60 years have passed, but the heroic spirit of the Van Tuong victory still resonates in the hearts of the officers and soldiers of Military Region 5 and the Vietnamese people. The battle was not only a resounding military victory but also a testament to the intelligence, bravery and iron will of our army and people. From the heroic land of An Mountain and Tra River, that victory has become a symbol of revolutionary heroism, and at the same time an endless source of inspiration for the Military Region 5 today to continue, steadfastly in the cause of building and defending the Fatherland.

Looking back at history, after the resounding victory at Ba Gia, Regiment 1, Military Region 5 marched to Van Tuong village (Binh Hai commune, Binh Son district, Quang Ngai province; 17km southeast of Chu Lai base; now Van Tuong commune, Quang Ngai province) to consolidate forces, train, and prepare for the next battle. However, the American troops in Chu Lai discovered the presence of the Ba Gia Regiment there. They urgently organized the "Starlight" operation to sweep and destroy our forces.

Major General Le Ngoc Hai, Commander of Military Region 5, encouraged the forces participating in the training to perform mission A80. Photo: TUYEN HUAN

Major General Le Ngoc Hai, Commander of Military Region 5, inspected combat readiness work at Battalion 699, Da Nang City Military Command.

At dawn on August 18, 1965, after intense shelling from gunboats at sea combined with bombs dropped from the air force, the US army used a large force of 4 battalions of marines, 1 armored battalion... to massively attack from 4 directions on Van Tuong. This was the first time in history that a mobile main force regiment of Military Region 5 directly confronted the US expeditionary force - the most modern and combat-ready army at that time - in extremely unfavorable conditions: The unit's weapons and equipment to fight tanks, armored vehicles and aircraft were very limited; combat experience with the US army was almost zero; the regiment was being consolidated after the Ba Gia Campaign.

In that difficult situation, Regiment 1 closely coordinated with the local armed forces and the masses, making the most of the terrain of the fighting villages, the system of trenches, fortifications, and bamboo hedges to hold on. The troops proactively fought close combat, fought hand-to-hand, fought independently in each unit, and kept their formation secret. Wherever the enemy advanced, we firmly blocked and fought. The spirit of military and civilian solidarity and the will to fight and win were tempered in the fire and bullets, becoming an unparalleled strength.

After more than a day of fierce fighting, at dawn on August 19, our forces secretly withdrew from Van Tuong in an active position. As a result, we eliminated more than 900 enemy soldiers from the battle, shot down 13 helicopters, and destroyed 22 tanks and armored vehicles. Meanwhile, the US army, despite proactively choosing the battlefield, time, and fighting method, with overwhelming advantages in terms of troops, weapons, and equipment, still could not achieve the goal of "searching and destroying" our main force, and had to suffer heavy losses.

Van Tuong Commune Center, Quang Ngai Province. Photo: TUYEN HUAN

Changes in Van Tuong hometown, Quang Ngai. Photo: TUYEN HUAN

The victory of Van Tuong affirmed: Our army and people are completely capable of defeating the modern, elite US army, even when they are superior in terms of numbers, firepower, and mobility. This is an important milestone of maturity of the Military Region 5, leaving behind lessons of profound theoretical and practical value, especially the lesson of promoting the combined strength of people's war, building a strong political stance, steadfast will, intelligence, creativity, courage, and overcoming difficulties to achieve victory.

The war has been over for half a century, on the heroic land of Van Tuong, the local Party Committee, army and people have been promoting the tradition of steadfastness, indomitability, and solidarity to build a rich and civilized homeland. From the spirit of the past, promoting the glorious tradition of "self-reliance, overcoming difficulties, enduring hardships, being resourceful and creative, fighting steadfastly, and winning gloriously", the Party Committee, the Military Region 5 Command, the Party Committees and commanders at all levels have focused on leading and directing the building of the Military Region's armed forces to be politically strong, absolutely loyal to the Party, and filial to the people; steadfast in the goal of national independence associated with socialism; strictly implementing the Party's guidelines and policies, the State's policies and laws; building a comprehensively strong agency and unit that is "exemplary and typical", excellently completing all assigned tasks.

Van Tuong's military art lessons continue to be creatively applied in force building, training, drills, and combat readiness today, namely: Building a "skillful, compact, and strong" standing force at all levels, a "strong, widespread" militia and self-defense force, and a "mighty, high-quality" reserve force; always upholding the spirit of revolutionary vigilance, not being subjective and underestimating the enemy, not being passive or surprised in any situation; combining traditional fighting methods with modern operations; improving physical strength, technical and tactical skills, associating discipline management, building a regular system; making breakthroughs in science and technology development, innovation and digital transformation, effectively managing and exploiting weapons and technical equipment.

At the same time, the Military Region 5 maintains close ties with local Party committees, authorities and people; coordinates with other forces to contribute to maintaining political security, order and social safety in the stationed areas; builds a national defense posture associated with a people's security posture; does a good job of mass mobilization work, effectively participates in the cause of socio-economic development, hunger eradication and poverty reduction, improves the material and spiritual life of the people, and builds a solid "people's heart posture".

The 60th anniversary of the Van Tuong Victory is an opportunity for each officer and soldier of the Military Region 5 to review the heroic tradition, pay tribute to the heroic fighting and sacrifice examples; arouse national pride, patriotism, self-reliance and self-reliance; and continue to firmly step forward on the path of building and defending the Fatherland. The Van Tuong Victory is not only a milestone in the history of the resistance war against the US to save the country, but also a vivid demonstration of the strength of military-civilian solidarity, of Vietnamese military art and the steadfastness of the Military Region 5. The battle defeated the plot to "search and destroy" our main force right in the first days of the US's direct participation in the war, proving the invincible strength of people's war. The echoes of the victory add to the will and confidence of the Military Region 5 today, always ready to fight and firmly defend the Fatherland in all situations.

Major General LE NGOC HAI, Commander of Military Region 5

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    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/quoc-phong-an-ninh/nghe-thuat-quan-su-vn/am-vang-chien-thang-van-tuong-841643