Seven generals were awarded or posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces, including:
1. Lieutenant General Luu Phuoc Luong (born in 1948, from the former Binh Duong province, now Ho Chi Minh City), Former Deputy Head of the Steering Committee for the Southwest Region, former Deputy Commander for Political Affairs of Military Region 9, former Squad Leader - Station Chief of K63 (Radio Telephone), Battalion 42, Communications Region B2.
Lieutenant General Luu Phuoc Luong
PHOTO: People's Army Newspaper
In 1965, he joined the revolution as part of the 42nd Signal Battalion, under the Southern Information Department. During 1967-1968, as a radio operator, he directly fought and maintained communication between units amidst intense bombing and shelling, earning the title of "Hero of the Anti-American Struggle."
During the second phase of the Tet Offensive and Uprising of 1968 in the northern Saigon area, the K63 radio station, under his command, faced an extremely perilous situation when many key officers were killed. On the brink of life and death, he remained steadfast, sending out his final telegram expressing his determination to "fight to the last breath," becoming a symbol of the unwavering loyalty of a communications soldier. Similarly, Lieutenant General Lưu Phước Lượng and the Vietnamese volunteer troops in Cambodia endured 10 years of arduous and fierce fighting.
2. Lieutenant General Le Thanh Tam (born in 1942, from Tan Binh commune, Phung Hiep district, Can Tho , now part of Hau Giang province), former Deputy Commander of Political Affairs of Military Region 7, former Deputy Division Commander of Political Affairs of Division 5, former Political Commissar of Battalion 8, Regiment 3, Division 9, Corps 4 (now Corps 34).
Lieutenant General Le Thanh Tam
PHOTO: Military Region 7
Lieutenant General Tâm grew up in a rural area rich in revolutionary traditions, with his father being a soldier in the National Guard. In 1957, at the age of 15, he joined the revolution as a liaison officer; in early 1959, he enlisted in the army, becoming a local militia member.
From the 1960s onwards, he successively held various positions: squad leader, platoon deputy, political commissar, and then deputy political commissar of Battalion 8, Regiment 3, Division 9. He and his unit participated in many fierce battles, contributing to changing the battlefield situation in Southern Vietnam.
In 1968, he was sent to study at the Political Academy; afterwards, he returned to the battlefield and participated in the Ho Chi Minh Campaign in 1975.
After the reunification of the country, he held many important positions in Military Region 7 such as Head of Training Department, Head of Political Department, Deputy Commander for Political Affairs; he was promoted to Major General (1994) and Lieutenant General (2002).
3. Major General Tran Ngoc Tho (78 years old, from Tu Dan commune, Khoai Chau district, Hung Yen province; now Chau Ninh commune, Hung Yen province), former Chief of Staff of Military Region 7, former Company Commander, Company 25, Regiment 88, Division 302.
Major General Tran Ngoc Tho
PHOTO: PROVIDED BY THE SUBJECT
He enlisted at the age of 17 and was assigned to the 304th Battalion, 5th Regiment, 320th Division, Military Region 3. After three months of training, he and his unit went to the Southern battlefield to fight, then transferred to the 4th Battalion, 88th Regiment, 5th Infantry Division, fighting in the Central Highlands. Subsequently, he was transferred to reinforce the Southeastern battlefield.
Throughout his military career, he directly participated in hundreds of battles, large and small, across fierce battlefields. He fought in the resistance war against the US, experienced battles in the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign, contributing to the overall victory of the nation; and participated in the task of defending the Fatherland on the southwestern border.
Each front was a new challenge, each battle a confrontation between life and death. He was wounded 11 times, suffering 61% disability, but he never once abandoned his ranks.
During the years of national construction and development, he continued his work in the military, closely associated with Military Region 7, and held many important responsibilities. As Chief of Staff of Military Region 7, he entered a different "front," where there were no more gunshots, but every decision was linked to people, responsibility, and the long-term stability of the army.
4. Lieutenant General Nguyen Thoi Bung (born in 1927 in An Tinh Ward, Tay Ninh Province); former Deputy Minister of National Defense, former Commander of Military Region 7, former Head of Operations Department of the B2 Regional Staff (now the Staff of Military Region 7).
Lieutenant General Nguyen Thoi Bung (on the right) and his son, Lieutenant General Nguyen Chau Thanh
PHOTO: Military Region 7
He embraced revolutionary ideals from a young age. Witnessing the indomitable spirit of the Southern Vietnamese soldiers executed by the French colonialists, he nurtured the ambition to fight the enemy and save the country. In July 1945, he organized the An Tinh Youth Vanguard and participated in seizing power during the August Revolution. When the French re-invaded, he joined the armed forces, directly fighting on the Suoi Sau Front and participating in the "Rong Rong Forest Oath," laying the foundation for the local armed movement.
During the resistance war against the French, he successively held positions from squad leader to company commander, and was admitted to the Party in 1947. After 1954, he relocated to the North, worked at the General Staff, and then returned to the Southern battlefield. From 1966 to 1973, as Commander of the 9th Division, he led his unit to achieve many victories in the southeastern region, contributing to the defeat of major enemy operations.
During the Ho Chi Minh Campaign in 1975, he held important positions at the campaign-level operational headquarters. After liberation, he held many important positions: Chief of Staff, Commander of Military Region 7 and Military Region 9, Deputy Chief of the General Staff, Deputy Minister of National Defense; he was promoted to Major General (1983) and Lieutenant General (1988). In 1999, he retired.
Throughout more than half a century in the military, Lieutenant General Nguyen Thoi Bung was a general who matured through battlefield experience, demonstrating courage, decisiveness, and dedication to the cause of building and defending the Fatherland.
5. Lieutenant General Bui Thanh Van (born in 1927 in An Tinh Ward, Tay Ninh Province), former Commander of Military Region 7, former Commander of Division 5.
Lieutenant General Bui Thanh Van
PHOTO: Military Region 7
He came from a working-class family and experienced hardship early in life on the Ben Cat rubber plantation. From this experience of exploitation, he became enlightened about the revolution and participated in the struggle for workers' rights. After the August Revolution of 1945, he joined the Southern armed forces, fought on many fierce fronts, and was admitted to the Party in 1948.
During the resistance wars against France and the United States, he held many command positions from company to regiment and division level; participating in major campaigns such as Ben Cat (1950), the Tet Offensive (1968), the Nguyen Hue Campaign (1972) and the Ho Chi Minh Campaign (1975).
After the reunification of the country, he held important positions: Deputy Commander of the 4th Army Corps, Commander of the Tay Ninh Provincial Military Command, Deputy Commander - Chief of Staff and then Commander of Military Region 7 (1989 - 1994); he was promoted to Major General in 1980 and Lieutenant General in 1988.
With nearly 50 years in the military, rising from a rubber plantation worker to a high-ranking general, he distinguished himself with his decisive and straightforward command style, always prioritizing the well-being of his soldiers, maintaining strict discipline, yet possessing a deep sense of camaraderie. He passed away in August 1994 while serving as Commander of Military Region 7.
6. Lieutenant General Le Nam Phong (born in 1927, real name Le Hoang Thong, from Nghe An province), former Principal of the Army Officer School 2, former Commander of the 7th Division.
Lieutenant General Le Nam Phong
PHOTO: People's Army Newspaper
He was a pre-revolutionary cadre. In 1954, during the Dien Bien Phu campaign, Phong was the Company Commander of the 88th Regiment, directly leading the "bald-headed" unit that held its ground in the trench system, capturing Doc Lap Hill – one of the key positions in the enemy's fortified complex. The leadership skills, the pioneering spirit, and the decisiveness of this young company commander played a crucial role in the historic victory that "shook the world."
During the war against the US to save the country, as the commander of the 7th Division, Mr. Phong, along with the Division Command, led the unit to a 150-day and 150-night blockade at Tau O - Xom Ruong, and subsequently destroyed the Xuan Loc stronghold - the "steel gate" east of Saigon.
That victory created the momentum and strength for our army to advance and liberate Saigon, completing the liberation of the South and unifying the country. It was a battle that demonstrated the vision, flexible command art, and the "determination to fight and win" spirit of a seasoned and experienced general.
7. Major General Vo Minh Nhu (born in 1926, Bao Ninh commune, Quang Binh province, now Quang Tri province), former Deputy Commander of Military Region 7, former Commander of Division 5, Regional Command (now Division 5).
Major General Vo Minh Nhu (center)
PHOTO: Military Region 7
He came from a poor family, moved to the South at a young age to make a living, and became enlightened about the revolution. After September 23, 1945, he joined the Vanguard Youth organization, the National Guard, and was admitted to the Party.
From the early years of the resistance war against the French, he successively held the positions of platoon leader, company commander, and battalion deputy commander, leading many battles in Bien Hoa, Gia Dinh, and Thu Bien, contributing to expanding the corridor and building the armed forces in the southeastern region of Vietnam.
After relocating to North Vietnam in 1954, he continued his studies and work in the main divisions, then returned to the Southern battlefield in 1961. As a regimental commander and later as the commander of the 5th Division, he led his unit in fierce battles across many challenging areas, confronting the main divisions of the US and South Vietnamese forces, building the 5th Division into a strong unit in the South.
From 1969, he transitioned to training, serving as the Principal of the Central-Advanced Military Political School (H14), contributing to the training of cadres for the battlefield. After 1975, he held important positions in Military Region 7 and Front 779, participating in international missions in Cambodia; he was promoted to Major General in 1984.
With over four decades of military service, Major General Vo Minh Nhu was a strategic, decisive commander with extensive battlefield experience and a deep commitment to force building. He retired in 1990.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/chan-dung-7-tuong-linh-vua-nhan-danh-hieu-anh-hung-luc-luong-vu-trang-nhan-dan-185260214081552043.htm
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