At the age of 87, Lieutenant-General Pham Hong Cu, former Deputy Head of the Vietnam People’s Army’s General Department of Politics, has kept intact in his mind the triumphal historic imprints of the nation over the past 10,000 days. He went through two resistance wars against the French and American invaders for national salvation.
After the Japanese staged a coup d’etat against the French on March 9, 1945, Cu was released and joined the Hoang Dieu Defence Squad for National Salvation, the first army unit of Hanoi established by the Hanoi Party Committee shortly after the August Revolution’s triumph, with the task of safeguarding the newly founded people’s administration.
 Lieutenant-General Pham Hong Cu and his comrades in the battlefield of Quang Tri in 1972. Photo: File  In 1975, Lieutenant-General Pham Hong Cu worked as the Head of the Culture Department and the Envoy of the General Department of Politics. Photo: File |
| « Having devoted his whole life with great merits to the army, Lieutenant-General Pham Hong Cu has been awarded many notable distinctions, including the Independence Order, 2nd Class; the War Order, 2nd and 3rd Class; the Victory Order, 2nd Class; the anti-US Resistance War Order, 1st Class; the Fighters’ Glory Order, 1st, 2nd and 3rd Class; the “Determine to Win” Military Flag Medal; the insignia for his 65-year Party membership, among others. » |
Nearly 70 years have passed, but each time when he recalled the day he first met President Ho Chi Minh who read the Independence Declaration at the historical Ba Dinh Square in Hanoi on September 2, 1945, Lieutenant General Pham Hong Cu could not hold back his emotions.
“On September 2, 1945, my team-mates in the Hoang Dieu Defence Squad and I were assigned to the task of protecting the rostrum at Ba Dinh Square,” Cu recalled.
“Around 3 p.m, a fleet of cars came from Dien Bien Phu street towards the rostrum, escorted by bicyclists. When the cars stopped at the rostrum, an old, thin man in a white kaki suit, briskly walked from the car and stepped up onto the rostrum.
Hoang Phuong, who later became political commissar of the Air Force’s High Command whispered in my ear: ‘Do you know who that old man is? He is Nguyen Ai Quoc!’
I felt such a special emotion that touched deep in my heart when I heard the news. That day, the entire sea of people at Ba Dinh Square was so quiet, listening to President Ho Chi Minh to read the Declaration of Independence. When reading, suddenly the President stopped and asked, ‘Did you hear me clearly?’
The whole sea of people responded in a chorus ‘Yes’!
Like many other people who met the President for the first time, I was so surprised at his simplicity and closeness to the public.
After that memorable, historic day, upon the call of the country, Cu joined the fight for national liberation. He travelled through many localities and engaged in many fierce battles.
Cu said, memories of the Dien Bien Phu Campaign and stories of General Vo Nguyen Giap have particularly remained intact in his heart.
Cu recalled: “In the Dien Bien Phu Campaign, General Vo Nguyen Giap was commander-in-chief. In this position, the General had to make so many important decisions, which made him a big headache many times.
His decision of great significance was made when he changed the motto ‘fight fast, win fast’ to ‘fight firmly, advance firmly’. “
At that time, Cu was deputy political commissar of Regiment 36, Brigade 308, which was instructed to fight with the motto “fight fast, win fast” to the Muong Thanh centre. Then he received an order from Brigade chief, Vuong Thua Vu, to shift moving towards Luang Prabang in northern Laos in order to create a diversion.
Cu said, his troops and he were in such disadvantaged situation because they did not know anything about the enemy and the local terrain. They had only one map in 1/100,000 ratio, and 0.5 kg of rice for each soldier.
However, Cu recalled, after ten days of marching, Brigade 308 liberated the entire lower area of the Nam Hu River. When they were approaching Luang Prabang, they received an order to immediately come back to Dien Bien Phu.
 Lieutenant-General Pham Hong Cu (October, 2013). Photo: Tat Son  Lieutenant-General Pham Hong Cu visits the Vietnam Military History Museum which preserves many souvenirs of the wars. Photo: Tat Son  The artifacts of the war remind Lieutenant-General Pham Hong Cu of the nation’s glorious history. Photo: Tat Son  Lieutenant-General Pham Hong Cu talks with young soldiers. Photo: Tat Son |
In the historical Ho Chi Minh Campaign in 1975, Cu was head of the Culture Department and an envoy of the General Department of Politics. He said, he is so proud of being among a few who were present at the Independence Palace shortly after the campaign triumphed.
“When we, soldiers of Uncle Ho, embraced one another, sharing the joys of the triumphant campaign, we felt so sad because Uncle Ho could not join us on that victorious day, enjoying the country’s reunification,” Cu said, in an emotional voice and with tears in his eyes.
The war ended, and peace returned to the country. Cu was entrusted to hold many important positions in the army. From 1986 to 1995, he was Deputy Head of the Vietnam People’s Army General Department of Politics, and he retired from work in late 1995.
Lieutenant-General Pham Hong Cu shared his heartfelt feelings with Vietnam Pictorial reporters, a whole-hearted message to the younger generations: “We belongs to the generation who upheld the oath for independence, together with the whole people erased the shame of losing the country, under the leadership and guidance of President Ho Chi Minh and General Vo Nguyen Giap. The present-day generation is for those of renewals, and I hope that they will stand side by side with people nationwide to abolish poverty and backwardness, bringing the country of Vietnam to advance, ‘standing equally to other countries in all the five continents’ as desired by President Ho Chi Minh when he was alive.”.
Đăng ký: VietNam News
