Returning to Dien Bien after many years away, Mrs. To Hoang Hoi (daughter of Mr. To Quang Khoan, who was assigned by General Vo Nguyen Giap to prepare and pack the explosives for the attack on Hill A1 during the Dien Bien Phu Campaign) was moved to tears mixed with pride as she witnessed the new face and renewed vitality of Dien Bien. In her story, Mrs. Hoi occasionally paused to suppress the overwhelming emotion that flooded back from her memories of the past.
Back then, around the 1980s, when she was a 10-year-old girl, Mrs. Hoi often followed her father along the small trails in the C1 fields, the C2 sugarcane paddies, and the vast cornfields along the banks of the Nam Rom River.
Her father, originally from Cao Bang, participated in the Dien Bien Phu Campaign from its very beginning until the final victory, engaging in many fierce and arduous battles. After the campaign, he volunteered to stay with his comrades and embark on a new battle – the equally challenging "battle of economic development on the battlefield."
Mrs. Hoi fondly remembers the times she went with her father to visit the fields and the farm workers; listening to her father recount the battles… Her father told the stories clearly, day by day, month by month, but the memory of the 10-year-old girl only clearly remembers the detail that Uncle Ta Quoc Luat led a shock team of 5 soldiers into the French command post to capture General De Castries and the French command at Dien Bien Phu stronghold.
"Every time my father recounted the story of Uncle Ta Quoc Luat planting the flag on top of the De Castries bunker at 5:30 PM on May 7, 1954, his eyes would sparkle with joy, not well up with tears like when he talked about the sacrifices of his comrades," Mrs. Hoi recalled.
Returning to Dien Bien this time, Mrs. Hoi was astonished by the changes. The Dien Bien Phu airport, still nestled in the middle of the fields, was now more modern and beautiful. And here, the Muong Thanh bridge still quietly connected the two banks of the Nam Rom river, but at night it shone brightly with hundreds of modern yellow, green, red, and purple lights…
Ms. Hoi said emotionally, "Seeing the new constructions and the meticulous care given to each historical site has helped me understand more about the efforts and contributions of each person in Dien Bien."
Sharing the same emotion and pride as he witnesses the daily changes on the land where, 71 years ago, he fought alongside his comrades, during those historic days of May, despite his declining health, every afternoon, Mr. Bui Kim Dieu (a former soldier of the 312th Division) still relies on his children and grandchildren to help him walk to the Him Lam historical site to light incense for his comrades who fell in the opening battle of the Dien Bien Phu Campaign (March 13, 1954).
Unlike previous years, on this occasion, Mr. Điều quietly reported to his comrades: "The province has paid attention to investing in the preservation and restoration of historical sites befitting the significance of the Dien Bien Phu Campaign. Specifically at Him Lam, there is a project worth nearly 100 billion VND invested in creating reliefs, an incense offering house, a square, incense burners at the bunker, and a stone monument introducing the historical site. Within the grounds, there is also a system of flower gardens, trees, and outdoor lighting… so that day and night, the place where Hero Phan Đình Giót and his comrades lie is always bright and beautiful."
I met a veteran of the Dien Bien Phu battle sitting silently beside the memorial plaque commemorating the battle. Watching the receding crowd, Mr. Dieu shared: “Every May, I miss my friend so much. Where he fell, the rice is now heavy with grain. Fields, gardens, and fruit trees are lush green year-round, surrounding the houses and schools. Dien Bien Phu has changed; all four seasons are filled with blooming flowers. The people of Dien Bien Phu will always remember the contributions and sacrifices of those who bravely fell for this land!”
Chairman of the People's Committee of Dien Bien Province, Le Thanh Do, once shared: Under the leadership of the Party, the Government , President Ho Chi Minh, and the spirit of unity in overcoming difficulties, in 2024, Dien Bien has risen to become a province with a relatively high economic growth rate (GRDP reaching 8.51%) compared to other provinces in the region (ranking 6th out of 14 provinces in the region and 18th out of 63 provinces and cities nationwide).
In 2024, with the successful organization of national and regional political, cultural, sports, and tourism events, Dien Bien's tourism industry welcomed 1.85 million domestic and international visitors; total revenue from tourism activities in Dien Bien reached 3,300 billion VND for the first time.
Along with persistently pursuing economic development goals, throughout different historical periods, Dien Bien has always paid attention to job creation and vocational training for workers, thereby continuously improving the lives of people of all ethnic groups in the province.
During the period 2021-2024, Dien Bien province supported the construction of new houses for more than 6,000 poor households and families entitled to preferential policies. In 2024 alone, Dien Bien completed 5,000 houses for poor households in a rapid campaign called "A Million Hearts for the Poor in Dien Bien".
Thanks to the support and cooperation of all levels of government, sectors, philanthropists, and the efforts of poor households, Dien Bien province reduces its multidimensional poverty rate by approximately 4.06% each year. Currently, the poverty rate in the province is 21.66%.
National target programs such as the New Rural Development Program have achieved positive results, with a total of 26 out of 115 communes recognized as meeting the standards; the socio-economic development program for ethnic minority and mountainous areas has completed 12 out of 17 main targets, with the outstanding result being that the poverty reduction rate in ethnic minority areas has consistently reached 5.83% annually...
Military and national defense work, border protection, safeguarding of border markers, maintaining territorial sovereignty and national border security, and ensuring security and order have always been carried out effectively, creating a favorable environment to attract investment and promote socio-economic development and foreign relations.
On the occasion of the 71st anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory (May 7, 2025), at the flag-raising ceremony and inauguration of the A Pa Chai flagpole in the border commune of Sin Thau, Muong Nha district (where the border marker between Vietnam, Laos, and China is located), officers and soldiers of the armed forces and people of various ethnic groups in Dien Bien province proudly reported that Dien Bien has overcome numerous difficulties and obstacles; overcome geographical distance and transcended time to build a progressively developing locality, a solid "fortress" protecting two wide and long border lines.
Source: https://nhandan.vn/dien-bien-and-hanh-trinh-phat-trien-post877795.html
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