To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Quang Nam province, Mr. Vo Quang Tien, currently residing in Ho Chi Minh City, joined many of his comrades in visiting their old battlefield. He stood out among the crowd, with his tall stature, dark complexion, and chest adorned with numerous medals. Despite being nearly 80 years old, Mr. Tien remains healthy, agile, and spirited. He is always remembered with admiration and respect by his comrades as a hero of Company 3.
Mr. Vo Quang Tien (in military uniform) lights incense to commemorate his comrades who died on the battlefield in Quang Nam.
In 1967, Vo Quang Tien, a young man from Viet Yen district, Bac Giang province, then only 20 years old, volunteered to join the North Vietnamese army advancing south.
Upon arriving in Quang Nam, he was assigned to the V18 Special Forces unit of the Tam Ky City Command. From May 1968 to early 1969, he participated in many fierce battles when the enemy launched sweeps into our liberated areas in the communes of Ky Tra, Ky Yen, Ky Que, Ky Thinh, and Ky Nghia. During his first two years of courageous fighting, he was awarded the title of "Hero of the Decisive Victory, Level 3" by his superiors.
In early 1970, Mr. Tien was transferred to Company 706, Special Zone A, Quang Nam Provincial Military Command. The unit was tasked with attacking key enemy headquarters and outposts within the Provincial Military Command, such as the Lai Garden area, Tu Hiep area, the South Vietnamese officer's residential area, and many other targets. The combat environment was extremely dangerous, facing the enemy right in their stronghold, yet Mr. Tien remained a frontline soldier and was repeatedly awarded three "Hero of Victory" titles (levels 1, 2, and 3) by his superiors.
On the night of March 14th and the early morning of March 15th, 1970, while he and the town's militia commander, Le Hai Ly, were leading a task force to prepare a target deep within Tam Ky town, the unit was unexpectedly split into two areas by the enemy. Tien cleverly used hand grenades and explosives to destroy one M113 tank and one GMC troop carrier, along with 15 enemy soldiers, before returning to find his comrades and safely withdrawing. After that battle, he was awarded the First Class Liberation War Merit Medal and the title of "Hero of Destroying Motorized Vehicles." Even more honorably, Tien was admitted into the Party.
In successive battles against American commandos in Special Zone A, Mr. Tien was awarded four titles of "Hero of Killing Americans," one Third-Class Liberation War Merit Medal, and was promoted to Deputy Commander of Company 706.
In March 1971, Mr. Vo Quang Tien was assigned by the Provincial Military Command to be the Company Commander of Company 3, Battalion 70. In his position as commander, he led his company in many fierce battles against the South Vietnamese army, achieving numerous victories.
During the Spring-Summer 1972 campaign, Company Commander Vo Quang Tien led his company, along with other companies in Battalion 70, in fighting the enemy in the eastern Thang Binh, Que Son, and northern Tam Ky areas. Our units annihilated a company of enemy soldiers at Ong Cam Hill, Hamlet 3, Ky Thinh Commune. In that battle, Mr. Tien was wounded, suffering a broken left arm.
As soon as his wounds healed, Mr. Tien went to the front lines. Before the Paris Agreement was signed, the enemy intensified their attacks in an attempt to seize our liberated areas. Company 3 was deployed to hold the strategic Ao Lay enclave in Ky Thinh commune. Together with the guerrilla and reconnaissance forces of Tam Ky district, the unit fought valiantly against the invading enemy, successfully defending the Ao Lay base.
One victory followed another, and Company 3, along with Battalion 70 of the Quang Nam Provincial Military Command, inflicted heavy losses on the enemy. The US-backed South Vietnamese army offered a reward for anyone who could kill Vo Quang Tien. But with his bravery, courage, and resourcefulness, Tien always escaped death amidst the bombs and bullets, while minimizing casualties for his unit. In the most critical moments, he bravely saved his comrades despite the danger.
Mr. Nguyen Xuan Kha, currently residing in Tan Thanh Ward, Tam Ky City, and former Political Assistant of Battalion 74, Quang Nam Provincial Military Command, recounted that in May 1972, when he was the Deputy Commander of Company 1, Battalion 70, the entire battalion received orders to attack an enemy outpost in Binh Dinh commune, Thang Binh district. In that battle, Mr. Kha was seriously wounded in the head. At that time, Mr. Vo Quang Tien, also wounded in the arm, rushed out to carry Mr. Kha away from the battlefield. Forty years later, upon meeting again, Mr. Kha was deeply moved and presented Company Commander Tien with heartfelt verses: “… I remember the night you carried me out of the outpost. Your blood, my blood, intertwined in our memories. I went to the rear, you fought the enemy here… Now, more than forty years later, you have returned. We meet again in the bustling city streets. Even with a full feast, we haven't forgotten the past…”
Mr. Vo Quang Tien (standing in the middle) and his comrades meet during the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Quang Nam province.
Mr. Le Cong Que, originally from Thanh Hoa province, one of the comrades who fought alongside Company Commander Vo Quang Tien, said: “Commander Tien had two outstanding qualities. Firstly, he cared deeply for his soldiers, and secondly, he possessed exceptional courage in combat. He achieved many victories, and when we went into battle, we soldiers had great confidence in him. In even the most difficult situations, he always handled them in the best way.”
In 1974, Mr. Vo Quang Tien was sent to the North for further education. Following the historic order from General Vo Nguyen Giap, "Speed, even greater speed. Boldness, even greater boldness. Seize every minute, every hour, rush to the front, liberate the South, fight decisively and achieve total victory," in December 1974, Mr. Tien received orders to join the Ho Chi Minh Campaign to liberate Saigon. He and his special forces unit "rushed forward," directly attacking the puppet regime's General Police Headquarters in Saigon, contributing to the victorious conclusion of the Ho Chi Minh Campaign on April 30, 1975.
Portrait of Company Commander Vo Quang Tien
After the peace treaty, Mr. Vo Quang Tien and his comrades still returned to Quang Nam to visit the old battlefields. Because this was where he spent his youth, where he fought selflessly for a noble ideal. Each time he returned, he always brought with him the greatest treasure of his military career: more than 20 medals, decorations, and titles of heroism of various kinds from the resistance war against the US.
Over two years (2021-2022), Mr. Tien wrote his battlefield memoir titled "The Immortal Cauldron." The work was published by the Literature Publishing House in 2023. "I wrote about what happened to me in battles steeped in blood and tears, I wrote for my fallen comrades, who still lie somewhere on the Motherland of Quang Nam - Da Nang, so that they may live on forever at the age of twenty" - this is a passage from the preface of the battlefield memoir by veteran Vo Quang Tien. And after all, the hero of Company 3, Battalion 70, humbly says: "All my efforts and struggles cannot compare to the noble sacrifice of my comrades…"
Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/nguoi-anh-hung-cua-dai-doi-3-3152292.html
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