Uphold the oath "Sacrifice for the Fatherland"

On March 12, 1945, the Ba To Guerrilla Team - the first armed unit led by the Party - was born with the oath "Sacrifice for the Fatherland", lighting the fire of struggle throughout the South Central region. Then, in Quang Nam , Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan, Dak Lak ... guerrilla teams and self-defense teams were formed one after another, grew stronger, playing a core role, and together with the people rose up to seize power in the August Revolution of 1945.

Colonel Luong Dinh Chung, Party Secretary and Political Commissar of Military Region 5, spoke at the 11th Congress of the Party Committee of Military Region 5 for the 2025-2030 term.

On September 2, 1945, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam was born. Immediately after that, the country fell into a "thousand pounds hanging by a thread" situation, both fighting "famine" and "illiteracy" and dealing with foreign invaders. The new situation required the early formation of an administrative- military organization to promptly develop the armed forces, defend, and prepare for the inevitable resistance war. Implementing the directive of the Party Central Committee and President Ho Chi Minh, on October 16, 1945, War Zone 5 and War Zone 6 were established in the South Central Coast. This was an official milestone marking the birth, opening a brilliant golden page in the history of the heroic Military Zone 5's armed forces.

At the end of December 1946, responding to President Ho Chi Minh 's "Call for National Resistance", the army and people of Zone 5 rushed forward, determined to defend every inch of their homeland. At the Quang Nam - Da Nang Front, our army and people held out steadfastly, fighting with the enemy for every house and street corner, trapping them in the inner city for a month.

That achievement was awarded the "Strong Hold" flag by comrade Pham Van Dong - representative of the Central and Government in the South Central region and praised: "Compared to the whole country, the Quang Nam - Da Nang Front is ranked as the strongest and most resilient." That brave spirit also shone on the Central Highlands battlefield. In the Suoi Voi - Roc Dua battle (November 1947), the suicide soldier Ngo May bravely carried a bomb and charged straight into the enemy formation, destroying more than a platoon of European and African soldiers. That heroic action became the most brilliant symbol of the "Determined to die for the survival of the Fatherland" spirit of the cadres and soldiers of Zone 5.

Military Region 5's armed forces offer incense at the Ba To uprising monument.

From 1947 to 1954, the Nam - Ngai - Binh - Phu Free Zone was built and maintained, becoming a symbol of talent, strong will, courage, and the solid position of the people of Zone 5. The Free Zone was both a direct rear base for the temporarily occupied area and the Southern battlefield, and a reliable support for the revolutionary movement in Southern Laos and Northeastern Cambodia.

In 1951, with the attack on Kon Plong fort, for the first time, a mobile main force regiment of Inter-zone 5 attacked the enemy in a solid fortification in mountainous terrain and won. In January 1953, we continued to win a great victory in the An Khe Campaign. In the winter - spring of 1953 - 1954, the Inter-zone Party Committee and the Inter-zone 5 Command promoted the spirit of initiative, intelligence, and creativity, sending the mobile main force to attack the Northern Central Highlands, forcing the enemy to disperse the troops of the At-Lang operation, fighting in our way. Thanks to that, we both maintained the free zone and broke through the Mang Den - Mang Buk - Kon Ray defense line, liberated Kon Tum province (February 1954), threatened the Central Highlands, and practically shared the fire with the Dien Bien Phu battlefield. Then, he made resounding achievements at Dak Po (June 1954), Bo Bo (July 1954), contributing to the successful end of the resistance war against French colonialism.

Brave, resilient, famous for his exploits

After the Geneva Agreement, the revolutionary movement of Inter-Zone 5 entered a difficult and challenging period due to the fierce attacks of the US - puppet. Upholding the spirit of initiative, self-reliance and self-reliance, Inter-Zone 5 Committee from the West of Thua Thien Hue moved to Trung Man, Hien, Giang, then Tra My to establish revolutionary bases, build forces, and combine political struggle with armed struggle. The revolutionary fire broke out from the Tra Bong uprising in the West of Quang Ngai (1959), opening the Dong Khoi movement, followed by brilliant victories: Na Nieu (1962) defeated the "helicopter transport", Ky Sanh (1964) crushed the "armored transport", Ba Gia (1965) contributed to the bankruptcy of the "special war" strategy of the US - puppet.

Military Region 5's armed forces burn incense to commemorate heroic martyrs.

In early 1965, the US imperialists massively sent expeditionary troops to Da Nang, Chu Lai, Quy Nhon, Nha Trang, An Khe... Zone 5 once again became the first area to directly face the invading enemy; confusion and anxiety were inevitable. Zone 5 Party Committee, Military Zone 5 Party Committee, and Military Zone 5 Command promptly led the ideology, determined to fight and defeat the US, built the "American-destroying belt", launched the movement "Find the US to fight, hunt down the puppets to destroy", and implemented the motto "grab the enemy's belt and fight".

With the glorious victories at Nui Thanh (May 1965), Van Tuong (August 1965)... the Military Region 5 has demonstrated its mettle, not only daring to fight but also knowing how to fight and determined to defeat the American invaders. From here, the land of Region 5 became a symbol of "Courageous, resilient, leading the way in destroying the Americans".

With the spirit of "Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom", upholding the will to endure hardships and overcome difficulties, the Military Region's armed forces continued to achieve glorious feats of arms in the 1968 Mau Than Tet Offensive, Nui Ngang (May 1968), Dak To - Tan Canh (April 1972), Hiep Duc (April 1972), Cam Doi (August 1972), Tien Phuoc (September 1972), Ba To (October 1972)... Together with the whole Region and the whole country, the Military Region 5's armed forces dealt heavy blows, defeating the strategy of "localized war" and "Vietnamization of the war", forcing the US to sign the Paris Agreement and withdraw its troops from Vietnam.

In 1974, during the Nong Son - Thuong Duc Campaign, the 2nd Division attacked and destroyed the Nong Son - Trung Phuoc stronghold (July 1974), the 4th Front's armed forces coordinated with the Ministry's main force to capture Thuong Duc district (August 1974). These victories not only opened wide the door to the Southwest of Da Nang, but also provided an important practical basis for the General Staff to complete the strategic plan, propose to the Central Military Commission and the Politburo the determination to liberate the South in 1975 - 1976.

In the Spring of 1975, Military Region 5 was the location of two of the three major campaigns: Central Highlands and Hue - Da Nang. In coordination with the victory of Buon Ma Thuot, the Military Region's armed forces attacked and destroyed Tien Phuoc - Phuoc Lam district (March 10, 1975), developed the attack to liberate Tam Ky town (March 24), Quang Ngai town (March 24) and Da Nang city (March 29); together with the main force of the Central Highlands Front and the main force of the Ministry, attacked and liberated the coastal provinces: Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan; participated in the liberation of the near-shore islands and Truong Sa archipelago; participated in the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign, together with the army and people of the whole country, made the Great Victory of Spring 1975, liberating the South, unifying the country.

Firmly step under the Victory Flag

After the country was reunited, the Military Region 5's armed forces focused on overcoming the consequences of war, building the economy, hunting down enemy remnants, solving the FULRO problem, protecting the southwestern border and fulfilling international obligations. Ten years of helping our friends (1979-1989) was a difficult but extremely glorious journey. Tens of thousands of officers and soldiers of Region 5 fought side by side with the Cambodian army and people to hunt down enemy remnants, build the government, consolidate the armed forces, and help the people restore and develop the economy, culture and society. The Military Region's armed forces have excellently fulfilled their noble duty, deserving to be honored as the "Buddhist Army", Uncle Ho's soldiers in the hearts of the people of the two countries.

Forces crossed the open gate in the 2021 Da Nang city KVPT exercise.

During the renovation period, the Military Region's armed forces and other forces maintained political security and social order and safety, especially in the Central Highlands. Focusing on improving overall quality and combat readiness, adjusting the force organization in the direction of "refined, compact, strong", acting as the core in building the all-people national defense, the all-people national defense posture associated with people's security, all-people border defense; advising and directing the close connection between socio-economic development and strengthening national defense and security, building the defense of the Military Region, the defense areas of the provinces and cities increasingly solid.

Young soldiers of Division 2, Military Region 5 capture targets during drills.

Thoroughly grasping the viewpoints and guidelines for military and national defense innovation, the Military Region has proactively researched and proposed many new policies, models, creative solutions, and unprecedented contents and tasks such as: Proposing a positive shift from building "district military fortresses" to building "provincial and city defense zones" (1988) or the military cell model (1989) which has become the Party's general policy in leading the construction and operation of militia and self-defense forces nationwide.

The economic-defense delegations of the Military Region, with the motto of "3 sticking together, 4 together", have accompanied local Party committees and authorities in economic, cultural and social development programs, hunger eradication and poverty reduction, improving people's lives, especially in remote, isolated, extremely difficult and strategic areas. The image of "Zone 5 soldiers" risking their lives in dangerous places, searching and rescuing people in Tra Leng, Phuoc Loc (2020), helping people in the historic flood in Da Nang (2022), working hard on the front line against the Covid-19 pandemic... has been deeply imprinted in the hearts of the people, contributing to consolidating the political base and building a solid "people's heart position".

The soldiers of Division 2 always have a steady hand on their guns and strong confidence on the SSCĐ battlefield.

With great contributions to the cause of national liberation, construction and protection of the Fatherland, the Military Region 5 was honored to be awarded by the Party and State with the Ho Chi Minh Medal, the First Class Military Exploit Medal, the First Class Fatherland Protection Medal, and especially twice the Gold Star Medal. The entire Military Region has 942 collectives and 474 individuals who were awarded the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces (of which many units and localities were awarded the title for the second and third times), along with many other noble awards.

Colonel Luong Dinh Chung, Party Secretary and Political Commissar of Military Region 5 visited and presented gifts to people with meritorious services at the Nursing Center for People with Meritorious Services in Quang Ngai province.

In the coming years, the situation in the world, the region, the country and the Military Region will continue to develop in a complex and unpredictable manner. Inheriting and promoting the glorious tradition of the Military Region's armed forces over 80 years of construction, fighting and growth, the Party Committee and the Military Region Command will focus on leading and thoroughly grasping the Party's military and defense viewpoints and guidelines; building a clean and strong Party organization, a comprehensively strong Military Region's armed forces "exemplary and typical", focusing on successfully implementing the Resolution of the 11th Military Region Party Congress with three breakthroughs: (1) Innovating and improving the quality of training to meet the requirements and tasks in the new situation; focusing on building discipline, strictly abiding by the law, discipline and ensuring safety; (2) Promoting the application of science, technology, innovation and digital transformation in performing the tasks of the Military Region's armed forces; (3) Building a team of cadres at all levels, especially leading cadres, with sufficient qualities, capacity and prestige to meet the requirements and tasks in the new situation.

The heroic history and glorious tradition are always invaluable assets, important provisions, and great spiritual motivation for officers and soldiers of Military Region 5 to be ready to receive and excellently complete all tasks, firmly stepping into a new era - the era of the Vietnamese nation's rise.

Colonel LUONG DINH CHUNG, Party Secretary, Political Commissar of Military Region 5

    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/quoc-phong-an-ninh/xay-dung-quan-doi/luc-luong-vu-trang-quan-khu-5-vung-buoc-duoi-quan-ky-quyet-thang-862392