The general of the people

(QBĐT) - Lieutenant General, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Duc Hai (born in 1957), from Mai Thuy commune (Le Thuy), is the former Director of the Institute of Defense Strategy, Ministry of National Defense . With his deep affection, on the occasion of the 113th anniversary of General Vo Nguyen Giap's birthday (August 25, 1911 - August 25, 2024), he expressed his heart and feelings about the General through the article "The General of the People's Heart".

Military genius

Born on the banks of the peaceful Kien Giang River, General Vo Nguyen Giap went from a history teacher to a military genius, with high thinking on the art of people's war. The General's talent, intelligence, virtue, and personality will forever be recorded in the history of the nation, and will live forever in the hearts of the Vietnamese people and international friends.

He is a legendary general, a master of strategy and military art; especially the people's war strategy. In important campaigns, the General always showed decisiveness and sharpness with special military thinking: Proposing and organizing the implementation of a comprehensive, all-people's war, a long-term resistance war; bankrupting the total war of powerful empires in the 20th century. Crystallizing valuable lessons from national and world history, summarizing the combat practices of our army.

Lieutenant General, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Duc Hai.

At turning points, the General made precise decisions: Organizing "independent companies, concentrated battalions", crushing the French colonialists' plot to attack Viet Bac (in 1947); changing the target of attacking Cao Bang to Dong Khe (Border Campaign in 1950); dispersing the French mobile main force to focus on destroying the Dien Bien Phu stronghold group (Winter-Spring 1953-1954)...

During the resistance war against the US, the General directed the construction and protection of strategic land and sea transport routes to support the South; advised on the opening of the Route 9-Khe Sanh campaign; pinned down the enemy's mobile forces in Tri-Thien, creating conditions for the General Offensive and Uprising in Mau Than (1968); directed the Air Defense-Air Force to defeat the US imperialists' strategic air offensive (in 1972); attacked Buon Ma Thuot (in 1975), forcing the enemy to withdraw from the Central Highlands; directed the opening of the campaign to liberate Hue-Da Nang, Truong Sa archipelago...

General Vo Nguyen Giap's strategic talent was the art of deceiving and luring the enemy, proactively forcing the enemy to fight in our way. A typical example was changing the combat motto of "fight fast, win fast" to "fight steadily, advance steadily" in the Dien Bien Phu campaign, which according to the General was "the most difficult decision in his commanding career", contributing to minimizing the sacrifice of soldiers' blood and bones but still creating a victory that "resounded throughout the five continents, shook the world"; firmly grasping the historical opportunity with the command "speed, even faster; bolder, even bolder" , creating a combined strength to fiercely attack the enemy's last lair in the historic Ho Chi Minh campaign (1975), bringing the resistance war against the US to complete victory.

General Vo Nguyen Giap was not only a talented military leader, but also a profound military theorist on the Vietnamese military doctrine of the Ho Chi Minh era (on arming the revolutionary masses; building the People's Army; on armed uprisings...). The General was the "architect" of the people's war strategy, which became a military art built on the foundation of "the whole country united, the whole people fighting the enemy", admired by the whole world. Professor Piere Aselin, Hawaii Pacific University (USA) said: "... General Vo Nguyen Giap was a military genius, his ingenuity helped Vietnam defeat the invaders. When the resources of the French army were clearly much larger than those of Mr. Giap's army ...".

Live forever in people's hearts

Every Vietnamese citizen and the people's armed forces always respect the talented and virtuous general - General Vo Nguyen Giap. The General has gone to the "world of the virtuous", but Lieutenant General, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Duc Hai still remembers clearly the last moments with the General. General Hai recalls:

“It was early afternoon on October 6, 2013, when I, along with the leaders and commanders of the National Defense Academy, went to house number 30 Hoang Dieu, where the General and his family lived, to burn incense. The first and most touching impression was that all classes of people and armed forces lined up all the way to the National Assembly building... quietly and mournfully offering incense. The people of the capital voluntarily organized stations serving free drinks and bread. We lined up in that formation, feeling all the sacred affection of the Vietnamese people for the General, as if we had lost a blood relative ourselves.”

“Fortunately and honorably, I stood in the line of general officers standing by the General’s coffin, witnessing the delegations of Party and State leaders, international friends, and people following each other, respectfully bowing before the spirit of the talented general of a heroic nation. The most touching was the sentiment of the veterans, seriously wounded soldiers of different periods, old age, on crutches, in wheelchairs... missing the General.”

An art performance in tribute to General Vo Nguyen Giap at the 20th anniversary of Dong Hoi City's founding.

“An unforgettable memory, on the night of October 12, 2013, I received a notice from the Ministry of National Defense: As a native of Le Thuy, Quang Binh, you were assigned to accompany the special flight to send the General to rest in his homeland, Quang Binh.”

“After the funeral, the General's coffin moved through the main streets, through Ba Dinh Square, President Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, before passing the General's house at 30 Hoang Dieu. Throughout the journey to Noi Bai airport, people's tears rolled down their cheeks, holding the General's portrait and sobbing their farewells. Noi Bai airport was also quiet, thousands of eyes turned to a man who was about to leave... The General Vo Nguyen Giap's coffin was carried by the honor guard onto an ATR-72 aircraft, coded VN103, after the General's life span; the Funeral Committee and the General's family traveled on an Airbus 321, coded VN1911, after the General's year of birth... towards Dong Hoi airport”.

“At 13:00 on October 13, 2013, General Vo Nguyen Giap's coffin arrived at Dong Hoi airport. The clouds in Quang Binh that day seemed to stop to see him off. During the 70km journey, taking the General by car to Vung Chua-Dao Yen, people from all over the country gathered with the people of Quang Binh, lining up on both sides of the road to bid farewell to the son of his homeland who devoted his whole life to the Party, the Fatherland, and the people. The "General of the people's hearts" rested in peace amidst the sacred spirit of the mountains, the white clouds, and the thousand-year-old waves of the East Sea. The General returned to his childhood memories, bathing in the Lao wind and white sand. He transformed into the sweet, wistful, and soulful melody of "Ho Khoan Le Thuy"... blending into the cool, green Kien Giang river of the past”.

Thanh Long (performed)

Source: https://www.baoquangbinh.vn/dai-tuong-vo-nguyen-giap/202408/vi-tuong-cua-long-dan-2220519/