The former battlefield is now bustling and modern with rows of high-rise buildings, new urban areas and factories bustling with workers coming and going. The war has long gone, but the memories of the victory 50 years ago by the veterans of the Trang Bom battle are still as fresh as if it were yesterday.
Fight 3 more big battles then go home
In the office of the Trang Bom District Military Command, veteran Nguyen Duc Danh, from Dong Hoi City ( Quang Binh ), currently living in Bac Son Commune, Trang Bom District, said that in 1975 he was a soldier of the 273rd Regiment, 341st Division. Before returning to Trang Bom, his unit fought in the Xuan Thanh battle and was assigned to support units participating in the Xuan Loc and Long Khanh blockades on Highway 20. From March 20 to 22, 1975, the unit marched to Trang Bom. The memory he remembers most is that on the march, he had the honor of meeting Colonel Tran Nguyen Do, then the Political Commissar of the 341st Division. "When he met us, the Political Commissar was still holding a pipe of tobacco in his hand," Mr. Danh said. Then he continued: "We were sitting around talking, when suddenly the leader asked: Do you want to go visit your parents?"
The brothers cried out:
Yes!
Comrade Tran Nguyen Do said that if he wanted to visit his parents, he had to win three more big battles. Those were the battles of Trang Bom, Bien Hoa and Saigon.
With the spirit of "winning 3 more big battles to return home", the young soldiers that year seemed to gain more strength, especially when they knew that the battle at Trang Bom would be the opening battle with the slogan " Ho Chi Minh - forever".
In the memories of Mr. Danh and Mr. Pham Huu Huy, former soldiers of Battalion 1, Regiment 273, Division 341, Trang Bom at that time was almost uninhabited because people had retreated to Saigon. On both sides of the road were banana gardens, papaya gardens, and rubber forests.
Trang Bom is a vital link in the enemy's Trang Bom - Bien Hoa - Saigon defense line. Here, they deployed forces including 3 Infantry Battalions, 2 Armored Battalions and Battalion 315, mainly concentrated in the east and northeast, where there were 7 artillery positions. Some security and militia units were deployed inside the defensive positions.
On April 26, 1975, after dinner, the soldiers in Mr. Danh's unit prepared rice balls and dry food as usual and then set out on the march. When they reached the present-day Trang Bom town, they stopped to dig trenches and wait for orders. At 4:00 a.m. on April 27, our mortars and artillery began firing into the rubber forest, where the enemy had set up positions, mainly sandbags. The battle was fierce between the two sides. The enemy used planes to hover over our troops and used firepower to fight back. There were many types of weapons that Mr. Danh later learned were M72 missiles. By noon on April 27, Mr. Danh's unit won and captured the entire position.
At the conference on the Trang Bom victory held in Dong Nai in 2024, Major General Nguyen Hoang Nhien, Director of the Military History Institute, said that in the Trang Bom battle, the idea of "lightning speed, boldness, surprise, sure victory" and the promotion of the strength of the military branches were clearly demonstrated in the opening of the battle and the quick end of victory. From 4:05 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on April 27, 1975, our army basically controlled the entire Trang Bom key area. The Trang Bom battle was the victorious battle that opened the Ho Chi Minh Campaign in the east. With that result, the officers and soldiers of Division 341 successfully completed their assigned tasks, successfully "opening the door", creating conditions for the 4th Corps to mobilize forces to liberate Bien Hoa and Saigon.
Trang Bom today
Walking on the streets of Trang Bom town today, I could not see any traces of war. The rubber forest along Highway 1 through Trang Bom town, where the battle between Mr. Danh’s unit and the enemy took place, is now lined with houses.
In other communes in the district, the appearance of the countryside and towns is spacious. People are happy to live in peace, and the State cares and creates conditions for economic development.
Mr. Nguyen Thanh Nhan, owner of Thanh Nhan fine art wood production facility in Binh Minh commune, said that taking advantage of surplus wood from local carpentry villages, the facility produces models of weapons, musical instruments, etc. for export, creating regular jobs for 20 workers with an income of 8-9 million VND/person/month. The facility's products have been recognized as OCOP. During the process of building OCOP products, the facility has always received enthusiastic support and specific guidance from the authorities of Trang Bom district.
According to Mr. Do Ngoc Nam, Vice Chairman of Trang Bom District People's Committee, the district was established in 2004 on the basis of separation from Thong Nhat District (Dong Nai). With 17 commune-level administrative units, from an agricultural district, after more than 20 years of establishment, Trang Bom has shifted its economy towards industry, services and agriculture. The locality has 4 industrial parks attracting about 200 FDI projects with a peak workforce of up to 120,000 people and 1 industrial cluster. Trang Bom's industrial production value is about 150 trillion VND/year, reaching 166 trillion VND in 2024 alone; the service sector is from 20,000 to 30,000 billion VND/year; agriculture is from 5,000 to 6,000 billion VND/year. Local budget revenue is about 45,000 billion VND/year. Average income per capita reached more than 88 million VND/year, higher than the average of Dong Nai province.
The district has 12/16 communes meeting the advanced new rural standards, 1 commune meeting the model new rural standards. The local education and health care systems meet the requirements well. Social security, national defense and security activities are ensured. Trang Bom has been a typical example of local defense and military work for many years, always fulfilling assigned targets well.
50 years after the liberation day, veterans like Mr. Danh and Mr. Huy are still moved to tears when remembering their comrades who died on the battlefield. But I believe that with the development of Trang Bom in particular and the country in general, they will be at peace. Today's young generation will follow in their fathers' footsteps to build their homeland to develop more and more.
Next: Battle in the air and on the ground at Tan Son Nhat
HOAI ANHSource: https://baohaiduong.vn/tro-lai-nhung-chien-truong-lich-su-bai-5-mo-canh-cua-tien-vao-sai-gon-tu-huong-dong-410049.html
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