Veteran Pham Duy Do emotionally recounts the moment he raised the liberation flag at the Independence Palace.

(PLVN) - The war has ended 50 years ago, but the memories of the victory in liberating the South and unifying the country are still intact in the memory of veteran Pham Duy Do. He remembers clearly every fierce battle, the struggle between us and the enemy, especially the moment he and his comrades entered the Independence Palace to wave the liberation flag at noon on April 30, 1975 with the joy of victory...

Heroic memories of a veteran

One morning in April, a reporter from PLVN Newspaper had a conversation with veteran Pham Duy Do about his time as a Southern Special Forces soldier, a historical witness to the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification Day.

The house in Group 4, Tran Lam Ward, Thai Binh City is where the family of veteran Pham Duy Do lives. He shared that he had just had a long trip, from the South to the North, being a guest at many events celebrating the 50th anniversary of the complete liberation of the South and the reunification of the country (April 30, 1975 - April 30, 2025).

Veteran Pham Duy Do was proud to receive a gift from General Secretary To Lam .

Wearing a blue military uniform with many medals and orders pinned on his chest, veteran Pham Duy Do passionately recounted his memories of marching to the Independence Palace to liberate the South 50 years ago.

“I am the Captain of Company C1, D19, E116 Special Forces of the Southeast. In the battle on April 30, 1975, my teammates and I were assigned to capture and hold Dong Nai Bridge. Here, the enemy set up a riverboat base consisting of many bo bo, modern naval ships searched the river day and night to protect the bridge. The next mission was to destroy the enemy troops retreating from the Nuoc Trong base, Ba Ria - Vung Tau, gathering towards Saigon”...

After that mission, the Company was ordered to join the 203rd Tank Brigade to advance to the Independence Palace. When the T54 tank crashed into the iron gate of the Independence Palace, we, the 116th Special Forces, approached and surrounded the entire building. We divided ourselves to search for the Republic of Vietnam (RVN) cabinet hiding there.

“When I got to the lower floor, I pulled back the curtain and saw President Duong Van Minh and the RVN cabinet sitting at the mango round table in the Government room. It was noon on April 30, 1975. I pointed my AK and shouted: “You are surrounded, put down your guns and stand up to surrender. No one is allowed to move. If you resist, you will be shot.” ​​Then soldier Pham Huy Nghe also arrived. I assigned him to hold the AK and stand guard. “Comrade, stand here and guard. Do not let anyone leave this room,” he excitedly recounted.

“Next, I took out the flag I had brought with me from the bag containing the bandages and found a stick at the foot of the stairs to use as a flagpole. I quickly strung it together, ran up to the balcony on the first floor in front of the Independence Palace, and stood waving the flag for a long time to notify the safety of our troops that were rushing in from all directions.

After waving the flag and walking down, I met a tall, big officer carrying a briefcase. Knowing that someone from our side had come, I reported: "I am Captain Pham Duy Do, a Special Forces soldier who captured President Duong Van Minh and the cabinet of the Republic of Vietnam. I invite the chief to come in and resolve this (later I found out that it was Political Commissar Bui Tung). At this point, veteran Pham Duy Do's eyes lit up and his voice was hearty.

Proud to make our mark in this historic moment

In the conversation with us, veteran Pham Duy Do always kept in mind: As a soldier, he was proud to have been assigned missions by General Vo Nguyen Giap - Commander-in-Chief of the People's Armed Forces three times, and all three times he completed them excellently. Among them was the task of conducting reconnaissance with his teammates, drawing a battle map of the Independence Palace and surrounding targets in the area, and then by chance, more than a year later, he led the way for tanks to attack the Independence Palace - the lair of the Republic of Vietnam regime.

After the war ended, he was assigned to train new soldiers in Ho Chi Minh City. In August 1983, he retired due to poor health. Before retiring, he held the rank of Senior Lieutenant. Veteran Pham Duy Do always exuded a strong, indomitable spirit of a soldier. He had absolute faith in the leadership of the Party and the current renovation of the country.

“Now returning to normal life, exactly 50 years after the war, I was recently honored to be present at a meeting with veteran revolutionary cadres, meritorious people, and exemplary policy families, and was met, encouraged, and given gifts by General Secretary To Lam. I feel honored and proud to have successfully contributed to the historic Ho Chi Minh campaign!” - Veteran Pham Duy Do shared.

Quoc Khai

Source: https://baophapluat.vn/cuu-chien-binh-pham-duy-do-xuc-dong-ke-gio-phut-phat-co-giai-phong-tai-dinh-doc-lap-post547006.html