Changes on the heroic land of Dien Bien Phu

The heroic land

These days, 70 years ago, National Highway 41 was ablaze with fire on every stretch of road. At the request of De Castries, Commander of the Dien Bien Phu stronghold, and the order of Nava, Commander-in-Chief of the French Expeditionary Force in Indochina, the French Air Force had to bomb National Highway 41 at the highest frequency to prevent support for the Dien Bien Phu battlefield. And today, 70 years after the Dien Bien Phu Campaign's complete victory, National Highway 6 (formerly National Highway 41) has stretched out like a silk ribbon bringing tourists from all over to Dien Bien. On the old war path, there are still places like Co Noi, Pha Din, Na Tau, Na Nhan... as if still echoing the deep "ho do" sound, the sound of the gong grinding against the bare, bleeding shoulders and the "charge" shouts of many people who rushed into battle without sparing their youth...

And here, Dien Bien Phu City today is a long and wide road along the axis named after General Vo Nguyen Giap, now there are schools, offices and many bustling commercial centers. Dien Bien streets are bustling all day long, and every night is brilliant with flags and flowers. From the top of D1 hill - where the Dien Bien Phu Victory Monument is located, looking in all four directions, we can freely look far and wide to admire the scenery of Muong Thanh valley with Dien Bien Phu airport, the most modern in the northern midland and mountainous region, the majestic Thanh Binh bridge connecting the two banks of the gentle Nam Rom river, the river "carrying" many stories of the not-so-distant past!

Coming to Dien Bien today, it is not difficult to meet Dien Bien soldiers, such as Mr. Nguyen Huu Chap, Bui Kim Dieu, Pham Ba Mieu, Pham Duc Cu... to hear about the life-and-death battles at Him Lam Resistance Center, the battle at Doc Lap Hill, A1 Hill... although dangerous and arduous, they are very heroic. Being old and weak, there are many things that we sometimes remember and sometimes forget, but the Dien Bien soldiers of the past still remember every word in the letter of determination before entering the battle. And then on the days when we meet our comrades in arms or when talking with the children on the historic A1 Hill, the soldiers of the past still remember every word and every word they wrote carefully in the letter. “To show their determination to fight and win, before attacking the enemy’s Him Lam Resistance Center, all party members wrote letters of determination, ready to volunteer to complete the mission on the night of March 13, not letting the battle drag on into the following days!”, said Mr. Nguyen Huu Chap, mortar squad leader of Company 82, Battalion 12, Battalion 11, Regiment 209, Division 312!

In the crowd of people coming to Dien Bien, I was fortunate to talk with Major General Luu Xuan Cai, Chairman of the Hai Phong Veterans Association, and listen to him share his feelings about Dien Bien in his heart. Major General Luu Xuan Cai said: In the heart of every soldier, the three words "Dien Bien Phu" are very sacred. Therefore, not only the soldiers who participated in the Dien Bien Phu battle but also the young generation today all wish to visit the Dien Bien Phu battlefield, to better understand the heroic fighting example of the generation of fathers and brothers who devoted and sacrificed for the peace and independence of the Vietnamese people and the people of peace-loving nations in the world. "Every time I return to Dien Bien to visit relics such as A1 hill, the command bunker of General Vo Nguyen Giap in Muong Phang and pay my respects to the souls of heroic martyrs... I still seem to hear the cheers and the charging sounds of the uncles and brothers who rushed into the fiery battlefield. Dien Bien Phu is very sacred and heroic to me!", Major General Luu Xuan Cai choked up when telling us.

Building a new life of love

Continuing the heroic tradition of Dien Bien soldiers, over the past 70 years, on the Dien Bien Phu battlefield, there have been generations of people working hard to build. In those generations, there were thousands of young people from all over the provinces and cities such as: Hanoi, Hung Yen, Thanh Hoa, Nam Dinh, Thai Binh, Hai Duong... volunteering to go to Dien Bien to build the Nam Rom irrigation project - the first, only, most modern irrigation project in Lai Chau province (old) in particular and the Northwest region in general at that time. During the six years of construction (from 1963 to 1969), nearly 2,000 young volunteers with rudimentary means worked continuously to complete the construction of a dam, a breakwater, digging and filling a main canal of nearly 1 km and a system of left and right canals 34 km long, embracing the Muong Thanh basin with Nhat Thanh field in the Northwest region.

Thanks to the Nam Rom Dai Thuy Nong, the cultivated area in Muong Thanh field has been expanded from 2,000 ha to more than 5,000 ha; Dien Bien farmers have increased from one crop to two rice crops and one vegetable crop; some areas have achieved a yield of 10 tons/ha. The outstanding productivity and quality of rice in Muong Thanh field are famous far and wide; Dien Bien farmers are now also confident in introducing goods and agricultural products with the Dien Bien brand to domestic and international customers.

Expressing gratitude for the hearts and feelings of the people of the whole country who have always followed, supported and turned towards Dien Bien, comrade Le Thanh Do, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the People's Committee of Dien Bien province, said that from the support resources of the Central Government, support and assistance from provinces, cities and local resources, Dien Bien has focused on development programs and policies. The infrastructure system of transportation, electricity, telecommunications, irrigation, domestic water and social services such as health, education, employment... has been significantly improved. The living standards and income of the people in the area in general and ethnic minorities in the highland and border districts in particular have been gradually improved. Traditional cultural values ​​have been preserved and promoted; the great national unity bloc has been strengthened, security and order have been ensured...

Right at the beginning of the 2020-2025 term, Dien Bien has determined to mobilize all resources to implement two programs "Warm home - social security" and "Bringing electricity to light up the highlands", with the desire to show gratitude to policy families and poor people in the highlands so that everyone can live in solid houses with electricity to ease their lives. With the special attention of the Party, Government, ministries, branches and people across the country, within just 9 months since its launch (April 2023 to January 2024), Dien Bien has built 5,000 new houses for poor households and policy families with a total cost of 489.4 billion VND.

The program "Bringing electricity to light up the highlands" received investment support of 465 billion VND to build more projects to bring electricity to 108 villages and hamlets of 37 communes in 8 districts with a total of 6,605 households using grid electricity, raising the rate of households in the province using electricity to 93.26% (an increase of 9.86% compared to 2015). In 2024, Dien Bien continued to invest in projects to supply electricity to 854 households in 11 villages and hamlets; Dien Bien Dong district alone received support from the Party Committee and the Ho Chi Minh City government of 50 billion VND to invest in supplying electricity to 615 households in 12 villages and hamlets... With this plan, by the end of 2024, Dien Bien will complete the goal of bringing electricity to 118 villages and hamlets, focusing mainly on households in remote areas and ethnic minority areas in the province.