Colonel Nguyen Khac Nguyet and memories of heroic years

"I write to tell about them..."

In a small house on Phan Ba ​​Vanh Street (Bac Tu Liem District, Hanoi), there is a man who still lives quietly with memories that have become flesh and blood. He sits at his desk every day, turning each page of his past life - not to tell about himself, but to tell about "them" - his comrades who have remained forever on the road to history.

He is Colonel, writer Nguyen Khac Nguyet, the soldier who drove tank 380, Tank Company 4, Brigade 203, straight into the Independence Palace on the morning of April 30, 1975. The moment the whole nation burst into joy of independence, was also the moment he felt a pang of pain - because he knew that joy was not for everyone.

Colonel - writer Nguyen Khac Nguyet. Photo: Thanh Thao

"A comrade of mine was born right before the tanks rolled through the gates of the Independence Palace. In his backpack there was only an old hammock, a few books, an unfinished English dictionary... and a letter to his mother that he had not yet sent."

Years have passed, the war has been gone for half a century, but for the tank driver of that year, each face of his comrades, each memory, each trace of smoke from the battlefield still appears intact as if it were yesterday. For him, memories are not just for remembering - but for writing. To live on for those who have fallen, and for future generations to understand that: "Today's peace must be exchanged for blood, tears, and the youth of countless people".

"They - those young soldiers - left when the war was only measured in hours and minutes. Some sacrificed themselves right in the cabin, just seconds before tank 380 rushed through the gate of the Independence Palace. They did not have time to see the flag flying on the roof of the Palace, did not have time to know that their country was unified," Colonel Nguyen Khac Nguyet choked up as he recounted.

Image of tank 380 entering the Independence Palace on April 30, 1975. Photo: Thanh Thao

The soldier's name was Nguyen Kim Duyet - a Hanoian native, a second-year university student who dropped out of school to join the army. He was gentle, studious, a good cook, and always took good care of his comrades. In the tank cabin, he always had a small backpack next to him: an old hammock, faded clothes, a book, an English-Vietnamese dictionary, and a guitar. He brought music, knowledge, and the unfinished dreams of his youth into battle.

Painful memories

Before that, when the car was hit by a shell, in a narrow, smoky space, soldier Nguyen Kim Duyet lay down - quietly, silently - right in the car he had cherished and cared for, every bullet, every engine.

Colonel Nguyen Khac Nguyet was moved when recounting: "In the cramped, oxygen-deficient cabin, we loaded 32kg shells, sometimes each person loaded up to 16 shells, then passed out from exhaustion. The car was filled with smoke, our breath was almost gone. But in that fierce battle, we still smiled, still gave each other sips of water, each break, prepared each other sips of warm water. I was a tank driver, so my teammates cared for me, gave me some milk and warm water, even though it was little, so I had the strength to drive...

I have been through such fierce battles, and yet I am still alive, and I am still able to enjoy the joy of victory, which is an infinite happiness. Mixed with that is honor and pride, because not every soldier of the Vietnam People's Army was present at the Independence Palace that day - an extremely sacred and special place and moment. Yet I am alive, being there, feeling honored and proud. That was the first feeling when I drove tank 380 through the gate of the Independence Palace.

Colonel - writer Nguyen Khac Nguyet with the image of tank 380 and his comrades on April 30, 1975. Photo: Thanh Thao

But when I calmed down a bit, a conflicting emotion arose in me. Because when I got back into the tank, because our tank drivers were not allowed to leave the tank, the rules were like that: So when the gunners ran into the Palace, I still had to stay in the tank.

At that time, I was very dirty because I had not bathed for 3 days, since April 27th, the red dust from the rubber forest in the dry season was thrown on my face, and the grease from the car stuck to it, making me look extremely dirty. My left trouser leg was torn, so in front of the lenses of foreign journalists, in front of the eyes of the people of Saigon, I was very embarrassed, because at that time I was very young.

When I got into the tank and sat down, the smell of blood from Nguyen Kim Duyet, the 2nd gunner, came rushing in. Immediately, another feeling and state took over my whole being. It was the grief for my comrades, for the person who sacrificed, who was not lucky enough to come here to share joy with me today. Right in the tank cabin where I sat, the blood of 2nd gunner Nguyen Kim Duyet was still lingering there, my heart ached, my heart ached. That was the state of synthesis and my mixed emotions on the day of great victory.

Tank model at the home of Colonel - writer Nguyen Khac Nguyet. Photo: Thanh Thao

So there were 4 people on the car, one was lost, one was seriously injured, only me and gunner Truong Duc Tho remained, we followed the leading squad for a few hundred meters. But my teammates, they did not have time to see the flag flying on the roof of the Independence Palace of that happy moment, did not have time to know that our country had been unified.

Until now, 50 years have passed, but that emotion and feeling is still almost intact every time April 30th comes. I am still alive - that is a lucky thing. But living is not just for myself. I write - as a way to repay the sacred debt to my deceased comrades" , he confided, his eyes glistening with tears when telling the story to a reporter from Cong Thuong Newspaper.

Writing is a way of preserving history.

50 years have passed since that historic moment, the soldier has now passed half of his life, his hair has turned gray over the years. But he still keeps "returning" - with each line filled with blood, tears and gratitude, the stories of his comrades, of the battlefield, of the nameless soldiers who contributed to the triumph of the nation. He writes not to leave his name, but so that: "they can be present again, between my lines".

Colonel - writer Nguyen Khac Nguyet: "I write to tell about them..."

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification Day (April 30, 1975 - April 30, 2025), Colonel - writer Nguyen Khac Nguyet republished and introduced two works of great historical value: “Tank Soldier’s Notes - Journey to Independence Palace” and “Tanks in the Vietnam War - History Seen from the Turret” are not only vivid pages about war memories, but also words of gratitude to comrades, a “turret of memory” that brings readers back to the sacred historical moment of the nation.

For him, writing is a way to preserve history - not with monuments, not with fortresses, but with the human heart, with the truth of unchanging history. How can future generations, when opening a page of a book, meet real faces, hear real laughter, and feel the loss and sacrifice that have never faded over the years. " To gain independence and peace, it is very difficult and painful."

Colonel - writer Nguyen Khac Nguyet shares with reporters of Cong Thuong Newspaper

50 years after the April 30 victory, Colonel - writer Nguyen Khac Nguyet, the tank soldier of that year, still keeps in mind an oath: "I live to write. Write so that my comrades can live again. And write so that history will never be forgotten".

Thanh Thao

Source: https://congthuong.vn/dai-ta-nguyen-khac-nguyet-va-ky-uc-cua-nhung-nam-thang-hao-hung-384876.html