The 1975 Spring General Offensive - a brilliant symbol of great solidarity

The victory of the 1975 Spring General Offensive and Uprising is a brilliant symbol of the spirit of national solidarity, crystallized from the thousands of years of tradition of fighting to build and defend the country.

Liberation flag fluttering at Tan Son Nhat airport, April 30, 1975. (Photo: Quang Thanh/VNA)

During the 21-year long journey of fighting against the US to save the country, our people, under the leadership of the Party and President Ho Chi Minh , formed a unified bloc, mobilized the maximum combined strength of the entire nation, achieved a historic victory, liberated the South, and reunified the country.

The victory of the 1975 Spring General Offensive and Uprising was not only a military victory but also a brilliant symbol of the spirit of national solidarity, crystallized from the thousands of years of tradition of fighting to build and defend the nation.

The Great Victory of Spring 1975 - Proof of the Invincible Power of National Unity

During his lifetime, President Ho Chi Minh highly valued the spirit of solidarity. He affirmed that national solidarity is a fundamental, consistent, long-term strategy, a matter of survival, and a decisive factor for the success of the revolution: "Our history teaches us this lesson: When our people are united as one, our country is independent and free. On the contrary, when our people are not united, we are invaded by foreign countries"; Solidarity creates strength and is the source of all success: "Solidarity is our invincible force to overcome difficulties and gain victory."

Therefore, right from the time he found the way to save the country and liberate the nation, President Ho Chi Minh paid great attention to the work of gathering the masses, bringing them into patriotic organizations suitable to the characteristics of each gender, age, class, and religion.

On the morning of April 30, 1975, from all directions, hundreds of tanks, armored vehicles and infantry simultaneously advanced straight to the Presidential Palace of the Saigon puppet government, liberating Saigon. (Photo: Mai Huong/VNA)

Looking back at the history of building and defending the country of the Vietnamese people, solidarity has always been a precious tradition, a source of strength for the nation. Through revolutionary periods, with the solid national solidarity bloc based on the alliance between the working class, the peasantry and the intelligentsia, under the leadership of the Party, Vietnam has achieved great victories, writing heroic pages of history.

In particular, the spirit of great national unity was highly promoted in the resistance war against the US to save the country, especially in the General Offensive and Uprising in the Spring of 1975, creating the historic victory on April 30, 1975, liberating the South and unifying the country.

Decision to take unity as strength

Right from the early days of the resistance war against the US, our Party clearly determined that victory could only be achieved if the combined strength of the entire nation was mobilized. Therefore, our Party attached special importance to the work of building and consolidating the great solidarity bloc.

One of the most important decisions was the establishment of the predecessor organizations of the Vietnam Fatherland Front to widely gather patriotic forces.

In 1955, in the North, the Vietnam Fatherland Front was established, playing the role of a nucleus of solidarity, gathering the entire people to build the North into a solid rear for the resistance war.

In the South, to meet the needs of the struggle, in 1960, the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam was born, bringing together all classes of people, religions, ethnic groups, intellectuals, workers, farmers... towards the common goal of liberating the South and unifying the country.

Kieu Mai Cooperative, Phu Dien Commune, Tu Liem District (Hanoi) opened a cultural class to improve the cultural level of women (1967). (Photo: The Trung/VNA)

Next, the Alliance of Vietnamese National, Democratic and Peace Forces, established in 1968, contributed to expanding the united front, attracting more patriotic forces, including dignitaries, intellectuals, and those who had worked in the Saigon government but had a national spirit.

The above organizations played a decisive role in propagating, mobilizing, and organizing the people to fight politically, militarily, diplomatically, and even armedly, combining the people's position with military strategies to gradually defeat the war plans of the US and puppet regime.

Military-civilian unity - the key to success

During the resistance war against the US to save the country, the solidarity between the army and the people was the foundation of the great national solidarity bloc. That foundation was constantly cultivated by our army and people with many creative and diverse methods and approaches, suitable to the situation of the country being temporarily divided into two regions.

In the North, the army and people worked together to build a strong rear, creating a material and spiritual foundation for the southern front. Millions of people worked enthusiastically and produced with the spirit: "All for the front, all to defeat the American invaders," "Not a pound of rice is missing, not a soldier is missing," "Give up houses to store goods, give up villages to store vehicles," "If the vehicle has not passed, there is no regret for the house."

Women of Ngo Dong Cooperative, Gia Vien District, Ninh Binh Province held a festival to plant rice on time and with the right techniques, increasing labor productivity (1970). (Photo: Thai Khai/VNA)

The emulation movements "Three readiness", "Three responsibilities", "Youth volunteers" were launched widely, mobilizing the youth of the whole country to join the cause of liberating the South and unifying the country. The unnumbered trains crossing the sea to support the South, the legendary Truong Son road connecting the two regions were all the results of the strong bond between the army and the people.

In the South, the army fought bravely, the people persistently stayed on their land and villages, both producing and fighting, becoming a solid support for the revolution. "American-killing belts" appeared everywhere, heroic mothers sheltered and hid cadres and soldiers day and night; guerrilla fighters fought steadfastly, ready to sacrifice to protect their homeland. The people of the South not only played a logistical role but also directly participated in battles, carried out military propaganda work, destroyed strategic hamlets, stepped up political struggles, and contributed to the disintegration of the enemy's repressive apparatus.

In Saigon, Hue, Da Nang and other major cities, along with the heroic fighting of the entire army, the struggle movement of workers, students, intellectuals and all classes of people also took place vigorously. Demonstrations, strikes, and street protests against the Saigon regime, demanding peace and independence contributed to weakening the puppet government, creating favorable conditions for the General Offensive and Uprising in the Spring of 1975 to gain rapid victory.

Thus, military-civilian solidarity is not simply the relationship between the armed forces and the people, but the harmony and sharing of joys and sorrows in every battle and every step of the resistance war. This is the solid foundation for the Vietnamese revolution to create miracles. It is the strong bond between the army and the people that has created a solid people's war posture, helping the Vietnamese revolution overcome all difficulties and challenges, and defeat all plots of the enemy.

Solidarity movement in Ho Chi Minh Campaign

On the basis of the forms of national united front and the close solidarity between the army and the people, our Party has organized, built and carried out a long-term, comprehensive people's war posture by closely combining political forces and people's armed forces; combining military, politics and diplomacy, both armed uprising and military offensive; both resistance and nation building.

The political and armed forces of the people are all organized, trained and led in a systematic, tight and unified manner by a revolutionary, genuine and scientific Party, representing the interests, intelligence, mettle and iron will of the entire nation. Thanks to that, throughout the long resistance war, the strength of patriotism, national unity and solidarity and the strength of people's war are constantly multiplied. The more our army and people fight, the stronger they become, the stronger they become, the more they win.

By the end of 1974 and the beginning of 1975, seizing the strategic opportunity, our Party advocated carrying out a total mobilization of forces throughout the country at the highest level for the final strategic battle, completely liberating the South, and unifying the country. Carrying out the Party's determination, the entire nation devoted all its efforts and resources to launching a general offensive and uprising in the historic Spring of 1975.

The resounding victories in the Central Highlands and Hue-Da Nang quickly created the opportunity to launch the Ho Chi Minh Campaign to completely liberate the South. The entire Army and People devoted all their efforts to the final strategic battle. The strength of the great national unity bloc during more than 20 years of long resistance was gathered for the glorious historical moment.

At 11:30 a.m. on April 30, 1975, Liberation Army tanks crossed the iron gate, capturing the Saigon puppet Presidential Palace, the last stronghold of the enemy, gloriously ending the nation's 30-year long march against foreign invaders. (Photo: Mai Huong/VNA)

At noon on April 30, 1975, the Liberation Army tank crashed through the gate of the Independence Palace, the revolutionary flag fluttered on the roof of the palace, signaling the complete collapse of the Saigon government, ending more than 20 years of national division. Our people had won the final victory in the resistance war against the US, saving the country, completely liberating the South, reunifying the Fatherland and the whole country moving towards socialism. That was also a testament to the invincible strength of the great national unity bloc in the Ho Chi Minh era.

Promoting the strength of great solidarity in the cause of protecting, building and developing the country today

After the country was reunified, the spirit of great solidarity continued to become an important driving force in the cause of building and defending the Fatherland. During the period of renovation and international integration, our Party and State always emphasized the role of the great national solidarity bloc, considering it a key factor for economic development, strengthening national defense, and maintaining political and social stability.

From 1986 to present, our Party has had many resolutions to strengthen, consolidate and expand the great national unity bloc in the new situation, typically the Resolutions of the 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th National Congresses of the Party; especially Resolution No. 23-NQ/TW dated March 12, 2003 of the 9th Party Central Committee on promoting the strength of the great national unity bloc for a rich people, a strong country, a fair, democratic and civilized society.

Vietnam’s remarkable economic achievements in nearly 40 years of renovation are a testament to the strength of national unity. Economic development programs, poverty reduction, new rural construction, support for ethnic minorities, development of small and medium enterprises, environmental protection and response to climate change; crime prevention and control… are all implemented based on the consensus and joint efforts of the whole society.

Along with that, social movements and extensive patriotic emulation movements launched by the Front and its member organizations, such as: "When drinking water, remember its source," "Repaying gratitude," "Day for the poor," "Vietnamese people prioritize using Vietnamese goods," "All people unite to build a cultural life," "All people unite to build new rural areas and civilized urban areas," "All people protect national security" ... are increasingly entering life, receiving active response from all classes of people.

Not only does it have practical effects, creating community cohesion, but it also contributes to making the idea of ​​great national solidarity permeate deeply into all classes of people, creating a driving force to promote rapid and sustainable national development, serving the cause of building and defending the Fatherland.

In the context of complex changes in the world and the region, national unity is still the core factor to firmly protect territorial sovereignty and national security. The people of the whole country always unanimously support the foreign policies of the Party and State, resolutely fighting against all acts of encroachment on the sovereignty of seas, islands and borders. At the same time, the participation of the people in national defense and security tasks continues to be the foundation for maintaining national stability.

Vietnam has been deeply integrating into the world economy, becoming an active member of many international organizations such as ASEAN, APEC, WTO, United Nations... The people's consensus in building an innovative, creative, and sustainably developing Vietnam has contributed to enhancing the country's position in the international arena.

On November 24, 2023, on the basis of summarizing 20 years of implementing Resolution No. 23-NQ/TW, the 13th Party Central Committee issued Resolution No. 43-NQ/TW "On continuing to promote the tradition and strength of great national unity, building our country to be increasingly prosperous and happy."

The resolution clearly states the goal: "Continue to promote the tradition and strength of great national unity, strengthen social consensus, strongly arouse patriotism, national self-reliance, belief, aspiration to contribute and build an increasingly prosperous and happy country; contribute to the successful implementation of the goal that by 2030 Vietnam will be a developing country with modern industry and high average income, and by 2045 become a developed country with high income following the socialist orientation."

On May 23, 2024, President To Lam met with people at the President Ho Chi Minh relic site in the Presidential Palace. (Photo: Thong Nhat/VNA)

To achieve the above goal, in the coming time, our entire Party, people and army will continue to promote the strength of great solidarity, creating a solid foundation for the cause of building and defending the Fatherland.

The focus is on improving people's lives, narrowing the development gap, promoting the role of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, mobilizing domestic and foreign resources, maintaining national sovereignty, security and social order. At the same time, promoting innovation, digital transformation, developing green economy, circular economy, towards a strong, prosperous Vietnam, firmly integrating into the world.

It can be affirmed that the strength of national solidarity has created great achievements in the past and will continue to be a solid foundation for Vietnam to realize its development aspirations, bringing the country to develop rapidly and sustainably, standing shoulder to shoulder with the world powers./.

Vietnamplus.vn

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/cuoc-tong-tien-cong-mua-xuan-1975-bieu-tuong-ruc-ro-cua-tinh-than-dai-doan-ket-post1024747.vnp