Eyes met
The country called, Mr. Tran Dinh Tu and Ms. Vo Thi Dung enthusiastically set out. Mr. Tu left his hometown of Que Long (Que Son) to work in neighboring Laos with the mission of supplying supplies to the fighting forces.
During the Dien Bien Phu campaign, Mr. Tu and his teammates received military provisions from Joint Region V and other areas and brought them to Laos to transfer back to Dien Bien.
Ms. Dung also followed the sisters of Anh Son district (Nghe An) to the Northwest, participating in paving roads, patching bomb craters and cooking rice for the soldiers. As Ms. Dung said, at a young age, a couple’s feelings are unavoidable.
But in Dien Bien Phu, they devoted all their love to the Fatherland, no longer thinking about themselves, about tomorrow… Mr. Tu and Mrs. Dung participated in the Dien Bien Phu campaign as a chance to meet each other. become a story of a hundred years.
Immediately after the Dien Bien Phu victory, Mr. Tu and Ms. Dung were transferred to Hanoi to take on new tasks. Both were assigned to Division 350, returning to Son La – Dien Bien to operate. That was also the day they found each other… through their eyes.
Mr. Tu worked as a military aide, and Mrs. Dung cooked for the soldiers at Battalion 1. Mr. Tu said, military discipline does not allow dating or love. Even though they were very satisfied, they quickly looked at each other and sent a few greetings each time they transferred rice, fish sauce, and salt to the kitchen area.
Mr. Tu, has a simple Quang accent, with an enthusiastic nature, often making jokes… Then the rain soaked for a long time, Mrs. Dung gradually felt the sincerity from this Quang soldier.
“In those days, dating was just about putting small pieces of paper in each other’s hands and writing a few lines of greetings. At night, I secretly opened it and read it, then quickly responded. Perhaps, after going through the days of Dien Bien’s smoke and fire, we can understand and sympathize with each other more without talking too much. Just like that, they became a couple” – Mr. Tu said.
Desire for peace
Mr. Tran Dinh Tu and his wife are over 90 years old this year, but talking about their love story in their twenties still feels a bit shy. Just like the day they secretly asked their leader to officially come together (1957).
Mr. Tu said, the North had quieted the gunfire, but his hometown of Quang Da was located on the other side of the 17th parallel. They could not talk about their parents, so they could only hold the wedding ceremony in Anh Son (Nghe An).
“Before agreeing to the marriage, the unit sent officers to Nghe An to monitor the situation. Upon receiving confirmation from the local government, the unit agreed to give the couple 7 days of leave. At that time there were not many vehicles, conquering the long distance back home was probably the first challenge” – Mr. Tu recalled.
According to the list provided by the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs and the Provincial Military Command, Quang Nam has 3 cases participating in the Dien Bien Phu campaign recognized as martyrs, including: Phan Duc Huong (Binh Duong commune, Thang Binh ), Nguyen Quan (Tam Son commune, Nui Thanh) and Do Xuan Bich (Dien Thang ward, Dien Ban town). According to the list provided by the Provincial Veterans Association, in the province there are 43 people participating in the Dien Bien Phu campaign, of which 13 are still alive, 30 have died.
To honor and pay tribute to the heroic martyrs and youth volunteer soldiers and frontline civilians who directly participated in the Dien Bien Phu campaign, visiting and gift-giving activities will be organized by the Provincial Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee. held on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu victory (May 7, 1954 – May 7, 2024).
Accordingly, the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of the province awarded each family of martyrs and deceased Dien Bien soldiers a gift worth 1 million VND. As for the 13 surviving soldiers and young volunteers, they will receive gifts with a total value of 5 million VND/person. Of which, the Central Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee supports 1 million VND/person, the Provincial Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee supports 2 million VND/person, and the State Bank supports 2 million VND/person.
Mrs. Dung’s family had 4 brothers, but 3 of them died, only the only daughter remained. Therefore, all love is devoted to the young couple.
Family members proactively arrange and prepare rituals. When the couple arrived, their luggage was nothing more than… a faded military uniform. When there are weddings, the locality gives priority to selling packages of Phu Dong medicine, 5 ounces of tea and a few pounds of candy to treat people. That day, in the simply decorated village hall, there were up to 5 couples holding a wedding party. Wartime, difficult, deprived but full of love…
Immediately after the wedding day, the young couple rushed back to the unit. Each person has a mission, there are not many opportunities to be close together. It wasn’t until 3 years later (1960) that the crystallization of their love was officially born.
Mr. Tu said that she went into labor on the night of the 30th day of the Lunar New Year. She was very resilient, went to the middle of the military medical area, set up a mosquito net and gave birth. He sat outside, looked inside and felt like his heart was on fire. Thousands of teammates’ eyes watched and encouraged.
Right on New Year’s Eve, the baby’s loud cry rang out, breaking the atmosphere of suspense and anxiety. Joy filled the barracks.
The young soldiers crowded together to look at the child’s still red face and exchange good wishes. And in that happy, nostalgic moment, Mr. Tu decided to name his daughter Tran Thi Xuan.
“Spring” here not only recalls the special moment of birth, but also the hope of us and our comrades that the sounds of bombs and bullets will soon recede and warm, peaceful things will come to our children. with the homeland” – Mr. Tu confided.
Ms. Dung shared that in those years in the Northwest, many soldiers and young volunteer girls paired up and spent memorable days under the shelter of military barracks. Small love has merged with the big love for the Fatherland, so that they can strengthen their guns and protect the achievements of the revolution.
Emotional moment of meeting teammates again
More than 300 veterans, former youth volunteers, and typical frontline civilians who directly participated in the Dien Bien Phu campaign recently had the opportunity to meet again in Hanoi, in a program organized by the Central Veterans Association. organized by the Vietnam Veterans Association and the Vietnam Veterans Youth Association.
Taking slow steps with his comrades to visit Uncle Ho’s mausoleum, Mr. Tran Ngoc Que (94 years old, Tam Lanh commune, Phu Ninh) fondly recalled the memories of the days of taking over the capital, welcoming Uncle Ho from the Dien Bien battlefield. return.
After 70 years, everything here has changed a lot. The new rows of trees Uncle planted had only a few green shoots, now they are tall and shady, like the soldiers of Dien Bien, no longer in their green youth, they have become gray-haired, bent-backed old men. .
There are lingering regrets, when many teammates are gone… And many people are not healthy enough to return to the capital this time. Those who were lucky enough to meet each other couldn’t hold back their tears of happiness, warm hugs of camaraderie…
“My health has declined, but when I received the invitation, my heart was indescribably excited, waiting every day. Surely there won’t be many more opportunities like this. The moment of meeting my comrades again, reviewing the joys and sorrows during the 56 tough and fierce days at the Dien Bien battlefield, I felt extremely emotional” – Mr. Que shared.
On the day of the meeting in the capital, the soldiers of the past visited Uncle Ho together, watched historical films, met Party and State leaders and shared stories with the younger generation.
That will be an unforgettable memory, becoming a motivation for veterans and former youth volunteers to always live happily, healthily and continue to be a shining example in their families and communities.
