Over a cup of green tea, Hero Nguyen Huu Quyen eloquently stated: "High Point 689 is of paramount importance, controlling the entire cluster of strongholds such as Ta Con airfield, Khe Sanh town... Therefore, the US-backed South Vietnamese forces strictly guarded it day and night, equipped with many modern weapons, and constantly supported by aircraft and heavy firepower. The enemy tried to hold it, but we were determined to attack to create a springboard to capture other targets in Khe Sanh (Huong Hoa, Quang Tri )."

Hero of the People's Armed Forces Nguyen Huu Quyen.

“At 13:00 on July 7, 1968, I was at the headquarters of the 3rd Battalion, 246th Regiment, Viet Bac Military Region (now Military Region 1) to receive the mission of commanding the battalion's mobile force to attack and destroy the enemy on Hill 689. My platoon was equipped with 82mm mortars, 75mm recoilless rifles, 12.7mm machine guns, an engineering team, and a medical team. The total reinforcement was 50 comrades. At 20:00 on July 7, 1968, my comrades and I began the attack, crossing many deep ravines and streams, while also having to avoid enemy mortar fire after they fired flares. I was the one leading the reconnaissance team, the engineering team, and the 7th Squad, whose mission was to directly attack the enemy's command post to plant the flag,” Hero Nguyen Huu Quyen recounted slowly.

Under the command of Lieutenant Nguyen Huu Quyen, at 24:00 on July 7, 1968, the frontal assault force approached the perimeter fence and opened fire to capture the bridgehead bunker. Upon crossing the breach and approaching the enemy's command center, all forces of Battalion 3 launched an assault on Hill 689, destroying the bunker and eliminating enemy resistance strongholds and mortar positions. Despite being caught by surprise, the enemy resisted fiercely. At approximately 3:00 AM on July 8, Comrade Triet, Deputy Squad Leader of Squad 7, rushed forward to plant the flag but was killed by enemy fire. Upon discovering the enemy's heavy machine gun position that had just fired on Comrade Triet, soldier Luu Van Thu used his B-40 to completely destroy the enemy's heavy machine gun force.

At that very moment, soldier Thu's legs were torn apart by enemy mortar fire. "We must plant the flag to boost the morale of the unit." Thinking this, despite his injuries, Nguyen Huu Quyen quickly crawled up and planted the flag on the enemy's central command bunker. By 6:00 AM on July 8, 1968, our troops had completely taken control of Hill 689 and deployed the 12.7mm machine guns, ready to shoot down enemy aircraft.

Watching the victory flag of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam flutter atop Hill 689, the officers and soldiers of Battalion 3 embraced each other, overwhelmed with boundless joy and happiness. For finally, the arduous, sacrificial, and costly Route 9-Khe Sanh Campaign had ended in victory.

Following this battle, Comrade Nguyen Huu Quyen was awarded the title of Outstanding Hero in the Anti-American Struggle. On December 20, 1969, he was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces.

    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/anh-hung-luc-luong-vu-trang-nhan-dan/ong-cha-ta-danh-giac-phut-sinh-tu-tren-diem-cao-689-1038827