On the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the opening of the Ho Chi Minh Trail - the Traditional Day of the Truong Son Army (May 19, 1959 - May 19, 2024), on the afternoon of May 10, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh visited and worked with the 12th Army Corps and the Truong Son-Ho Chi Minh Trail Traditional Association.
The Prime Minister spoke with officers, soldiers, and workers of the Truong Son Corps and the Truong Son Tradition Association at the main venue in Hanoi , via video link to 27 other locations at the Corps' units nationwide.
Also attending were the Minister of National Defence, General Phan Van Giang; and leaders of several ministries, departments, and central agencies.
Crossing the Truong Son mountain range to save the country.
During the war of resistance against the US to save the nation, in response to the demands of the revolutionary task, the Politburo decided to organize a military transport and communication line by land and sea.
On May 19, 1959, the special military task force was officially assigned by the Standing Committee of the General Military Commission to open roads, transport military supplies, organize troop transport, and transfer documents and materials from the North to the South and vice versa. The unit was initially designated as Unit 559, later renamed the 559 Command, then the Truong Son Command, and finally the 12th Army Corps - Truong Son Construction Corporation.
Throughout the 16 years of the war against the US, the Truong Son Road was always a prime target of fierce attacks by the enemy using sophisticated and cunning tactics and the most advanced modern weapons of the US imperialists.
The 559th Regiment - Truong Son Army Corps - always upheld the spirit of resilience and courage, overcoming all difficulties, hardships, and sacrifices, creating the legendary Truong Son Road, making a particularly important contribution to the great victory of Spring 1975 and the reunification of the country.
In particular, the legendary Ho Chi Minh Trail – the Truong Son Trail – was built and developed, a strategic military transport route with a total length of nearly 17,000 km, over 3,000 km of communication roads; 1,967 km of oil pipelines; 1,200 km of covered roads, along with a system of bypass roads, border crossing roads, river routes, and communication routes, creating a "maze-like network xuyên through the dense jungle."
The 559th Regiment - Truong Son Army Corps transported over 1.5 million tons of goods and 5.5 million tons of fuel to support the battlefields; ensured the transport of more than 1.1 million cadres and soldiers to the Southern battlefields and other front lines, and brought more than 650,000 cadres and soldiers from the battlefields to the Northern rear.
The forces along the Truong Son strategic transport route fought over 2,500 battles, killed 18,740 enemy soldiers, captured 1,200, persuaded over 10,000 to surrender, shot down 2,455 enemy aircraft, and destroyed tens of thousands of tons of enemy weapons and other war equipment.
The Truong Son Army Corps has been honored by the Party and State with the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces, the Gold Star Medal, and the Ho Chi Minh Medal. 85 collectives and 52 individuals from the Truong Son Army Corps have been awarded and posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces; 202 collectives have been awarded the Military Merit Medal, 4,814 Combat Merit Medals, and 11,000 other medals and decorations.
After the war against the US, the Central Military Commission assigned the Truong Son Army Corps the task of shifting to economic development. Entering this new front of national economic development combined with national defense, with a revolutionary spirit of offensive action, the officers, soldiers, workers, and defense personnel of the 12th Army Corps continuously developed, grew stronger, and matured.
From 1989 to 2024, the Corps' production scale has expanded. Production value has continuously grown, averaging 15% per year, with a particularly significant increase of 87% in 2023 compared to 2022 and 2.5 times higher than in 2019. The Corps has fully fulfilled its tax obligations to the State.
In addition, the Corps is stepping up the application of advanced science and technology; investing in and modernizing vehicles, machinery, and equipment to enhance competitiveness, production and business capacity, and national defense potential.
From 2019 to the present, the Corps has invested in purchasing and equipping 353 vehicles and equipment worth nearly 750 billion VND. At the same time, research and application of advanced technology in production has yielded practical results, making a significant contribution to improving productivity, progress, and quality of construction projects.
Currently, the 12th Army Corps is working on over 110 construction projects, many of which are large-value contracts, and the unit has been selected as the leading unit in consortiums for numerous projects.
As a key contractor for most of the nation's major transportation projects, including expressways; Ring Road 4 - Hanoi Capital Region; Ring Road 3 - Ho Chi Minh City; the coastal connecting road in Quang Ninh province; contracts for airport projects such as Long Thanh, Phan Thiet, Noi Bai, and Tan Son Nhat; hydroelectric projects such as Hoa Binh and Ialy; major seaports such as Cai Mep-Thi Vai; construction contracts for Military Central Hospital 108, Military Hospital 175, and several urban road construction projects, sea dikes, islands, border patrol roads, and mine clearance projects in various provinces…
The 12th Brigade - Truong Son Construction Corporation is currently one of the strongest enterprises in the field of basic construction nationwide.
Throughout its development, striving, and growth, the 12th Corps - Truong Son Construction Corporation has always been absolutely loyal to the Party, the Fatherland, and the people; united, proactive, creative, self-reliant, and strong, overcoming difficulties and striving to excellently fulfill assigned tasks, worthy of being a unit that continues and develops the glorious traditions of the heroic Truong Son Army.
Speaking to officers and soldiers of the 12th Army Corps and the Truong Son-Ho Chi Minh Trail Veterans Association, from the main venue in Hanoi, and via video link to 27 other locations across the country, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh conveyed his warmest regards, best wishes, and congratulations to the generals, veterans of the Truong Son-Ho Chi Minh Trail Veterans Association of Vietnam; and the officers, soldiers, and workers of the 12th Army Corps - Truong Son Construction Corporation.
Fighting force, working force, production labor force
Recalling the fierce events of the national resistance war against the US and the birth of the 559th Brigade, the Prime Minister stated that, with the spirit of "Cutting through the Truong Son Mountains to save the country," "Living clinging to the road, dying bravely and resolutely," and "Blood may be shed, but the road cannot be blocked," the Truong Son troops proactively, creatively, intelligently, and bravely applied the political, military, and scientific and artistic guidelines of people's warfare; ready to sacrifice themselves, overcoming all hardships, simultaneously organizing road construction and repair, ensuring transportation and communication; and engaging the enemy on the spot, eliminating tens of thousands of enemy soldiers, shooting down thousands of aircraft, destroying a large amount of enemy war equipment, defeating all types of enemy warfare, creating heroic miracles, and forging a legendary Truong Son.
According to the Prime Minister, the opening of the Truong Son-Ho Chi Minh Trail was a strategic innovation of our Party; it was an art of organizing forces, setting up battle formations, organizing a system of leadership, command, and control, organizing a network of roads and a system of military stations and warehouses; opening roads, ensuring troop movements, transportation, and logistics...
It is also a symbol of revolutionary heroism, of the unwavering will to fight and win, of the indomitable spirit and the unique creative strength of the Vietnamese people's war.
Noting that, to achieve the glorious and legendary victories of the Truong Son Mountains, nearly 20,000 cadres, soldiers, and volunteer youth bravely sacrificed their lives, over 30,000 were wounded, and thousands were severely affected by Agent Orange, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh respectfully acknowledged and expressed gratitude for the immense sacrifices, contributions, and dedication of generations of Truong Son soldiers.
"No one, no song, no story, no painting, no work of art can fully describe the ferocity of war, as well as the hardships, the bravery, the resilience, the creativity, and the noble sacrifices and losses of our people and our army, including the Truong Son Corps, in the resistance war against the US to save the country," the Prime Minister said emotionally.
Reviewing the milestones of the 12th Corps - Truong Son Construction Corporation in the task of economic development, the Prime Minister expressed his delight at the Corps' development in terms of stature, scale, and results in fulfilling its political tasks; continuing to affirm the position, prestige, and brand of Truong Son, contributing to the development of the country; affirming that the name of the 12th Corps - Truong Son Construction Corporation has been associated with many key and important projects of the country, truly being a "fighting force, a working force, and a production labor force."
The officers, soldiers, and workers of the Corps have effectively demonstrated the organizational skills, discipline, and decisiveness of a military enterprise. They keep their promises and fulfill their commitments with the spirit of "overcoming the sun," "conquering the rain," "only discussing action, never retreating," "eating quickly, sleeping urgently, paving the way for the Fatherland," and "ensuring that what is done yields tangible results," through projects and works that meet deadlines and quality standards.
In addition, the 12th Army Corps has successfully carried out military and national defense tasks, trained reserve forces; performed well in its role as a defense and security enterprise, and served as a strategic reserve engineering and road construction corps; remained ready for disaster prevention and control, rescue and relief; consistently paid attention to social welfare, creating jobs for tens of thousands of workers in local areas, contributing to stabilizing people's lives; and effectively implemented policies supporting the military, showing gratitude and appreciation, and focusing on civilian outreach in the areas where the unit is stationed and works.
In particular, the 12th Army Corps and the Truong Son Tradition Association have done a good job of educating future generations, especially the younger generation, about historical traditions. The Ho Chi Minh Trail Museum has become a significant landmark, welcoming millions of visitors.
"The achievements of the 12th Army Corps over the years have further enhanced the glorious tradition of the heroic Truong Son Army; affirming the role, function, and tasks of the army in labor and production, contributing to socio-economic development, and strengthening national defense and security," the Prime Minister emphasized.
Analyzing the future situation and the new requirements for the task of building the Army, building and defending the Fatherland, the Prime Minister requested that the 12th Army Corps - Truong Son Construction Corporation continue to thoroughly understand the Party's viewpoint on combining economics with national defense and security, in order to successfully fulfill the two tasks of building and defending the Fatherland; effectively implement the resolutions, directives, and conclusions of the Party, and the State's policies and laws on socio-economic development, national defense, security, and national defense.
The Prime Minister expressed his wish for the 12th Army Corps to implement "three pioneering initiatives": Pioneering in the application of science and technology, innovation, digital transformation, and human resource training; Pioneering in the development of strategic infrastructure, especially transportation infrastructure, and improving the quality of projects and products; and Pioneering in building a clean and strong Party, further enhancing the image of the Ho Chi Minh's soldiers in labor, production, and work.
The 12th Army Corps must effectively fulfill its functions and duties as a productive labor force, contributing to the socio-economic development while strengthening national defense and security; excelling in production and business, maintaining high combat readiness; and creatively applying the military art of "military service combined with agriculture" of our ancestors in the new era.
Innovating thinking, improving management capacity, conducting business legally and efficiently; striving to build the 12th Brigade - Truong Son Construction Corporation into a large-scale enterprise with the capacity and experience to construct key projects, especially in difficult areas, upholding the qualities of "Uncle Ho's soldiers"; affirming the Truong Son brand in the fields of basic construction, bridges, roads, airports, ports, hydropower, and irrigation.
The corps must organize military and professional training, build a regular and disciplined corporate culture; be ready to perform military and national defense tasks, transition to combat readiness, participate in disaster prevention and control, rescue and relief; focus on training, nurturing, and developing a team of highly skilled officers and engineers; be politically steadfast, exemplary in ethics and lifestyle, dedicated, and committed to their profession. Prepare human resources early to participate in new projects such as high-speed railways and large seaports…
The Prime Minister requested that the 12th Army Corps focus on building a strong Party Committee in terms of politics, ideology, organization, ethics, and personnel, in conjunction with building a comprehensively strong, "exemplary and outstanding" Army Corps; paying attention to ensuring employment, living standards, and income for workers; doing a good job in traditional education, activities of gratitude and repayment, social welfare, and caring for and assisting policy beneficiary families; and resolving policy issues.
The Prime Minister expressed his confidence and hope that the 12th Army Corps - Truong Son Construction Corporation will continue to unite, be proactive, creative, self-reliant, and strong, overcome all difficulties, and excellently fulfill its assigned tasks, worthy of inheriting the glorious 65-year tradition of the Truong Son Army, shining with the qualities of Uncle Ho's soldiers and the heroic Vietnamese People's Army, "completing every task, overcoming every difficulty, and defeating every enemy"; and that the Truong Son Traditional Association will continue to create motivation and inspire future generations to follow suit.
TB (according to VNA)Source
![[Photo] National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man visits and works with the National Assembly Committees and the State Audit Office.](https://vphoto.vietnam.vn/thumb/1200x675/vietnam/resource/IMAGE/2026/02/23/1771848141941_ndo_br_bnd-6798-jpg.webp)
Comment (0)