The exchange program "80 Years of Military Region 3 - An Epic from the Red River Delta"

The program was attended by: General Pham Van Tra, Hero of the People's Armed Forces, former member of the Politburo, former Deputy Secretary of the Central Military Party Committee (now the Central Military Commission), former Minister of National Defense, former Commander of Military Region 3; Nguyen Duc Kien, former member of the Central Committee of the Party, former Vice Chairman of the National Assembly, former Secretary of the Hai Duong Provincial Party Committee; Truong Thi Tam, Hero of the People's Armed Forces; Major General Luong Van Kiem, Commander of Military Region 3; Lieutenant General Nguyen Duc Hung, Secretary of the Party Committee and Political Commissar of Military Region 3; members of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee, heads of the Military Region Command; former heads of the Military Region Command; heads of Military Region 3 agencies from various periods; representatives of commanders of units under the Military Region; and 80 exemplary officers, soldiers, and militia members of the Military Region 3 Armed Forces.

The program opened with a theatrical performance titled "The Spirit from Ancient Times," featuring the poignant melody of "Mother Red River," evoking in the audience a sense of pride in this sacred land – the birthplace of rice-farming civilization and the cradle of heroic revolutionary traditions. The documentary "The Epic from the Red River Delta" vividly recreated the history of the formation and development of the Armed Forces of Military Region 3 – from the early days of the resistance against French colonialism and the resistance against the US, to the building and protection of the Fatherland in peacetime.

Throughout those 80 years, countless glorious victories have gone down in history: "The Thunder of Highway 5," "The Fiery Battle of Cat Bi," "The Uprising on Highway 10"... Tens of thousands of soldiers from Military Region 3 fought and sacrificed heroically, contributing to the victory of Dien Bien Phu in 1954 and the "Dien Bien Phu in the Air" in 1972, and together with the whole country, liberating the South and unifying the nation. They are people who are "standing tall in the storm, steadfast in peacetime, and proud on their journey towards the future."

General Nguyen The Tri and Hero of the People's Armed Forces Truong Thi Tam interacted with officers and soldiers of the Armed Forces of Military Region 3.

The most moving highlight of the program was the interaction with two historical witnesses: Lieutenant General Nguyen The Tri, former Commander of Military Region 3 and former Director of the National Defense Academy; and Hero of the People's Armed Forces Truong Thi Tam, "the female guerrilla Hoang Ngan," who once used a carrying pole to fight the enemy on the Phuong Tru dike ( Hung Yen ). Through their simple yet heroic stories, viewers relived a time when "every inch of land was a trench," where the strength of the people blended with the will of the soldiers.

General Nguyen The Tri shared: “The image of the carrying pole and the gun leaning against each other is a simple yet great symbol of the strength of the army and the people. It is this blood-and-flesh bond that has created legends in the history of the struggle of Military Region 3.” And Mrs. Truong Thi Tam emotionally shared: “When the enemy comes to our house, even women fight. The strength of our nation stems from the simplest things – from love for our homeland and love for our fellow countrymen.”

Artistic performances during the cultural exchange program.

Continuing that emotional theme, with two documentaries, "Shield of Peacetime" and "The Strength of the Army in the New Era," and an exchange with Major General Luong Van Kiem, Commander of Military Region 3; Colonel Bui Xuan Thang, Commander of the Hai Phong City Military Command; and Lieutenant Colonel Hoang Thi Thuy, a nurse at Military Hospital 7 and a former female soldier in a blue beret who participated in the United Nations peacekeeping force in South Sudan, the image of the soldiers of Military Region 3 today is vividly portrayed. Whether in storms, epidemics, or in remote areas, they maintain the steadfast spirit of the Ho Chi Minh Army, ready to sacrifice for the people, for peace and the happiness of humanity.

The program concluded with songs such as "The Soldier's Heart," "Singing the Marching Song Forever," and "The Glory of the Soldiers of Military Region 3," conveying a profound humanistic message: today's soldiers of Military Region 3 not only protect the Fatherland but also bring the image of a peace-loving Vietnam to friends around the world.

Combining documentary, theatrical performances, and live interaction, the "80 Years of Military Region 3 - An Epic from the Red River Delta" exchange program was not only an artistic evening but also a tribute, continuing and spreading the spirit of "Unity - Proactiveness - Creativity - Sacrifice - Victory," the unchanging values that have shaped the heroic tradition of the Armed Forces of Military Region 3 over the past eight decades.

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