The Battle of Tu Vu marked the beginning of the Hoa Binh campaign.

Việt Nam•19/03/2024

The Tu Vu front (Thanh Thuy - Phu Tho) was the starting point of the Hoa Binh campaign and also the largest offensive battle fought by our army and people from the beginning of the resistance war against the French (1946) until December 1951. The battle at Tu Vu fort was a landmark, a powerful beginning on the path to the historic Dien Bien Phu victory of the Vietnamese nation on May 7, 1954.

The Tu Vu Victory Monument marks the beginning of the Hoa Binh campaign.

For many, the land along the Da River holds a strange allure. This allure lies not only in the lush green fields and prosperous villages, but also in the profound historical significance of the greatest offensive battles fought by our army, marking the beginning of the victory in the Hoa Binh liberation campaign 72 years ago (December 10, 1951 - February 25, 1952). Like any battle, the soldiers of the Vietnam People's Army entered the fight with heroic offensive spirit, following the command of the Commander-in-Chief, General Vo Nguyen Giap: "We must win! We can only win!"

Following their defeat on the border battlefield in the autumn and winter of 1950, and then being heavily attacked in the midland and other areas, the French army found itself in a passive defensive position. To regain the initiative on the battlefield, in the winter of 1951, they launched an offensive on Hoa Binh with the ambition of establishing an "autonomous Muong region," dividing the national unity, expanding their occupied zone, strengthening their defenses in the southwestern part of the Northern Delta, and blocking our transport and communication routes from Viet Bac to Military Regions 3 and 4.

To achieve that ambition, the French built the Tu Vu stronghold into a fortified position. In addition to a system of bunkers and trenches with heavy firepower, there were six layers of barbed wire fences interspersed with dense minefields. The area surrounding the stronghold was cleared, creating a "white" zone approximately 100 meters wide. Here, besides a battalion of a seasoned Moroccan infantry regiment, it was reinforced with a company from a puppet army battalion and six tanks and armored vehicles. When needed, Tu Vu was supported by 19 artillery pieces from three positions at Da Chong and Che on the right bank of the Da River, and received reinforcements from canoes and warships via the river. By building Tu Vu into a key defensive stronghold on the Da River, the French hoped to halt our advance to liberate Hoa Binh.

To resolve the strategic position blocking our advance, after careful consideration, the General Military Commission decided to concentrate forces to destroy the Tu Vu - Nui Che stronghold cluster along the Da River. With the determination to "win and only win" to thwart the enemy's occupation plans on both the Hoa Binh front and the enemy-occupied areas of the Northern Delta, the General Military Commission and the Campaign Command assigned the 88th Regiment (308th Division) the task of coordinating with local troops and people to destroy the Tu Vu stronghold. At exactly 5 PM on December 10, 1951, the 88th Regiment was ordered to open fire and attack the Tu Vu stronghold. During the battle, despite intense enemy artillery fire, our units, with their heroic spirit and determination to fight and win, secretly approached the target, deployed their forces, formed an encirclement, cut through part of the enemy's defenses, used firepower to suppress the enemy, penetrated deep to divide and destroy enemy units, and ultimately annihilated all enemy forces... The battle was extremely fierce, and after more than 5 hours of fighting, our troops completely took control of the stronghold. The fall of Tu Vu Fort caused terror among the enemy, as it was the most heavily fortified position.

As a result, we killed 159 French soldiers, captured 12 prisoners, destroyed one tank and two armored vehicles, destroyed five artillery pieces, and seized many enemy weapons and combat equipment. The victory at Tu Vu shook the French army's defense line along the Da River. This victory was the largest siege battle our troops had ever fought, demonstrating courage, sacrifice, proactive engagement in eliminating the enemy, and flexibility in combat, proving the progress of our army. This great victory demonstrated our ability to defeat the French army with a defensive position in strong fortifications, supported by tanks, armored vehicles, and heavy artillery fire. More importantly, this victory laid the groundwork for major offensives later on, such as the Northwest Campaign, and especially the Dien Bien Phu Campaign. General Vo Nguyen Giap affirmed this: The victory at Tu Vu was a major offensive battle, marking the beginning of the successful Hoa Binh campaign, contributing valuable experience to subsequent battles and campaigns.

Manh Hung

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