50 Years of Memories

Among the thousands of veterans invited to attend the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the Liberation of Southern Vietnam and National Reunification on April 30, 2025, in front of the Reunification Palace (Ho Chi Minh City), Thai Binh province proudly sent five veterans who participated in the Ho Chi Minh Campaign. Among them is Mr. Pham Ngoc Dai, a native of the rice-growing region who participated in the battle to defend the Ghenh Bridge (Bien Hoa City), ensuring the smooth flow of traffic for our army's advance towards liberating Saigon.

Mr. Pham Ngoc Dai (far right) and his comrades participated in the battle to defend the Ghenh Bridge.

Now 74 years old, Mr. Dai's health has deteriorated significantly due to the effects of Agent Orange, but he remains remarkably sharp-minded. Originally from Tu Tan commune, Vu Thu district, Thai Binh province, like many young men of that era, in October 1968, at the age of 17, Mr. Dai volunteered to enlist and was trained in the Naval Special Forces unit (D5, Naval Special Forces Command). In January 1971, he was deployed to the South to fight in the Tay Ninh and Dong Nai battlefields.

When his unit received orders to capture and hold the Ghenh Bridge, he was the Deputy Political Commissar of Unit C3-D23 - E 113, Southeast Special Forces. On the night of April 27, 1975, he directly commanded an assault force to hold the Ghenh Bridge, allowing the main army to advance into Saigon.

Mr. Pham Ngoc Dai confided: "For the past 50 years, I've longed to return to the old battlefield of Dong Nai, to visit the Ghenh Bridge once again, but I haven't had the chance. However, after watching the news on the radio and television, I see that the locality is developing more and more, life is much better, the population is dense, and the streets are bustling, so I'm very happy"...

He recounted: “Our unit received orders from superiors to open fire at H-hour, 3 am on the night of April 27th, or early morning of April 28th. The enemy fled, and our troops quickly seized the bridge. However, on April 28th and 29th, the enemy launched counterattacks with helicopters, firing rockets and causing many casualties. When the fighting first started, my unit had 31 officers and soldiers, and 26 of them were killed; by noon on April 30th, 1975, only 5 remained, and of those 5 survivors, 3 were slightly wounded, including me.” Despite facing a life-or-death situation, he and his comrades fought bravely and tenaciously to ensure our troops could advance and liberate Saigon on the historic day of April 30th.

When asked about his feelings on the victory day of April 30, 1975, he recalled: "It was hard to describe the emotions when we heard the news that the President of the Republic of Vietnam had announced the surrender on the radio. We hugged each other, tears welling up in our eyes from joy, happiness, and sorrow for our fallen comrades."

After 1975, his unit continued to be stationed in the southeastern region of Vietnam, sometimes on duty, sometimes stationed at Bay Hien intersection, Lang Cha Ca junction, and other locations. In 1979, he and his comrades were ordered to march to the southwestern border to fight in the Cambodian battlefield, and in October 1982, he was discharged from the army and transferred to work at the Tax Department of Thai Binh province until his retirement in 2011.

Mr. Pham Ngoc Dai took this photo in front of Ghenh Bridge in May 1975.

These days, Mr. Dai is preparing for his trip to attend the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of Southern Vietnam and the reunification of the country. He cherishes old, time-worn photographs taken during his time in the military. Among them, the most precious are two photos: one of him sitting near the Ghenh Bridge, and another a half-portrait of him with three surviving comrades from the Battle of Ghenh Bridge. He has noted each person's name on the photo: "from left to right: Tien - Bang - Hong - Dai." The third person is a unit nurse named Thanh, who was injured and is currently receiving treatment at the hospital, so he is not in the photo. These black-and-white photos were given to him by a reporter from the People's Army Newspaper in early May 1975, just a few days after the complete liberation of Southern Vietnam and the reunification of the country, and when his unit was still assigned to protect the Ghenh Bridge for a few more months...

Van Phong

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/dong-nai-cuoi-tuan/202504/ky-uc-50-nam-0e55e8e/