Lesson 5: The story of a soldier who sacrificed himself many times, contributing to the liberation of the South

Overcoming hardships to reach liberation day

Growing up in a farming family in Yen Thanh district, Captain Nguyen Duc Trong's family has 8 brothers and sisters. Since childhood, Mr. Trong was instilled with the spirit of fighting the enemy by his parents through stories and songs about the revolutionary tradition of our army and people. His parents and sister also joined the people of the whole country in the resistance war against the French and the Americans. Besides studying hard, Mr. Trong also helped his family with farming. When he reached adulthood, he became more aware of his actions, that he had to join the army to contribute to liberating the South and unifying the country.

Over a hot cup of tea, in the memory of the liberation day, Captain Nguyen Duc Trong said: “When I was just 18 years old, I received the general mobilization order from the State, I had to put aside my studies to enthusiastically join the army. Since I was a child, the beautiful image of Uncle Ho's soldiers has always been present in my mind, making me unable to sleep at night. I just wanted to grow up quickly to go to war, to contribute to repelling the invaders. When I joined the army, my parents at home participated in the production of food and provisions for the frontline, and also participated in the frontline labor force.”

Captain Nguyen Duc Trong (far right) and his teammates on a tank attacking the Independence Palace.

After more than 3 months of training for new recruits, in July 1974, Nguyen Duc Trong went to Quang Nam - Da Nang to participate in the Thuong Duc campaign. This was an important battle in the Tay Nguyen Campaign during the Resistance War against the US, taking place from July to November 1974, in Dai Loc district, Quang Nam province. It was also one of the major battles between the Liberation Army of South Vietnam and the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, considered an important test before the Ho Chi Minh Campaign in 1975.

Captain Trong said that Thuong Duc is a small district but has an important strategic position, likened to a “steel door” protecting Da Nang from the West. The Army of the Republic of Vietnam built a strong base here with many solid fortifications. In preparation for the 1975 General Offensive, the Liberation Army decided to launch a campaign to capture Thuong Duc, in order to test the combat strength of the main units and attract enemy forces from the Central Highlands. By early November, Thuong Duc was completely under the control of the Liberation Army.

“During the campaign, I was lucky to escape death many times. Once, my teammates and I were carrying wooden poles to make an A-shaped bunker on the outpost, when the enemy suddenly and fiercely shelled us, causing us to lose consciousness. When I woke up, I found myself slightly injured. Another time, I was assigned to guard duty from 2am to 4am the next day. When I had just finished my shift, the enemy suddenly launched a shelling attack at dawn, causing my teammate, Comrade Nguyen Xuan Dai, the squad leader, to die. Then, when my teammates and I were pulling the artillery at 4am, an anti-tank mine suddenly exploded nearby, causing Comrade Tran Huu Chien, the deputy battalion commander, to die…” Captain Trong recalled with tears in his eyes.

During the campaign, Captain Nguyen Duc Trong and his comrades often slept in bunkers, ate dry rations and wild vegetables. Many of his comrades suffered from malaria, serious illnesses and died. “Despite the difficulties, hardships and dangers, they did not discourage the will to fight, but instead made these soldiers steadfastly fight and win. Through that, our army eliminated tens of thousands of enemies from the battle, expanded the liberated areas of Nong Son - Trung Phuoc, Thuong Duc and the Southwest of Que Son, Northwest of Tam Ky with 117,000 people,” Captain Nguyen Duc Trong said.

In December 1974, Captain Nguyen Duc Trong and his teammates participated in the Khe Tre battle. This is a strategic location in Nam Dong district, Thua Thien - Hue province. This area is rugged and mountainous, playing an important role in controlling the corridor between the mountains and the coastal plains. At that time, Captain Trong was assigned to fire support troops to support the infantry in the first attack, providing support for 1 day from Khe Tre to Dai Loc. He and his teammates pulled artillery up Truoi Mountain, using firepower to destroy dozens of enemy bunkers so that infantry and tanks could cross the pass to Hue. Next, he and his teammates were assigned to search for mines for tanks moving down to Da Nang and liberated this locality at noon on March 29. "During that march, many comrades heroically sacrificed their lives due to encountering enemy mines..." - Captain Trong was moved.

Speeding to liberate Saigon

In March 1975, after 7 days of rapid marching with tanks and trucks, along Highway 1A, Captain Nguyen Duc Trong and his comrades entered Tuy Hoa. Then, they liberated Phu Yen on April 1, 1975. This was an important battle that helped the Liberation Army take complete control of Phu Yen province, opening the way to the South Central Coast. “At around 11pm on a day at the end of March 1975, we were assigned the task of reconnaissance and clearing the way. Near Phan Rang (Ninh Thuan), we discovered enemy headlights. Immediately, my comrades and I pulled the car over to the side of the road and took shelter in a corrugated iron culvert by the roadside. During the night, the enemy continuously bombed and shelled, but we were still safe…

Our main force then arrived and defeated the enemy. On April 14 and 15, 1975, the Liberation Army used artillery and commandos to attack the defensive positions around Phan Rang, causing confusion among the Army of the Republic of Vietnam. On April 16, 1975, the 325th Division and the 3rd Division of the Liberation Army launched the main attack, hitting the center of Phan Rang town. The Army of the Republic of Vietnam fought back fiercely but was quickly overwhelmed. On April 17, 1975, the entire defense system of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam was broken, many high-ranking officers were captured," Captain Trong recounted.

On April 18, 1975, Captain Trong and his comrades attacked Phan Thiet. At that time, he was assigned the task of detecting mines under the foot of the bridge about 10m and the road ahead for infantry and tanks to pass. This time, Mr. Trong also almost sacrificed himself if he had not been supported by his comrades from behind. By 11pm, our army had taken control of Phan Thiet. On April 26, 1975, the Liberation Army launched an attack on Bien Hoa, Long Binh, Trang Bom, breaking the enemy's defense system. On April 27 and 28, 1975, the enemy was confused and fled towards Saigon. Bien Hoa airport was shelled, paralyzing air force operations.

“On April 29, 1975, the Liberation Army took complete control of Bien Hoa and the entire Dong Nai province. The units continued to pursue, and the enemy retreated to Saigon. In the battle in Dong Nai, 7 of my comrades heroically sacrificed themselves. On April 30, 1975, we attacked Cat Lai to cross the Saigon bridge. At that time, only infantry and tanks were fighting. At the Saigon bridge area, the battalion commander sacrificed himself. After that, we controlled tanks to attack the center of Saigon and raised the flag on the Independence Palace at 11:30 a.m. the same day…”, Captain Nguyen Duc Trong recalled the heroic and happy historical moment.

Talking about the anniversary of the victory, Captain Nguyen Duc Trong was moved: “At that time, my comrades planted the flag on the Independence Palace. The eyes of the soldiers were filled with joy and happiness about the day of the country's liberation. I went to the front door of the Independence Palace and people came in large numbers to congratulate the Liberation Army. Some hugged, gave flowers and brought food and drinks to give to the soldiers. Some people sang the National Anthem to celebrate the victory day, making everyone happy and moved…”.

In recognition of his heroic achievements in combat, Captain Nguyen Duc Trong was honored to receive many noble Orders, Medals and Certificates of Merit from the Party and State for his contributions to the liberation of the South and national reunification.

Source: https://cand.com.vn/Phong-su-tu-lieu/bai-5-chuyen-ve-nguoi-chien-si-nhieu-lan-cam-tu-gop-cong-giai-phong-mien-nam-i764168/