Veterans visit historical site 'Where Division 341 marched into battle in 1975'

On April 12, 2025, more than 1,000 veterans of the 341st Division and more than 200 guests attended the ceremony to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Division's march to the front (February 3, 1975 - February 3, 2025) and the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification (April 30, 1975 - April 30, 2025) in My Ha village, My Thuy commune, Le Thuy district, Quang Binh province.

From December 1972 to November 23, 1975, the 341st Division was stationed in Quang Binh province and Vinh Linh special zone, with the division headquarters located in My Ha village. While training, the division also had the task of protecting the southern area of ​​Military Region 4.

On February 3, 1975, the division set out for the front, the first destination was the Southeast front, fighting the first battle on Highway 13 Chon Thanh - Bau Bang, then fighting the enemy in Dau Tieng, holding Dinh Quan, crossing La Nga River to Dong Nai to fight the Xuan Loc battle that lasted for 12 days and nights. The division was assigned by the 4th Corps commander to fight the opening battle of the Ho Chi Minh campaign (April 26 - 30, 1975) on the front facing East Saigon. That was the battle in Trang Bom Military Sub-region in the early morning of April 27, 1975. In one day, Division 341 completed the mission of liberating Trang Bom. The victory of Trang Bom was the first resounding victory of the Ho Chi Minh Campaign. Division 341 finished at the Independence Palace, Saigon at noon on April 30, 1975.

Life is a journey. The longest and furthest journey of our unit, the reconnaissance unit of the 341st Division, was the march from Nam Dan, Nghe An to Le Thuy, Quang Binh. The journey was more than 20 days, more than 200 kilometers on foot, following the liaison route, passing through the air raids of American planes in the last days of 1972.

In early 1975, also during more than 20 days of marching by car along the Ho Chi Minh trail, my unit traveled from Kien Giang River, 1,200km to the Dong Nai River basin to participate in the 1975 spring campaign. Then there were marches from Ho Chi Minh City to the southwestern border, from the southwestern border through Phnom Penh, Siem Reap. The marches "stopped the enemy from the south, the north" and carried out noble international missions.

The war ended with so many unforgettable losses and pains that nothing could compensate for. Many comrades “still carry many wounds”. Many comrades left forever.

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and the reunification of the country, the soldiers of the past now have gray hair. We put aside all work to return to the old battlefields. Those are the red addresses, the places where we lived and fought, where our beloved comrades fell and became the sacred souls of the mountains and rivers - immortal monuments!

We organized a long trip when we were old, back to the glorious past. We followed the passionate, soulful melody: “Every long journey we go through, leaves behind precious memories. Leaving behind one thing: the farther we go, the more we miss home. Go far away to return. There is a place to return to. Go, go to return…”.

We are on a journey of life. Back then, we “came together amidst bombs and bullets, looking for each other between two fronts of battle”. Today, we “look for each other across the length of the country”. Our comrades lived beautifully, lived fully until the last minute without anyone asking for enjoyment or calculating merit. We traveled to find memories, to reminisce about “a time of bombs and bullets, a time of peace”. Half a century ago, we understood that “the darkest place is the brightest place”, the place to find the truth and strength of Vietnam. From the heroic and arduous struggle, our friends all over the planet also understood the same.

Go to love and go to be proud!

Article and photos: Thanh Tung

Source: https://huengaynay.vn/chinh-tri-xa-hoi/di-de-yeu-thuong-tu-hao-153022.html