Every soldier wished the war would end soon so they could return home, but after the Dien Bien Phu Campaign, many soldiers "took off their battle uniforms", stayed to build the land of Dien Bien that was still covered with war wounds, and remained attached to this sunny and windy land until the last years of their lives.
Simultaneously perform "star lowering ceremony"
The Dien Bien Phu campaign ended, thousands of soldiers, frontline laborers, and youth volunteers in the localities, including those from Hai Duong, stayed in Dien Bien. At that time, Dien Bien was still a chaotic battlefield. They all performed a "star lowering ceremony" to become workers and farmers, mainly working at Dien Bien Farm. This was a ritual of that time. Although later, some people re-enlisted, they eventually returned to Dien Bien to live until now.
- My father is 94 years old, and has worked hard for 74 years. In the past 20 years, when his children had some conditions, he was already old and weak. We always remember that to focus on economic development and educating our children to be worthy of our ancestors' traditions - Mr. Do Xuan Yen, the eldest son, said about his father, Mr. Do Van Phien, born on January 10, 1930. Mr. Phien was originally from Ung Hoe commune, Ninh Giang (Hai Duong), and is currently living in residential group 9, Thanh Truong ward (Dien Bien Phu city).
Enlisted in March 1952, discharged in December 1958, while still fighting, Mr. Phien was assigned to H3, E 176, F 316, in the artillery force. Currently, Mr. Phien is weak and has difficulty speaking, so all information is through his eldest son. Mr. Yen said that after 1 year of "demobilization", Mr. Phien was allowed by the organization to return to his hometown to get married and then return so that Dien Bien could have more labor force. Returning to his hometown, Mr. Phien was taken by his uncle to ask for a wife and then married a girl from the same village, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Chuyen, born in 1934. Mrs. Chuyen also became a worker at the C8 farm with her husband, and then had 7 children. Some are state officials, some are self-employed, but all have stable finances and their children and grandchildren are successful in their studies.
Also staying in Dien Bien after the campaign, Mr. Nguyen Duc Dang, born in 1930, originally from Van Hoi commune (Ninh Giang), currently living in Residential Group 8, Thanh Truong ward (Dien Bien Phu city) is still very healthy and clear-headed. Mr. Dang's unit participated in transporting explosives to attack Hill A1 70 years ago. In the spacious house of his eldest son, Mr. Dang recalled that at that time, each explosive bar looked like a bar of soap and was transported into the tunnel...
After the victory, almost everyone volunteered to stay and build Dien Bien. In December 1973, Mr. Dang re-enlisted, returned to his hometown for a while, then returned with his wife to work at the Dien Bien Farm until the day the farm was dissolved. "In Dien Bien, there is a very large Hai Duong Association, with thousands of people. Many Hai Duong people who stayed after the campaign used to be key leaders of the province. All of them consider Dien Bien their hometown. Up to now, their children and grandchildren are also attached to this land. When the Covid-19 epidemic appeared in Hai Duong, we mobilized people to contribute 30 million VND to send back to their hometown to support the fight against the epidemic," said Mr. Dang.
Mr. Nguyen Van Dung, Party Cell Secretary; Mr. Vu Nhu Dai, Head of Residential Group 9, Thanh Truong Ward said that most of the Hai Duong people who stayed after the campaign became the core of labor and production of the former farm and were typical examples of economic development later. They brought new knowledge from the lowlands to apply, building the family economy as well as for Dien Bien today.
Bridge between Hai Duong and Dien Bien
After the Dien Bien Phu Campaign, many Hai Duong people who were soldiers, youth volunteers, and frontline laborers stayed behind with the goal of rebuilding and developing the economy of Dien Bien. However, time has passed, and now Hai Duong only has 15 people left, all of whom are old and weak. Of these, 11 veterans live in Dien Bien Phu City, the rest are in Muong Cha, Muong Ang and Dien Bien districts. The veterans are from Tu Ky, Ninh Giang, Gia Loc, Cam Giang, Kim Thanh districts and Hai Duong City. Two out of 15 veterans are disabled. There is one female veteran, Ms. Pham Thi My (born in 1936), from Le Loi commune (Gia Loc), currently living in Muong Ang town (Muong Ang district). The oldest person is Mr. Nguyen Van Tuyen (born in 1926), from Ha Ky commune (Tu Ky), currently living in Muong Thanh ward (Dien Bien Phu city).
After the Dien Bien Campaign ended, Dien Bien Farm went into production with the policy of self-sufficiency in food and provisions for Dien Bien. The farm was divided into 10 Cs, similar to the military's code name, for ease of command and management. Mr. Do Xuan Yen, son of Mr. Do Van Phien, said that he was still young at that time but still remembered that the lives of the workers and their children were extremely deprived and hungry. They worked collectively, ate collectively, and some people went to work one month after giving birth.
"But in the meetings, I still remember that you guys always encouraged each other, if the campaign is to be won, we must make the farm rich. The people of Dien Bien have high hopes for us. After that, everyone shouted in unison with determination, very enthusiastic," said Mr. Yen.
By around 1965, when the war escalated to the North, Dien Bien was again bombed by the American imperialists. However, relying on the mountainous terrain, Dien Bien Farm still maintained production. In addition to a small area where rice could be grown, workers also planted corn, cassava, and industrial crops such as coffee and rubber. Although Dien Bien Farm had long been dissolved, it had become a vestige of a time when thousands of soldiers, frontline workers, and local youth volunteers, including those from Hai Duong, overcame hardships and enthusiastically worked to rebuild Dien Bien. The sacrifices of Hai Duong people in the campaign and the contributions of those who survived the campaign to the land of Dien Bien were always recognized by the people of Dien Bien. Those sacrifices and contributions, calculated in terms of a lifetime, helped Dien Bien today truly revive from the devastated battlefields.
As comrade Tran Quoc Cuong, member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Dien Bien Provincial Party Committee summarized when receiving the delegation of Hai Duong province leaders visiting Dien Bien in April 2024: Hai Duong made great contributions and sacrifices, both human and material, for the campaign. The campaign was completely victorious, they stayed to build Dien Bien, which was still covered with war wounds at that time. They and their descendants considered Dien Bien their second homeland. This helped Dien Bien develop and they became a bridge, deepening the solidarity and attachment between Hai Duong and Dien Bien.
TIEN HUY