The man who returned from the gunfire.

At 75, with his hair tinged with gray and time etched into every wrinkle, veteran Duong Manh Viet, Head of the Liaison Committee for Vietnamese Volunteer Soldiers and Military Experts Assisting Laos in Thai Nguyen Province, still maintains a nimble, sharp mind, a robust physique, and abundant energy. We clearly sense in this steadfast communist soldier a deep sense of loyalty to his comrades and a passionate dedication to the association's work.

 

In 1969, while a student at the College of Geology, Mr. Viet enlisted in the army and was assigned to combat unit C62, Battalion 923, Regiment 766, under Command 959. He and his comrades then received orders from their superiors: "You are to carry out an international mission to assist our friend Laos."

 

In Laos, Mr. Viet participated in many fierce battles, among which the battle against the enemy's offensive at Pha Thi, Hua Phan province, remains an unforgettable memory for him. Pha Thi – a mountain 1,700 meters above sea level – was considered a strategic point by the Americans, where they wanted to build a command center and radar station to guide planes from Thailand to bomb all of Indochina. Aware of the enemy's plot, the Vietnamese People's Army and the Lao People's Liberation Army fought valiantly, determined to defend this mountain.

 

 

Besides the battle against the Pha Thí raid, he and his comrades also participated in the battles of Tòng Khọ and Pa Kha, contributing to the liberation of Sam Neua province. As a soldier with a good education, he was assigned to be a liaison for the Company Commander, handling documents and maps, conducting reconnaissance, and planning battles. Later, he became an outstanding Platoon Leader, achieving many victories in various battles.

During the fighting in Laos, Viet and his comrades were often surrounded by the enemy in the trenches. They used earth from bomb craters and leaves to cover themselves, lying still until nightfall to find a way to escape the encirclement. Then, during those courageous moments of fighting amidst bombs and bullets, he and his comrades faced life and death, with danger constantly present. However, camaraderie, international friendship, and the spirit of fighting for peace gave him and his fellow soldiers the strength to overcome difficulties and hardships, even though many comrades fell in Laos.

 

In June 1972, he was sent to study at the Army Officer School. In August 1973, he returned to his unit and was appointed team leader of the team responsible for collecting the remains of fallen soldiers from battlefields in Laos, bringing them back to their homeland. For soldiers like him, this was not just a duty, but a complete promise to their fallen comrades.

 

Looking at the list of fallen soldiers awaiting repatriation, he fell silent. The names lined up neatly on the page, no longer just meaningless words – but individual faces, voices, and memories flooding back into his mind. Each name represented a friend, a brother with whom he had shared rations, a sip of spring water, or a place to rest his back in the deep forest.

Some have been found, others still lie somewhere in the vast wilderness of a neighboring country, without gravestones, without relatives knowing. "I have to bring them back..." he whispered, as if reminding himself.

 

The journey of collecting the remains of fallen soldiers is not simply a laborious and arduous task, but also a journey filled with emotion. He faced many difficulties, from protecting the graves from enemy encroachment to preserving the memories of those who had fallen. Under his hands, each bone was carefully collected, marked with the name, hometown, and rank, so that each fallen soldier would not be forgotten.

 

 

In nearly a year of leading the effort, he and his team brought 1,800 remains of fallen soldiers back to Ba Thuoc Cemetery (Thanh Hoa) and 450 remains of fallen soldiers with complete identities back to Anh Son Cemetery (Nghe An). He also carefully recorded the names and hometowns of 72 fallen soldiers from Bac Thai province (now Thai Nguyen and Bac Kan ) for future reference.

 

By the end of 1974, Mr. Viet and his comrades were ordered to return to Vietnam to participate in the liberation of South Vietnam. The troops returned to their homeland in droves, their faces reflecting the lingering gratitude and warm affection of the Lao people. Afterward, Mr. Viet was assigned to the 316th Division, stationed in Tan Ky, Nghe An province .

 

 

On January 9, 1975, a convoy carrying troops and artillery of the 316th Division departed from Tan Ky, Nghe An, and secretly approached Buon Ma Thuot, awaiting the order to launch a lightning strike. On March 4, 1975, the Central Highlands Campaign began, marking the start of the 1975 Spring Offensive and Uprising.

On March 10, 1975, the 316th Division launched attacks on Buon Ma Thuot town in several directions. By March 18, 1975, the entire town of Buon Ma Thuot was liberated.

The Central Highlands campaign was a great success, and the South Vietnamese army fled to the central coast. On March 26, 1975, the 316th Division and other main units of the Vietnam People's Army in the Central Highlands regrouped, forming the 3rd Corps, creating a "steel fist" that rapidly advanced towards the South Central region...

 

After the war, bearing a 61% disability rating, in 1977, Mr. Viet was transferred to work at the Department of Commerce of Bac Thai province (now the Department of Industry and Trade), then worked at the Bac Thai Provincial Labor Union and retired in 1994.

In 1995, he joined a special government task force, assisting the teams responsible for collecting the remains of fallen soldiers under the Military Command of Nghe An and Thanh Hoa provinces in recovering thousands of martyrs' graves (from 1995 to 2024).

 

Currently, he is the Head of the Liaison Committee for Vietnamese Military Volunteers and Experts Assisting Laos in Thai Nguyen Province, and participates in the Vietnam-Laos Friendship Association. At the age of 75, even during the dry season, he still joins teams collecting the remains of fallen soldiers, braving the harsh weather to cross mountains and search for their comrades' graves in Laos. Each time, they find the graves of fallen soldiers, earning him the respect and trust of both Vietnamese and Laotian soldiers. He has compiled two volumes containing lists of 5,000 fallen soldiers' remains that he and his unit have collected.

 

Returning to his daily life, he lived with his family in Tan Thai commune (Dai Tu district). He always set a good example and encouraged his children and grandchildren to strictly adhere to the policies of the Party and the State. At the same time, he actively participated in association work.

 

Every time the whole country joyfully celebrates the anniversary of the liberation of Southern Vietnam (April 30th), Mr. Viet takes out his old medals and decorations to clean them, not to show them off, but to remember. He remembers his comrades who fell in the deep forests and mountains, and a time of his youth intertwined with the smoke and fire of the battlefield. The medals and decorations have faded with time, but for him, they remain a quiet light shining into his memory – where faces remain forever young.

 

The long journey that Mr. Viet has traveled is not only the journey of a soldier, but also the journey of a resilient, patriotic heart. The wounds he bears are not only the marks of war, but also evidence of the noble sacrifices of soldiers, of loyalty to the country, and of the international friendship between Vietnam and Laos. Those memories, those achievements, will forever be the "red thread" running through the golden pages of Vietnamese history.

 

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/multimedia/emagazine/202504/nguoi-tro-ve-tu-lua-dan-57021d6/