The Victory at Buon Ma Thuot: Memories from those involved.

Veteran Nguyen Van Si, a former special forces soldier, directly participated in the opening battle of the Central Highlands campaign. More than half a century has passed, but the memory of the night of capturing Hoa Binh airport (Buon Ma Thuot) remains vivid in his mind. For him, it was not just a battle, but also a long period of silently holding out behind enemy lines, patiently waiting for the opportunity to launch a thunderous "punch" with his comrades right in the middle of the enemy's barbed wire fence.

Veteran Nguyen Van Si examines his battlefield mementos.

In his small house in Trinh Loc village, Yen Phu commune, Mr. Si carefully examines his war relics. These include medals and a faded black-and-white photograph. The photo shows 38 soldiers of Company 3, Battalion 2, 198th Special Forces Regiment before their sortie. They were all young men in their twenties, full of enthusiasm; the youngest was only 20 years old, like Thang (from Tuyen Quang ), while Mr. Si himself was 24.

Mr. Si recalled, “My company was assigned the task of directly attacking the makeshift airfield – Hoa Binh airfield. My special forces platoon had 38 comrades. They were all gathered in Buon Sa Vam, 30km from the Six-Way Intersection in Buon Ma Thuot town. I was the platoon deputy, with 12 deputy commanders and 3 team leaders directly opening the ‘gateway’ for the entire unit.” In the thick darkness, the special forces soldiers moved stealthily and silently through enemy checkpoints. By 1:00 AM on March 10th, the unit had reached the final assembly point. “The special forces soldiers’ technique is secret and surprise,” Mr. Si recounted with a radiant look in his eyes. In the dense darkness of the Central Highlands, he, along with Hoa (from Thai Nguyen ), was responsible for carrying 0.6kg of explosives, and Thang (from Tuyen Quang) was responsible for carrying 2kg of explosives, carefully carrying out the unit's assigned mission.

The airport was protected by a complex system of fences. Mr. Si vividly remembers the feeling of facing four layers of fencing. “We cut through four fences: the outermost 2.5-meter-high corrugated iron fence standing upright in a shallow ditch; three rows of tangled barbed wire fences, each spaced 5 to 10 meters apart. The final single fence was 15 meters from the bridgehead bunker.” At that moment, an unexpected situation occurred. The enemy guard sitting right on the bridgehead bunker suddenly woke up from his restless sleep. He vaguely sensed a figure approaching, immediately jumped up, and fired a burst from his AR15 rifle forward. “There was no room for hesitation at that moment. I knew that if I didn’t shoot him down immediately, my comrades would be killed and the mission to open the ‘gate’ would completely fail,” Mr. Si recalled. With the courage of a seasoned soldier, Mr. Si and his comrades handled the situation with great ingenuity, swiftly eliminating the guard, maintaining secrecy, and securing the offensive. At 2:00 AM on March 10, 1975, our troops simultaneously opened fire and attacked Buon Ma Thuot with artillery and special forces. Taking advantage of the intense gunfire and the flickering power lines in the town, tank, armored, artillery, anti-aircraft, and infantry units quickly mobilized and occupied their positions. By 7:00 AM the same day, we launched a large-scale offensive with four main assaults and one deep penetration force, supported by tanks and armored vehicles, under strong artillery fire. After more than 30 hours of continuous fighting, from dawn on March 10 to 11:00 AM on March 11, 1975, Buon Ma Thuot town was completely liberated.

At over 80 years old, with graying hair and old wounds still aching whenever the weather changes, Mr. Si still cherishes a wish: to return to the old Hoa Binh airfield – now Buon Ma Thuot Airport – to witness firsthand the changes in the land he once belonged to. More than anything, he hopes to light an incense stick to pay tribute to his fallen comrades, those who died prematurely at the young age of eighteen or twenty.

In a recent phone call, he couldn't hide his excitement, saying that his wish was about to come true: "We've booked the tickets, and we plan to depart after April 30th." For the veteran, it's not just a trip, but a journey back to his memories – the place that holds the most beautiful years of his youth, as well as the most brutal period of his life as a soldier. On this occasion, Mr. Si will reunite with his former comrades from the 198th Regiment who now live in Thanh Hoa and neighboring provinces. At the same time, he also hopes to reconnect with his fellow soldiers who have not been heard from, especially to find the address of Company Commander Nguyen Ngoc Ky (from Truc Ninh, Nam Dinh), so that they can once again shake hands and reminisce about the old days.

Veteran Nguyen Van Si's baggage on his return to the old battlefield was meager, just a black-and-white photograph of 38 soldiers from his company. Time may have faded the photo, but his memories remain intact. Following each familiar face, he nostalgically calls out names: Son, Thang, Hoa, Hoa, Chung, Dung, Cuong, Tram, Doc... his comrades who had fought alongside him through a time of fire and fire. From these ordinary people, the portrait of a generation of special forces soldiers emerges – "secret, unexpected, decisive, and victorious." And in that moment, the past returns in its entirety, awakening a time of heroic youth.

Text and photos: Minh Quyen

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/chien-thang-buon-ma-thuot-ky-uc-nguoi-trong-cuoc-286320.htm