Two times back to Dien Bien

In May 2024, the people of the whole country will look forward to the important anniversary of the country's 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory "famous in 5 continents, shaking the earth" (May 7, 1954 - May 7, 2024), forcing the French colonialists to sign the Geneva Agreement, ending the ruling regime in Vietnam in particular, and Indochina in general.

Since mid-April, the Lao Cai Newspaper Editorial Board has sent a group of reporters to Dien Bien Phu city to promote the country’s major event. This is the second time in 10 years that I have had the opportunity to return to Dien Bien to work with many emotions.

Recalling exactly 10 years ago, journalist Ma Anh Lam and I were entrusted by the Editorial Board of Lao Cai Newspaper to go to Dien Bien Phu city to directly cover the 60th Anniversary of Dien Bien Phu Victory. This was a large-scale and important celebration, attended by many Party and State leaders, and gathered many reporters and journalists from the Central and all over the provinces and cities to work, so the assigned task was both an honor and posed many challenges for me.

At that time, transportation was limited, the journey from Lao Cai to Dien Bien Phu city was not without difficulties. To be proactive in traveling, journalist Ma Anh Lam suggested that the two brothers rent a car to drive themselves to Dien Bien to work. In the hot May sun, the two brothers crossed the most dangerous mountain passes in the Northwest to reach Dien Bien Phu city.

The series of events continued, the writing of news and articles was very busy. However, the two brothers still finished the news, articles, and photos early to send to the editorial office. Breathing a sigh of relief after completing the important task, on the way back, the two brothers stopped at a restaurant on the banks of the Da River to enjoy catfish and anh vu fish, specialties that had previously only been read about in the Da River essays of writer Nguyen Tuan. The most memorable was the car driving through the night to Sa Pa when it was almost dawn, the winding steep road was submerged in a sea of thick fog, groping its way through the fog to Lao Cai city. After that assignment, the group of reporters received a bonus from the Editorial Board for completing the task excellently.

This trip to Dien Bien Phu is a new journey, because we are making a special series of reports following the Dien Bien soldiers, the former frontline laborers from Lao Cai to De Castries' bunker. Before that, when building the outline for the series, we had a lot of difficulty finding the old road where soldiers from Lao Cai marched and supplied supplies to Dien Bien. The journey lasted for a week, journalist Nguyen Duc Hoang, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Lao Cai Newspaper, accompanied by 3 reporters, passed through many places with characters who contributed to the Dien Bien Phu campaign. From Lao Cai, we went to Tam Duong, Than Uyen, Muong Lay town (Lai Chau province), Nghia Lo town ( Yen Bai province), Phu Yen, Bac Yen, Mai Son districts (Son La province) to Dien Bien Phu city, Dien Bien province.

It was very touching when we stopped at each historical site and site to hear the female frontline workers and Dien Bien soldiers talk about the difficult, arduous, and heroic years. They were all historical witnesses of a time of war, at the age of eighteen or twenty they joined the resistance, and are now over 90 years old. More than 70 years have passed, there are memories they still remember, and some have faded over the years, but the emotions, affection, and nostalgia for their old comrades remain intact.

In particular, on this journey to Dien Bien, I felt so many changes in the mountain passes I had passed through 10 years ago: Khau Co Pass, Khau Pha Pass, Lung Lo Pass, Chen Pass, Co Noi junction... The lands soaked with the blood and bones of many soldiers in the past now promote the spirit of Dien Bien Phu, the people build a more prosperous life. Coming to Muong Phang land where the Dien Bien Phu Campaign Command Center was located in the past, I once again had the opportunity to interview French tourists who expressed their admiration for President Ho Chi Minh, General Vo Nguyen Giap and the heroic Vietnamese army and people, who used primitive weapons to defeat the mighty army of General De Castries, creating a great victory that made the whole world admire.

After the trip to Dien Bien Phu, returning to Lao Cai, the notebook was full of notes, the memory cards of cameras and phones were full of pictures and videos, the group of reporters rushed to complete the articles in time to publish a series of propaganda reports to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu victory. Journalist Dinh Cao Cuong, Head of the Party Building - Internal Affairs Department, said that this was the first time Lao Cai Newspaper published over 30 propaganda works about the Dien Bien Phu victory, including the 13-part series of reports "From Lao Cai to De Castries' tunnel", along with notes, photo reports, reviews... published on publications and fanpages of Lao Cai Newspaper, attracting many interested readers.

The two times I went to Dien Bien Phu to report on the historical milestones of the nation left me with countless emotions, understanding and appreciating more the sacrifices of our ancestors and being inspired by the spirit and heroism of the Dien Bien soldiers of the past, dedicating their youth to building the Fatherland today.

Presented by: Hoang Thu

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