Time will pass, but Truong Son Road - Ho Chi Minh Road will forever be recorded in national history as a "legendary road" of the great resistance war against America to save the country in the 20th century.
From the trails along the majestic Truong Son range, the army "walking without traces, cooking without smoke, speaking without sound" expanded the Truong Son Trail - Ho Chi Minh Trail into a "bagua battle formation through the jungle," a strategic support line for the battlefields.
According to historical and military experts, the feat of the Truong Son Troops on the Ho Chi Minh Trail contributed significantly to the victory of the 1975 Spring Campaign, and will forever be the pride of the Vietnamese people.
Opening mountains, breaking rocks, setting up bridges and roads
During nearly 50 years of military service, Major General Vo So spent 10 years working on Truong Son Road and 17 years working at Army Corps 12 (the unit that inherited the tradition of Army Corps 559 of Truong Son).
Mr. Vo So, former Political Commissar of Army Corps 12, is currently Chairman of the Truong Son - Ho Chi Minh Trail Tradition Association.
It has been 65 years since the opening of the road (May 19, 1964 - May 19, 2024), the war has receded, but for Mr. Vo So and the cadres, soldiers, youth volunteers, and frontline workers, the Truong Son Road - Ho Chi Minh Road is always a source of pride.
He entered Truong Son in 1964, when Group 559 began to switch from carrying loads to transporting by motor vehicles, and also when the fighting on the majestic Truong Son range entered its most fierce phase.
“At that time, the Truong Son troops shouldered the responsibility assigned to them by the Party, the people and the Army. With the wish of ‘all for the beloved South,’ determined to defeat the American invaders, we overcame all difficulties, hardships and sacrifices to fulfill our mission,” the old general recounted.
Truong Son troops are a "composite force" consisting of all forces: Transport, Engineering, Anti-Aircraft, Infantry, Petroleum, Information, Liaison..., all burning with the same determination to "Fight the enemy and go, open the way and advance."
To ensure that the strategic supply line never stopped for a single day, everyone together held out, fought steadfastly, and resisted the enemy's fierce attacks and blockades with all kinds of weapons and the most modern military equipment in the world at that time.
Major General Vo So recalled: “We had to fight in conditions of extreme deprivation and the harsh climate of the Truong Son mountains. For Truong Son soldiers, having to wear wet clothes for weeks and eating bamboo shoots and banana roots instead of rice was a common thing, but the goods sent to the battlefield were not worth a single pound or a single ounce.”
Major General Vo So affirmed that Truong Son soldiers are brave, resilient, resilient, and ready to sacrifice for their comrades and their missions. They are the ones who make history, create the miracle of Truong Son Road, the miracle of Uncle Ho's soldiers.
Sharing the same view, Major General Hoang Kien, former Commander of the Engineer Corps, affirmed that the victory of the 1975 Spring General Offensive and Uprising ended the resistance war against the US, saved the country, completely liberated the South, and unified the country. In that victory, there was a great and important contribution from the Truong Son Army forces, in which the Truong Son Engineering Force always went ahead to open the way, ensuring the mobility of forces and technical weapons for the main army corps to quickly and promptly participate in the campaigns.
Sharing with reporters of VietnamPlus Electronic Newspaper, Major General Hoang Kien said that the basic task of the Truong Son Troops is strategic transportation, so the construction of bridges and roads must always be one step ahead.
As early as 1961, Route 129 (Lang Khang-Muong Phin) was built by two engineering battalions of Military Region 4 to serve the Campaign to liberate Muong Phin, Pha Lan, Dong Hen, and to be the first motorized transport route on the Truong Son support route.
On August 9, 1964, Regiment 98 “made the first hoe” to open the Ban Dong-Muong Noong road. From then on, the construction of motorized roads was accelerated.
“In the spring of 1975, Truong Son engineers ensured traffic on 7 routes, with a total length of more than 2,500 km; demolished hundreds of obstacles, ensuring the rapid and safe movement of forces, contributing significantly to the complete victory of the great resistance war against the US to save the nation,” said Major General Hoang Kien.
Promoting Truong Son tradition
After 1975, Truong Son Troops were transformed into Corps 12 - an economic construction unit under the Ministry of National Defense.
Inheriting and promoting the tradition of the heroic Truong Son Army, the 12th Corps is present in the most difficult places, remote areas, spread across 21 provinces and cities across the country and 5 provinces of Laos, carrying out production labor, building many key national projects, closely combining economic development with maintaining national defense and security.
Colonel Vu Phuc Hau, former Party Secretary and former Deputy Commander of Army Corps 12, affirmed that in the new period, officers and soldiers of Army Corps 12 (Truong Son Construction Corporation) will continue to promote the tradition of Truong Son Troops and strive to excellently complete all assigned tasks.
“Proud to be the next generation to carry on the tradition of the heroic unit of the people's armed forces of the Truong Son Army, the 12th Corps thoroughly grasps and strictly implements the Party's viewpoint on combining economy with national defense and security; promotes the spirit of initiative, overcomes all difficulties, completes tasks, enhances the position, prestige and brand of Truong Son in the new period,” said Mr. Hau.
The history of the Truong Son Trail – Ho Chi Minh Trail as well as the proud tradition of the Truong Son Troops need to be promoted and educated throughout the army and the people. That is the concern of many generals, veterans and those working in culture and education.
Journalist and writer Pham Thanh Long, Chairman of the Truong Son Literature and Arts Association, said that in recent years, the Vietnam Truong Son - Ho Chi Minh Trail Tradition Association has actively promoted the values of the Truong Son Army to the younger generation through various media and Truong Son literature and arts clubs; organized writing and literary and artistic composition contests; and organized emulation movements to continue spreading the traditional values of the Truong Son Army.
Besides, Mr. Pham Thanh Long said that building monument stele and making records of Truong Son relics are also very important.
“The Truong Son heritage is numerous, spanning 20 provinces in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. This is the most effective and vivid evidence to introduce the legendary Truong Son Trail,” he said.
Accordingly, tours to visit old battlefields will contribute to educating the younger generation about the legendary heritage of their ancestors./.
Over 16 years (1959-1975), from the trails along the majestic Truong Son range, the route was expanded and extended, with a total length of 20,000km, crossing North-South and three Indochinese countries, reaching all battlefields, transporting more than 1 million tons of materials and weapons; bringing more than 2 million troops from the great rear of the North to the great front line of the South, contributing especially importantly to the victory of the resistance war against the US to save the country. |
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