Years have passed, but the memories of the days of fighting and victory are still intact in the minds of the liberation army soldiers. Among them, veteran Ngo Tien Ninh in zone 5, Gieng Day ward (Ha Long city) is one of such people .
The years of war
These historic April days, in the jubilant atmosphere of the whole country celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification Day on April 30 (1975-2025), we met veteran Ngo Tien Ninh at his private home. With a tall and thin figure, bright eyes, dark skin, wearing a military uniform with medals on his chest, looking at this old veteran, sinewy, strong and tough, few people would think that he is 79 years old this year.
Veteran Ngo Tien Ninh said: Born and raised in Tra Co ward (Mong Cai city), after finishing high school, in 1964, when he was 18 years old, he became a cadre at the Land Management Department, Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of the province (now the Department of Agriculture and Environment). Following the general mobilization order, in February 1968, he and 7 other cadres of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development joined the army. After training, in April 1968, he was assigned to Company 12, Battalion 9, Regiment 64, Division 320, Corps 3; operating in the Quang Tri battlefield; main areas included: Cam Lo, Gio Linh, Con Tien and Gioc Mieu; Regiment 64 operated mainly in the Con Tien area. These were the 4 most fierce locations, considered the "meat grinder" in the confrontation between the liberation army and the US - puppet.
Con Tien base has an important strategic position because it provides an observation range of 15km to the east of the coast and to the north of the 17th parallel; in December 1966, the US sent marines to guard this base along with Gio Linh, Dong Ha and Cam Lo. This is an important area in the McNamara fence, aiming to prevent the People's Army of Vietnam from crossing the demilitarized zone fence to support the South. Therefore, fierce battles between us and the enemy often took place here.
As soon as Mr. Ngo Tien Ninh's unit arrived, they had to fight the US Marines at Con Tien base. Mr. Ninh recounted: I was an 82mm mortar soldier. As soon as I arrived in Quang Tri, the unit commander thoroughly explained the objective of attacking Con Tien base to Regiment 64; my battalion deployed the battlefield, reconnaissance the front to choose the direction of attack. Meanwhile, the enemy sent reconnaissance planes to detect our positions every day; they fired artillery to guard the areas they suspected. We determined that this was a fierce battle because the enemy's firepower was strong; we conducted close combat to limit the enemy's bombing; my mortar squad coordinated with our mortar squad to suppress the enemy's firepower to support the infantry.
Early one day in late May 1968, the entire unit opened fire on Con Tien base. At first, the enemy unexpectedly put up weak resistance, but when they stabilized, they fought back fiercely, and at the same time, artillery from surrounding bases attacked the formation. Our troops closed in, enemy firepower in the base opened fire, and I and the mortar batteries fired heavily to support the infantry; many resistance nests were destroyed. However, with strong enemy firepower and artillery support from the surrounding area, and the advantage of the air force, our unit withdrew to preserve our position. After this battle, Mr. Ngo Tien Ninh was awarded the title of Level 2 Brave Soldier Determined to Win...
In 1969, the unit was ordered to withdraw to the north of Quang Binh province to replenish troops, strengthen equipment, and organize training; then continued to enter the battlefield to fight the enemy. In early 1971, Regiment 64 was ordered to separate from Division 320 from Quang Trach district, Quang Binh province to reinforce the Southeast battlefield. When marching to Liaison Station 10, Ho Chi Minh Trail on January 31, 1971, Regiment 64 received a telegram from the General Staff informing that the enemy had reached Ban Dong; the Regiment stopped marching to the Southeast and switched to the Route 9 - Southern Laos campaign to coordinate with units of Division 308 to fight the enemy.
After a hasty march, on February 5, 1971, the entire Regiment arrived at Station T4 (Southeastern Laos) to meet the combat team of Division 308 to coordinate the fight against the enemy. After many days of reconnaissance, identifying the enemy's checkpoints in the Southern Laos area, Mr. Ninh's Battalion 9 was tasked with holding the La Tuong intersection to prevent enemy reinforcements. On February 9, 1971, all units entered combat positions.
Starting on February 10, 1971, we opened fire, the battle was fierce; at this time, Mr. Ninh was in the 82mm Mortar Squad participating in the attack on the enemy's position. CCB Ninh recalled: The battalion reconnaissance reported that the enemy was capable of landing by helicopter to occupy the 535 high point which was being guarded by units of our 9th Battalion. I was in Squad 1 with an 82mm mortar; Squad 2 carried an 82mm mortar and moved 200m away from my position to set up the battleground and coordinate the attack on the enemy.
However, the 2nd Squad was discovered and fired upon by the enemy, losing its ability to fight. My mortar squad was placed 800m away from the enemy landing site, taking coordinates to wait for the helicopters to land troops and fire. When the helicopters continuously landed troops in the open position, I dropped 70 82mm mortar shells into the enemy position; the landing site became chaotic, the helicopters that had not yet landed troops were hit by mortar fragments and wobbled, crashed to the ground and caught fire. The ambush of Mr. Ninh's mortar squad killed hundreds of enemies.
The capture of the high point failed, we continuously attacked Battalion 9 to organize pursuit, approaching the enemy base 31 under the orders of the Campaign Command. From February 20-25, 1971, Regiment 64 practiced encircling, destroying the enemy and destroying the entire command headquarters of the 3rd Airborne Brigade of the puppet army, capturing hundreds of them. After this campaign, CCB Ngo Tien Ninh was awarded the title of Brave Soldier Determined to Win Level 3.
After the successful Route 9 - Southern Laos campaign, veteran Ngo Tien Ninh's unit continued to destroy the enemy in the Central Highlands battlefields; in a battle against the enemy in Dak To, Tan Canh (Kon Tum province), veteran Ngo Tien Ninh continued to make achievements and was awarded the title of Level 3 Brave Soldier.
Heading to Saigon
In March 1975, our army launched a campaign to liberate the Central Highlands, the enemy was disintegrated piece by piece; our army continuously liberated Hue and Da Nang, then advanced to liberate Saigon. The 64th Regiment, 320th Division, 3rd Corps, was one of the 5 liberation wings of the Ho Chi Minh Campaign. At that time, Mr. Ngo Tien Ninh was the staff assistant of Battalion 9, Regiment 64 participating in the Saigon Liberation Campaign.
According to veteran Ngo Tien Ninh, in the early morning of April 29, 1975, the 320th Division was ordered to attack Dong Du base (Cu Chi district) to destroy the 25th Division - puppet army stationed there. This was a large military base with many layers of fences with about 3,000 puppet soldiers guarding the northwest of Saigon. Destroying this base would open the northwest door for the liberation army to attack Saigon.
The 64th Regiment was assigned to fight on the outer perimeter, reinforcing the 10th Infantry Division of the 3rd Corps to hold two vital bridges, Bong Bridge (now An Ha Bridge, Hoc Mon District) and Sang Bridge (now Hoc Mon District) located between Dong Du and Saigon, preventing enemy counterattacks, creating conditions for the 3rd Corps' deep penetration force to capture inner-city targets.
Mr. Ngo Tien Ninh's 9th Battalion was assigned to capture and protect Bong Bridge to prevent the enemy from destroying it. If the bridge collapsed, our tanks and armored vehicles would have a lot of difficulty entering Saigon. Mr. Ninh said: Under Bong Bridge is a swamp, after reconnaissance assessment, there was about 1 enemy company guarding both ends of the bridge with strong firepower; anti-tank guns and many gun emplacements created a steel shield to stop our troops. While other units and troops attacked the designated positions, at 4:00 a.m. on April 29, Battalion 9 suddenly launched a strong attack on the enemy position; after about 10 minutes of fighting, the enemy panicked and fled. We captured the bridge and protected it safely.
“After that, my unit entered Hoc Mon district and then advanced to the inner city of Saigon. While marching on the streets, at noon on April 30, the loudspeakers broadcast the surrender of President Duong Van Minh. All the brothers cheered happily; along both sides of the road we walked, the liberation flags were flying, the people waved their hands to salute the liberation army; the happy moment of a soldier who had completed his mission. Late in the afternoon of April 30, 1975, the unit reunited at the Independence Palace, I was happy and hugged my comrades; many people cried; that moment I will never forget,” Mr. Ninh continued.
Perhaps the most memorable moment was the night of April 30, 1975, the first day of reunification, when no one could sleep. Veteran Ngo Tien Ninh said: My whole unit hung hammocks in the courtyard of the Independence Palace to sleep, surrounded by bright lights. The whole city was silent. Many comrades were so happy they couldn't sleep. Some told stories, others said what to do after the war. I put a piece of paper on my backpack and sat down to write a letter to my parents in the countryside. I still remember every word of the letter: "I am far away, sending it to my parents. Today is the complete liberation, the country is unified. I am still alive and have completed my mission. I will return to my parents and brothers and sisters...!".
After liberation, in 1976, Mr. Ngo Tien Ninh was discharged from the army and returned to the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to continue working. In 1982, he asked to retire. After many years of fighting on the battlefields, he completed all assigned tasks. Returning to civilian life, he actively participated in the work of the local Veterans Association. Now, the war is far away, but the memory of veteran Ngo Tien Ninh still retains the beautiful image of the "fire and flowers" period when he devoted his youth to the independence and freedom of his homeland.
Duong Truong
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