The book "Heroes and soldiers of Dien Bien Phu": A huge and valuable archive

Compiling a list of heroes, martyrs, soldiers, youth volunteers, and frontline laborers from 53 provinces and cities across the country who participated in the historic Dien Bien Phu campaign, the book Dien Bien Heroic Soldiers is a special tribute to previous generations.

At the same time, this is the first time there has been a systematic and methodical research work with reliable sources of information on the portraits of heroes and soldiers fighting on the Dien Bien Phu battlefield. In particular, the book is a huge source of information on heroes, martyrs, youth volunteers, frontline workers, etc. participating in the campaign in 53 localities across the country.

HUGE AND VALUABLE RESOURCE

To commemorate the 70th anniversary of the historic Dien Bien Phu victory (May 7, 1954 - May 7, 2024), the Truth National Political Publishing House in collaboration with the Dien Bien Provincial Party Committee compiled and published the book Heroes and Soldiers of Dien Bien Phu. The book is a publication of special significance, expressing the deep affection and gratitude of generations of Vietnamese people for the contributions of the heroes and martyrs who heroically sacrificed their blood and youth for this great victory.

According to Major General Luu Trong Lu, Chairman of the Dien Bien Province Veterans Association, 70 years have passed and the number of Dien Bien Phu soldiers, youth volunteers and frontline workers has been decreasing. Up to today, in Dien Bien province, there are only 140 Dien Bien Phu soldiers and 9 youth volunteers who directly participated in the campaign still alive, all of whom are over 90 years old. In all provinces and cities across the country, the heroes and soldiers of Dien Bien in the past are also at an age that is "rare in the past and present".

In order to pay tribute to previous generations, since the beginning of 2023, Dien Bien Provincial Party Committee has come up with the idea of building a special book, compiling a list of heroes, martyrs, soldiers, youth volunteers, and frontline laborers who participated in the campaign "famous in five continents, shaking the world".

Major General Luu Trong Lu, Chairman of the Provincial Veterans Association, recalled: In March 2023, the Standing Committee of the Dien Bien Provincial Party Committee officially assigned the Veterans Association to coordinate with the Provincial Propaganda Department to research and deploy the content of the publication.

“The work was quite urgent. Upon receiving the assignment, we immediately contacted the local Veterans Associations and asked them to review and provide a list of seniors who had participated in the campaign 70 years ago,” Major General Luu Trong Lu said. At the same time, the provincial Veterans Association leadership also urgently worked with the Truth National Political Publishing House to come up with a unified idea for the book.

Comrade Nguyen Thai Binh, Deputy Director of the Truth National Political Publishing House, said that in the past, there were many books, newspapers, and documents written about the Dien Bien Phu campaign, expressing gratitude to the people who created the victory that "resounded throughout the five continents and shook the world". However, each book still had "a missing piece, not really complete". Some published a list of Dien Bien Phu heroes, others listed the list of martyrs. Besides, there were also many newspapers writing about Dien Bien Phu in general, writing about each character participating in the Dien Bien Phu campaign in particular, but they were scattered and not systematic.

To help readers have the most complete and comprehensive view possible, the editorial team has accessed documents from many different sources, the most important of which are the documents provided by the local Veterans Association. In addition, it is necessary to mention printed books sketching portraits of the commanders and heroic soldiers of Dien Bien Phu.

As the unit responsible for the publication from the first stage to publication, the Truth National Political Publishing House has tried to collect, synthesize documents, data and evaluate the content of the book. However, this process encountered many difficulties because the war has long since ended, most of the Dien Bien soldiers of the past are no longer there. Therefore, in the process of compiling the book, the editorial team had to read a large amount of documents, with cross-references, comparisons, synthesis, selections... The evaluation of the role of each character in the campaign was also carefully considered, ensuring political and scientific quality.

In addition, the lists sent by localities were also inconsistent in presentation; some places had soldiers but forgot martyrs; some places lacked youth volunteers or frontline workers... The publisher had to conduct two rounds of verification: contacting local localities and working cross-functionally with Veterans Associations to reach consensus.

FIRST TIME COLLECTING LIST OF THOUSANDS OF HEROES AND SOLDIERS OF DIEN BIEN

After a period of urgent implementation, up to now, the book has been completed and released on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory (May 7, 1954 - May 7, 2024). In terms of structure, the book opens with an introduction (articles by comrade Tran Quoc Cuong, member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Dien Bien Provincial Party Committee; Major General Le Trong Lu, Chairman of the Dien Bien Provincial Rescue Association).

Next, the book introduces President Ho Chi Minh, comrades in the Campaign Command; the Command Boards of the corps. Along with that, in part 3 of the book, readers will understand more about the heroes of the armed forces in the Dien Bien Phu campaign such as Tran Can, To Vinh Dien, Be Van Dan, Phan Dinh Giot... In parts 4 and 5, the publication continues to introduce the list of representatives of Chinese military advisors and the list of heroes, soldiers, youth volunteers, and frontline laborers of the localities participating in the Dien Bien Phu campaign, which will be outlined on more than 300 pages of the book.

Photo (Source: VNA)

Finally, the most special feature of the publication is the list of 214 thousand people who are heroic martyrs, soldiers, and youth volunteers on the front lines across 53 provinces and cities across the country, which will be outlined in the most complete and vivid way. The whole thing is presented in the form of an open e-book. There, each locality will have a QRCode, allowing readers to scan and access a database with full information about heroes, martyrs, soldiers, youth volunteers, and front-line workers of 53 provinces and cities across the country who participated in the Dien Bien Phu campaign.

The Deputy Director of the National Political Publishing House, Truth, added that in the coming time, this list will continue to be supplemented and completed thanks to the contributions of Party committees, authorities, communities, families and readers nationwide.

Readers/citizens who have updated information can contact the local Veterans Association or directly through the National Political Publishing House Truth. Next, the Veterans Associations will make an initial assessment, then send the information to the National Political Publishing House Truth for review and addition to the e-book data.

According to him, preserving and recording the contributions of the ancestors in the family and clan who participated in the campaign in history books is a meaningful and practical work. This will be a priceless spiritual gift for the living participants in the campaign as well as a respectful incense stick from descendants to the deceased whose contributions are recognized by the whole society.

Appreciating the efforts and dedication of the Dien Bien Provincial Party Committee and the Truth National Political Publishing House, comrade Nguyen Trong Nghia, Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Head of the Central Propaganda Department affirmed: The book Heroes and Soldiers of Dien Bien Phu was published on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the historic Dien Bien Phu Victory and the victory of the resistance war against the French colonialists, and has profound significance.

This is also an opportunity for us to express our boundless gratitude to President Ho Chi Minh, the national liberation hero, world cultural celebrity, beloved leader and great teacher of the Vietnamese revolution; General Vo Nguyen Giap, Commander-in-Chief, Secretary of the Campaign Party Committee; to honor the heroes, cadres, soldiers, youth volunteers, frontline laborers... who heroically sacrificed and contributed their human and material resources in the Dien Bien Phu Campaign and on the battlefields in the resistance war against the French colonialists, to gain independence and freedom for the Fatherland. The shining example of the heroes and martyrs will live forever with the heroes and martyrs, forever in the hearts of the Vietnamese people.

He said that the book is a valuable document, recreating the portraits of heroes and soldiers of Dien Bien Phu through their exploits, achievements in combat and victory of the Dien Bien Phu Campaign, embellishing the glorious history of the nation, believing in the bright future of the country.

Paying tribute to the heroes and soldiers of Dien Bien Phu is a regular and continuous activity.

Comrade Tran Quoc Cuong, member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Dien Bien Provincial Party Committee affirmed: Paying tribute to the Dien Bien Phu soldiers is not a one-day, one-time task but needs to take place regularly, over a period of time. In the past time, Dien Bien province has fully implemented policies for people with meritorious services, veterans, former youth volunteers, and organized regular visits. Especially during holidays and Tet, provincial leaders, the highest level, comrades in the Standing Committee, Standing Committee, Executive Committee of the Provincial Party Committee, and leaders of the province, districts, and communes all organized visits, encouraged, and learned about the health and living conditions of the elderly, as well as the jobs of their children and grandchildren," he emphasized.

In addition, for Dien Bien Phu soldiers whose residences are not yet stable, the province also has a policy to ensure stable residence. In some cases, due to changes in residence, the children and grandchildren do not have jobs, the province requires the locality to arrange them immediately. Only when the children and grandchildren have jobs will they be able to take care of the elderly. In addition, the province also regularly organizes health check-ups for Dien Bien Phu soldiers and former youth volunteers currently living in Dien Bien Phu city and other localities.

According to Nhandan.vn

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