the eldest brother Hoang Kim Tuyen, former Battalion Commander of the Medical Corps, Division 968, joined the unit in fighting the fleeing enemy and contributed to the successive liberation of Pleiku, Kontum, Da Nang, Hon Tre islands, Cu Lao Thu (Phu Quy island), Khanh Hoa... The youngest brother Hoang Phuc Hung, former Deputy Political Commissar of Battalion 7, Regiment 149, Division 316, participated in the opening battle to attack Buon Me Thuot town in the Central Highlands campaign in March 1975, contributing to breaking a large part of the enemy's defense system on the Central Highlands battlefield...

Recalling the historic moment of April 30, 1975, Colonel Hoang Kim Hien said that at that time, at the Political Department of the 1st Corps Command, he and his comrades turned on the radio to listen to the news of victory. When President of the Republic of Vietnam Duong Van Minh announced unconditional surrender, everyone jumped up, cheered, and hugged each other. The sound of applause, laughter, excitement, and jubilation was like the spring was coming.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/ky-niem-50-nam-giai-phong-mien-nam-thong-nhat-dat-nuoc-30-4-1975-30-4-2025-ba-anh-em-mot-nha-cung-tham-gia-chien-dich-mua-xuan-1975-700519.html