Nguyen Van Bay - Southern farmer pilot

There are people who, while still alive, have become legends not only for their achievements, but also for their personality and lifestyle. Heroic fighter pilot Nguyen Van Bay - one of the few Vietnamese pilots who achieved the rank of "ace"(*) and had many contributions in the cause of fighting against the US to save the country - is such a symbol.

Pilot Nguyen Van Bay (left) and his teammates review the films taken by the automatic camera when firing. (Photo courtesy)

93 air battles – 7 enemy planes shot down

Born in 1936 in a farming family in Lai Vung, Dong Thap , Nguyen Van Bay joined the revolution as a teenager before finishing primary school. Few people expected that, after a series of coincidences of fate and thanks to the "choosing the right person to entrust his gold" to the Army, Nguyen Van Bay would be chosen to study jet flying - a field that seemed to be reserved for those who were well-trained and highly educated.

It was that turning point that turned this simple Southern boy into one of the most outstanding fighter pilots of the Vietnam People's Air Force. He was an Air Force Colonel and was awarded the noble title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces in January 1967 when he was only 31 years old.

He participated in the resistance war against France and the US, and was then selected to learn to fly MIG aircraft. During the fiercest period of the resistance war against the US to save the country, Nguyen Van Bay was a pilot of MIG-17, a fighter jet produced by the Soviet Union.

During nearly 3 years of air combat in the northern sky (1965-1967), he made 93 sorties with 13 shots fired, and shot down 7 enemy planes. The efficiency was calculated to be more than 50%.

But that number does not say everything about the heroic pilot Nguyen Van Bay. What makes him mentioned a lot is not only his achievements, but also his brave, daring and intelligent fighting style. He is praised by the media as a legend, because although he flew a MIG-17 equipped with 3 cannons (1 37mm, 2 23mm) with 200 rounds of ammunition, he had experience in effectively utilizing close-range firepower at a distance of less than 400m. He was affectionately called by the people "The brave barefoot hero who flies the MIG-17".

According to Mr. Bay, when he had teammates supporting him from behind, he rushed straight into the enemy aircraft formation, choosing the closest planes, regardless of left or right, above or below, he swiped all his ammunition and flew straight, meaning he fought in the guerrilla style of "holding the enemy's belt tightly and fighting".

During meetings with students and young people, he often said: "You fly a plane like you drive a buffalo plow - just aim straight at the enemy and fight."

Such brave and intelligent actions made his name go beyond the framework of military parameters, becoming a symbol of the spirit of "determination to die for the Fatherland" to protect the sacred sky of the Fatherland of Vietnam.

From fighting hero to ordinary farmer of everyday life

In 1990, Nguyen Van Bay retired and returned to his hometown to farm and live a simple life. The image of Mr. “Bay may bay” – the hero who once flew a MIG-17, now carrying a hoe to the fields – has become familiar to the people of Lai Vung, Dong Thap. Every day, he happily works in the fields, hoes the soil, grows vegetables, and at home raises dozens of pigs to improve his life.

During his lifetime, he once said that the day he was reunited with his mother was an extremely emotional moment. In 1953, at the age of 17, he left his hometown and headed north. After more than 22 years of separation, it was not until June 1975 that he returned to see his beloved mother. Mother and son hugged each other in tears; his tears flowed, wetting the hem of his mother's shirt - the one who had been waiting for him for so many years.

He said he had never shed so many tears, just like the many times he shed tears when he received news of his comrades' sacrifice - comrades who would no longer see the day of peace and were lucky enough to return home and reunite with their families like him.

As for him, the best MIG-17 pilot of the Vietnam Air Force, Uncle Ho instructed him not to directly participate in air combat since May 1967 to continue to make long-term contributions to the army.

At that time, the war was very fierce. Our Air Force had more than 100 pilots flying MIG-17 and MIG-21 aircraft sacrificed in air battles with modern American aircraft in the northern sky.

Nguyen Van Bay is not only a legend in the hearts of the Vietnamese people, but also respected and admired by former enemy pilots. American pilot Colonel Charlie Plumb once went to his hometown in Lai Vung, Dong Thap to confirm whether Mr. Bay was the pilot who had fought a stalemate in 1967 in Quang Yen.

Mr. Bay opened his heart to "close the past and look to the future", welcoming the American pilot he had faced in 1967 as a friend, drinking country wine, eating fruit from his garden and warmly putting a Southern scarf around Charlie Plumb's neck.

Mr. Bay passed away in 2019, leaving deep sorrow in the hearts of millions of people. Thousands of villagers, students, soldiers, journalists, writers, etc. came to see him off to his final resting place in the bosom of Mother Vietnam.

His name will forever be present in the golden pages of the history of the Vietnam Air Force, in the memories of many generations today and tomorrow. The image of heroic pilot Nguyen Van Bay will forever remain in the hearts of the Vietnamese people as a symbol of the heroic Vietnamese pilot, brave, intelligent, not afraid to sacrifice himself amidst bombs and bullets to protect the sky of his homeland.

Writer Nguyen Quang Chanh wrote the book “Living to Tell the Heroes” (Ho Chi Minh City General Publishing House, 2023), and now adds heroic memories to complete his own book about the legendary pilot Nguyen Van Bay. The book has been translated into Russian with the title “Story of Pilot Bay and His Comrades” (Tell the Story of Pilot Bay and His Comrades) (Ho Chi Minh City General Publishing House, 2025). The book was launched on August 7 at the Military Library to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the Russian Federation (1950-2025) and the 80th anniversary of the National Day of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (September 2, 1945 - September 2, 2025).

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* "ace": Title given to an outstanding military pilot who has shot down at least 5 enemy aircraft.

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Xuan Hoa

Source: https://nhandan.vn/nguyen-van-bay-nguoi-phi-cong-nong-dan-nam-bo-post898977.html