On this day 70 years ago (March 13, 3/March 1954, 13), the Vietnam People's Army officially opened the Dien Bien Phu Campaign with thunderous series of bullets and artillery, completely destroying the Dien Bien Phu Campaign. Him Lam base, known by the French as the inviolable "steel door" in the Dien Bien Phu base group system.
Pouring firestorms down on Him Lam's "steel door".
In the special national relic complex of Dien Bien Phu Battlefield, Dien Bien Phu city, Dien Bien province, there is a place that is not known to many people, which is Him Lam Monument - where the opening battle of the Campaign took place. Dien Bien Phu.
Along with Doc Lap (North), Ban Keo (North-West), Him Lam is one of three resistance centers considered the gateway to the Dien Bien Phu stronghold group. Of all the positions in the base group, Him Lam was built first by the French army on a point nearly 3m high, including 500 bases on 3 hills located right at the northeastern gateway of Muong Thanh field, surrounding the province. Tuan Giao - Dien Bien street, 3km from the central subdivision. With the position "at the head of the storm", Him Lam was built into the most solid position of the stronghold group.
 |
| Our soldiers rushed forward to occupy Him Lam base, opening the Dien Bien Phu Campaign, on the afternoon of March 13, 3. File photo/TTXVN |
Veteran Tran Van Luat, 98 years old, Residential Group 5, Him Lam Ward, Dien Bien Phu City, former soldier of Regiment 174, Group 316, directly fought at Dien Bien Phu battlefield, recalled: With its important location, the French colonialists wanted to turn this place into an inviolable "steel door", blocking all ways our troops could enter the central base of the Dien Bien Phu stronghold group.
Therefore, the Him Lam stronghold cluster was built into 3 bases with solid and solid fortification systems and trenches, surrounded by a system of barbed wire and obstacles with many dense minefields. A battalion of the 13th Legion Brigade of the French colonialists was deployed at Him Lam with very strong firepower, equipped with guns with electronic sights to detect targets at night. In addition, this cluster of bases is also supported by reserve forces with tanks, artillery, and air force, ready to conduct counterattacks in case Him Lam is attacked. Therefore, both General Navarre and De Castries believed that the Him Lam resistance center was strong enough to stand.
 |
| The assault force of our troops took advantage of the terrain and terrain to advance close to the enemy's positions on Him Lam hill to attack and destroy this base belonging to the enemy's northern defense line, right on the opening day. campaign, afternoon March 13, 3. File photo/TTXVN |
Recalling the historic moment when he and his teammates participated in the attack to destroy the Him Lam resistance center, veteran Nguyen Van Thao, 94 years old, residential group 2, Muong Ang town, Muong Ang district, Dien province Bien, a former soldier of Regiment 141, Group 312, could not hide his emotions mixed with pride: "Initially, the Him Lam base was scheduled to be attacked on March 12, 3, but after checking However, the entire system of trenches and advancing roads were not stable. With the policy of "firmly fighting, firmly advancing", the Front Command decided to move the attack date to March 1954, 13.
When Him Lam was not destroyed, the French colonialists were extremely arrogant, constantly spreading leaflets and making loudspeakers challenging our troops to attack Him Lam. They also claim that Him Lam is an inviolable "steel door"; Then the Dien Bien Phu stronghold group is a meat grinder. If attacked, there will be no way to return to family and homeland.
Faced with that situation, to ensure the principle that "the first battle must be won", our army arranged strong forces, including backup; plans for artillery defense, air defense, enemy counter-attack prevention, basic situations anticipated and how to handle them during the course of combat. Group 312 was assigned the task of attacking and destroying the Him Lam resistance center with heavy artillery fire support from Group 351.
 |
| Our soldiers raised the victory flag on the Him Lam base just captured in the opening battle of the Dien Bien Phu Campaign, on the afternoon of March 13, 3. File photo/TTXVN |
According to the book Dien Bien Phu - Golden Milestone of the Era, People's Army Publishing House 2004, March 11, 3, while all officers and soldiers on the Dien Bien Phu front were trying to carry out standardization work. At the final step of opening fire on the campaign, a letter from President Ho Chi Minh arrived. Author:
“You guys are about to go to war. Your mission this time is very big, difficult, but very glorious. You have just received political and military training, and have achieved many ideological, tactical and technical victories. Many units also won victories on the fronts. I firmly believe that you will build on your recent victory and be determined to overcome all difficulties and hardships to fulfill the glorious task ahead.
I'm waiting for you to report on your achievements to reward the best units and individuals.
Wishing you guys great success.
I kiss you guys."
President Ho Chi Minh's letter was quickly disseminated to all officers, soldiers, and young volunteers and frontline workers. An atmosphere of excitement and competition for achievements spread to all battlefields.
 |
| General Vo Nguyen Giap inspects the artillery bunker preparing to attack the Him Lam stronghold. Documentary photo |
According to plan, on the night of March 12 and early morning of March 13, our infantry moved in to dig a battlefield to attack. Discovering that we had dug up a battlefield, at noon on March 3, De Castries ordered a legion company and 13 tanks from Muong Thanh to attack our staging area. To test the guns and protect the battlefield, the Campaign Command used Company 3 of 2mm howitzers to fire 806 shots at Him Lam first, of which 105 hit the target. The Major, the battalion commander and 20 other officers died in the command bunker because of artillery shells from our troops. The infantry company and 18 enemy tanks searching for the enemy panicked and turned and fled back to Muong Thanh. At 3:2 p.m. the same day, our artillery concentrated its firepower and delivered a concentrated, intense blow to the stronghold group.
The headquarters of the stronghold group was hit by bullets and the phone lines were cut off. Enemy artillery positions located in the central area were completely paralyzed. A gas depot caught fire, 5 enemy aircraft were hit and exploded, the entire enemy fleet at Muong Thanh airport was eliminated from the battle. Both Him Lam and Muong Thanh were shaken by the rapid explosion of artillery shells, many trenches and fortifications collapsed, and the northern division command post was severely beaten.
While the artillery was firing, under the command of the 312th Division Commander Le Trong Tan and Political Commissar Tran Do, officers and soldiers of the 141st and 209th Regiments urgently mobilized across the Nam Rom River on newly built bridges. assemble, advance to occupy the base, prepare to attack. The 75mm artillery soldiers accompanying the infantry also quickly carried each part of the artillery in and assembled it right in front of the enemy base to directly shoot and destroy the numbered bunkers and gun emplacements, providing reinforcements. Let the infantry open the door and attack the enemy base.
From 18:30 p.m., our infantry began to open the door.
In the secondary direction of the battle, Regiment 209 led by comrade Hoang Cam used Battalion 130 to break through from the North to destroy base 3. Supported by artillery fire and combat support units, The demolition squads advanced one after another using explosives to clear a path through hundreds of meters of barbed wire fences. As soon as the door opened, Team Leader Tran Can carried the Flag "Determining to Win" and his squad rushed straight to the top of the hill. When enemy fire began to intercept, an assault platoon entered the base and divided into two columns that quickly spread out to both sides. Platoon leader Tran Can and his squad continued to attack straight into the deep, planting the "Determining to Win" Flag in the middle of the enemy base. This is the first victory flag of our army planted on the enemy's defensive battlefields at Dien Bien Phu battlefield. After more than an hour of fighting, Battalion 130, Regiment 209 completely took control of base 3.
In the main direction of the battle, Regiment 141, Group 312 led by comrade Quang Tuyen as Regimental Commander used Battalion 11 to capture base 1 and Battalion 428 broke through from the East-South to destroy base 2. .
At base 2, when the door was opened, the assault soldiers of Battalion 428 had just rushed through the last fence when they immediately encountered a fierce enemy fire point. To continue opening the way for his comrades, Squad Leader Phan Dinh Giot quickly climbed up and used submachine guns and grenades to destroy enemy fire. When he ran out of bullets but still could not destroy the target, he bravely used his body to block the hole so that the enemy inside the blockhouse could not continue to shoot out. Phan Dinh Giot's heroic actions gave strength to the assault soldiers of Battalion 428 to rush to destroy the enemy. At 22:30 p.m., the unit completed its mission of capturing base 2.
 |
| Him Lam base, where the opening battle of the Dien Bien Phu Campaign took place 70 years ago. |
At base 3, the battle became more complicated. This is the key defense point of the Him Lam resistance center and is the last target in the area that has not yet been captured, so the enemy concentrated their forces to fight back fiercely. The enemy artillery in Muong Thanh, after more than an hour of being completely paralyzed by our artillery's sudden fire attack, was able to partially recover and concentrated fire to block the 11th Battalion's advance across the river. Nam Rom.
Officers and soldiers of Battalion 11, Regiment 141 fought bravely and suffered some casualties, but after 4 hours, the unit still had not opened the breakthrough door. To quickly solve the Him Lam objective on the night of the 13th, the General Commander of the 312th Infantry decided to bring the reserve battalion into combat. The commander of Regiment 141 also ordered Battalion 428 to open a breakthrough from base 2 to base 1 in coordination with friendly units. While Battalion 428 and the Reserve Battalion were still finding their way through the enemy's dense system of trenches and trenches to reach base 3, at the same time, officers and soldiers of Battalion 11 successfully broke through and took over. this final goal.
The opening battle of the campaign ended at 23:30 p.m., March 13, 3. The Him Lam resistance center was completely destroyed. Battalion 1954/3 DBLE of the French colonialists was wiped out, 13 enemies were captured alive. The fact that an extremely well-defended resistance center and the 200/3 DBLE Legion Battalion – “a legendary unit that had never lost a single battle” – were destroyed so quickly, made the command The French army commander was shocked and enemy soldiers at other bases in the Dien Bien Phu base group were extremely scared.
Next, after three attacks, on the afternoon of May 3, 7, the Dien Bien Phu stronghold group was completely destroyed, forcing France to sit at the negotiating table and sign the Geneva Accords, ending the war and establishing peace in Indochina. It can be seen that changing the combat motto from "fight quickly, win quickly" to "fight firmly, advance firmly" is an important decision but also extremely difficult. Historical practice has proven that, along with the wise leadership of the Party and President Ho Chi Minh, General Vo Nguyen Giap's decision to change the combat motto was one of the important factors contributing to the War. wins Dien Bien Phu.
New look in the Dien Bien basin
70 years have passed, now Him Lam is changing day by day, becoming a peaceful, beautiful, vibrant land, one of the key wards in urban and economic development of Dien City. Bien Phu has the appearance of a modern urban area. Currently, Him Lam ward has 20 residential groups and villages with more than 2.800 households/10.800 people, the economy focuses on tourism activities, transportation services, construction materials business, and high-quality agricultural production. ... Thanks to the determination of the Party, government, and people of all ethnic groups in the area, up to now the poverty rate in Him Lam is only 0,15%, the lives of the people are increasingly improving with average income. The per capita income next year will be higher than last year, estimated to reach 38 million VND/person in 2023 (an increase of 6,5 million VND compared to 2022).
 |
| Him Lam Resistance Center relic complex. Photo: THANG LOI. |
Veteran Bui Kim Dieu, 94 years old, residential group 9, Him Lam ward, Dien Bien Phu city excitedly expressed: "In recent years, thanks to the attention of the Party and State, the appearance of this historic land has improved." Him Lam's history has changed significantly, the streets have been expanded and become cleaner and more beautiful, many high-rise buildings have sprung up, people's lives are prosperous, security and order are stable, everyone is trying and working hard to develop. production and building the homeland to become increasingly rich and beautiful, worthy of the stature of the Dien Bien Phu Victory".
The above numbers clearly demonstrate the remarkable transformation of Him Lam steel land, the gateway to Dien Bien Phu city. According to the plan in the coming time, the Party Committee and local authorities will continue to complete many key projects such as: 60m road project, frame technical infrastructure project, Him Lam resettlement site... to continue. continues to contribute to creating a great driving force for local economic and infrastructure development. In particular, with strengths in the fields of trade, service, and tourism, the government and people of all ethnic groups in Him Lam ward are also striving to build villages in the ward into quality cultural and tourism villages. high quality, connected to the chain of local historical tourism products.
It can be seen that from a battlefield filled with ruins of bombs, barbed wire, minefields... now the old Him Lam "steel door" has risen to become a bright spot in socio-economic development. of Dien Bien Phu city, worthy of the great sacrifices of previous generations of fathers and brothers who sacrificed so much blood and bones to regain independence and freedom for the nation, for the Fatherland to last forever.
70 years have passed, the Dien Bien Phu Victory will forever be the pride of the Vietnamese people because of its great significance and great stature. The Dien Bien Phu victory is the result of 9 years of heroic resistance, full of hardships and sacrifices, a victory of the strength of great national unity and international solidarity, a victory of the desire for peace and will. independence and freedom of the Vietnamese people.
Nguyen Hong Sang – People's Army Newspaper
