The epic that shook the world

President Ho Chi Minh assessed: "The victory at Dien Bien Phu is a brilliant golden milestone in history." This was a victory of people's war, a shining symbol of patriotism, of national unity; of the will and strength of Vietnam, igniting faith and inspiring the aspiration to build a strong and prosperous Vietnam; a "miracle" in the most glorious era of thousands of years of nation-building and national defense - the era named after him - Ho Chi Minh!

An epic that shook the world.

Illustrative image.

1. One of the "wisest decisions" among countless wise decisions of President Ho Chi Minh was choosing Vo Nguyen Giap, "history teacher and journalist," to be in charge of military affairs for the Party and the Vietnamese revolution.

When assigning the command of the Dien Bien Phu Campaign, President Ho Chi Minh instructed General Vo Nguyen Giap: “The Commander-in-Chief is at the front – the General is outside. I give you full authority to make decisions. This battle is very important; you must fight to win. Only fight if victory is certain; do not fight if victory is uncertain.” Comrade Hong Son, Regiment Commander of Regiment 36, Division 308 in the Dien Bien Phu Campaign, was assigned the main assault force awaiting orders to attack when General Vo Nguyen Giap came down to inspect the battlefield… and ordered the unit to receive a new mission. Later, it was learned that after studying the situation, analyzing the advantages and disadvantages in all aspects, and suffering from sleepless nights, “with mugwort wrapped around his head, he tossed and turned for 11 days and nights” and one sleepless night to arrive at the decision: “Fighting in this way (quick attack, quick victory) – according to the instructions of the friendly country's military advisor – will certainly fail!” The General consulted with officers at the front command post, sought advice from President Ho Chi Minh and the Politburo , and made the decision to shift the combat strategy to "fight surely, advance surely" while tens of thousands of troops had already deployed, artillery had been moved into position, and ammunition was loaded and ready to fire on the night of January 26, 1954! This was "the most difficult decision in my life as a commander" - as he later confided!

"A steady advance, a firm approach" means encircling and gradually attacking the enemy step by step, destroying them piece by piece, from the periphery to the center, thus creating the strength to defeat the enemy. This shift in strategy limited losses, especially human casualties, and resulted in a victory that was not achieved at any cost!

The General believed that valuing human life was not only a matter of ethics and responsibility, but also a measure of the competence and character of a military leader... He was a general who most clearly demonstrated the humanistic nature of a military leader! The late General Tran Van Tra wrote: “There was a resounding victory, but too many soldiers were lost. People applauded loudly, but the General quietly wept at the command post. Often he would bury his face in the bamboo fence and cry. Tears streamed down, wetting his pillow... General Van became a banyan tree, casting a shadow of love and compassion for his comrades!” Present at Dien Bien Phu, writer Nguyen Dinh Thi remarked: “A General, the Commander-in-Chief and commander of the campaign, writing letters to his soldiers with such intimate, brotherly words is truly rare in the wars of other countries!”... He always reminded his subordinate generals of President Ho Chi Minh's profoundly humane saying: “There is no victory that can be called beautiful!”

The reality on the Dien Bien Phu battlefield proved that the tactic of fighting cautiously and advancing steadily was appropriate: Our troops successively destroyed each enemy stronghold, tightened the encirclement, employed offensive maneuvers, and used sniping to cut off the airfield and disrupt supply lines... causing the Dien Bien Phu stronghold (which both the French and American imperialists considered impregnable, challenging the Viet Minh to attack...) to become increasingly strangled, difficulties piled up, and the fighting spirit of the enemy soldiers deteriorated and became demoralized... After 56 days and nights of "digging tunnels in the mountains, sleeping in bunkers, enduring torrential rain, eating meager rations / Blood mixed with mud, unwavering courage, unyielding determination," our troops launched a decisive offensive against the central command post. On the afternoon of May 7, 1954, the "Determined to Fight - Determined to Win" flag proudly flew atop General De Castries' armored bunker. General De Castries and the entire command of the Dien Bien Phu stronghold were captured alive. All the enemy troops surrendered en masse, raising white flags! "No night is as joyful as this night / The historic night of Dien Bien Phu shines brightly."

2. The Dien Bien Phu Campaign and, 21 years later, the Ho Chi Minh Campaign, were both victories of people's war. The entire nation fought against the French and the Americans, without distinction between the front lines and the rear. The unique and creative military doctrine, constantly developing, was the strength of Vietnam in the Ho Chi Minh era! The great victory at Dien Bien Phu gloriously ended the long resistance war of our people against French colonial aggression. In the following 21 years of resistance, the Dien Bien Phu victory created the conditions for our army and people to fight a decisive strategic battle – the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign – leading to the Great Victory of Spring 1975.

To achieve the "miracle" of Dien Bien Phu, the contributions of the rear areas, providing manpower and resources to the front lines, cannot be overlooked, with Thanh Hoa province playing a significant role. Implementing the Politburo's decision to mobilize material resources for the campaign, from the beginning of March 1954, Thanh Hoa province completed the target of mobilizing and transporting 1,000 tons of rice and 165 tons of food ahead of schedule. As the campaign entered its final phase, the Central Committee assigned Thanh Hoa the task of mobilizing and transporting 2,000 tons of rice and 292 tons of food. The people of Thanh Hoa province emptied their granaries and baskets to the front lines, donating every last grain of rice. With the spirit of giving everything for the victory of the campaign, the provincial Party committee mobilized farmers to harvest every ripe rice stalk, ensuring timely supply to the front. To transport food and supplies promptly and efficiently, Thanh Hoa mobilized a large force of bicycle carriers. Some bicycles achieved a "record" of carrying over 300kg per trip! This innovative and unique mode of transportation has become a beautiful symbol of the "civilian labor force" of Thanh Hoa province!

3. Nearly 40 years after our Party's reforms, ushering in a new era of our country's revolutionary cause, Thanh Hoa has achieved many important and comprehensive results in all fields. The growth rate in the 2021-2023 period reached 9.69%. The size of the economy in 2023 reached VND 279,074 billion, 1.5 times that of 2020. Per capita income in 2023 reached USD 3,144, 1.4 times that of 2020...

The positive results achieved in political, economic, cultural-social, and national defense-security aspects continue to fuel confidence and aspirations, creating new momentum and impetus for Thanh Hoa to become a new growth pole in the North of the country, a civilized, industrialized province oriented towards modernization.

The epic of Dien Bien Phu, which created a miracle that "shook the world" 70 years ago, still inspires Thanh Hoa – a land of "spiritual significance and outstanding people" – to continue writing this heroic epic alongside the rest of the country. This involves seizing opportunities, overcoming challenges, uniting, striving, and achieving set goals, creating new "miracles," and building a prosperous, civilized, happy, and beautiful Thanh Hoa province, worthy of being a "model" province as envisioned by President Ho Chi Minh during his lifetime, in the most glorious era of Vietnam – the glorious Ho Chi Minh era!

Vo Quoc Hien (Contributor)

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