In the lead-up to the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification (April 30, 1975–April 30, 2025), the Veterans’ Association of National Economics University (NEU) organized a journey to historic sites in Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Dong Loc, and Truong Bon to remember and pay tribute to the heroes and fallen soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the liberation of the South and national reunification.

Veterans’ Association members pose for a commemorative photo before departure in the A1 lobby at NEU.

Participating in the trip were Prof. Dr. Nguyen Quang Dong, Chairman of the Veterans’ Association; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bui Duc Trieu, Vice Chairman of the Veterans’ Association; MSc. Luong Viet Anh, Vice Dean of the Faculty of In-service Education, representing the Executive Committee of the NEU Trade Union; members of the Veterans’ Association Executive Committee; and nearly 30 Veterans’ Association members.

During the journey, the delegation visited and offered incense at the graves of General Vo Nguyen Giap and his wife at Vung Chua–Dao Yen, Quang Trach, Quang Binh. Although the General passed away 13 years ago (October 4, 2013), his life and career remain deeply engraved in the hearts of the Vietnamese people in general, and every soldier and veteran in particular. Throughout the journey to and from the General’s resting place, the veterans in the delegation shared many moving stories about the “Eldest Brother” of the Vietnam People’s Army.

Veterans’ Association members offer incense at General Vo Nguyen Giap’s resting place.

On the second day, the delegation offered incense at Truong Son Martyrs’ Cemetery, the resting place of more than 10,000 fallen soldiers, youth volunteers, frontline civilian workers, and others who died along the Ho Chi Minh Trail and on the Truong Son battlefield during the resistance war against the United States. Whether identified or unidentified, individual or collective, all graves receive reverent tributes from people across the country. Here, incense smoke rises day and night at the monument inscribed “The Fatherland Honors Your Service,” with an unceasing stream of visitors paying their respects.

Veterans’ Association members offer incense at Truong Son Martyrs’ Cemetery.

The delegation then visited the Quang Tri Ancient Citadel Museum, at the site of the fierce battle lasting 81 days and nights (June 28–September 16, 1972), when soldiers defended every inch of ground and every stretch of the citadel walls under relentless bombardment and gunfire. “As long as we stand, the Ancient Citadel stands” was the Liberation Army soldiers’ steadfast pledge at the time. Today, Quang Tri Ancient Citadel is a shared grave for thousands of soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the nation’s independence and freedom, contributing to the great Spring Victory of 1975.

Veterans’ Association members reverently offer incense at Quang Tri Ancient Citadel.

Among the soldiers who fell at the Ancient Citadel were at least 12 NEU staff members and students who set aside their academic pursuits to join the war effort between 1970 and 1972. The delegation laid flowers and offered incense at the “Quang Tri Ancient Citadel Student-Soldier Memorial” to remember the men and women who fell there.

Veterans’ Association members offer incense at the memorial.

At the Dong Loc Junction Special National Historic Site, a strategic junction on the Ho Chi Minh Trail, the delegation offered incense in memory of more than 1,000 soldiers who fell there, most of whom remain unidentified. Among them were 10 female youth volunteers aged 17 to 24, who died while working to keep the road open. Bombs and shells rained down day and night, yet convoys carrying weapons and food continued to pass through, keeping the supply lifeline to the southern battlefield open. Although many veterans in the delegation had visited several times, each return stirred deep emotions, grief, and pride in the resilience of the people and soldiers of those years.

Hien Luong Bridge once marked the boundary dividing the South and North for 21 years. More than a bridge, it symbolizes the pain of separation and the aspiration for reunification. Throughout the war, “loudspeaker battles” and “flag battles” took place here. Today, the bridge stands as a historic vestige and testimony to a time when the nation overcame division to reunite in peace, realizing its aspiration for national reunification.

Veterans’ Association members visit Hien Luong Bridge and pose for a commemorative photo.

The final stop was Truong Bon, a special national historic site on Strategic Route 15A. Truong Bon was once the most fiercely bombarded location along the Truong Son route. Today, the site contains more than 1,250 graves of fallen soldiers, including many collective graves and graves of unidentified soldiers. Notably, the site houses a memorial to 13 youth volunteers of Company 317 of the Nghe An transportation sector, who died at dawn on October 31, 1968, just one hour before the United States halted its bombing of the North.

Veterans’ Association members offer incense at the Truong Bon historic site.

They were all very young, aged 17 to 22. Among them, two were preparing to marry, two were preparing for a formal family meeting to discuss their engagement on October 31, 1968, and four had received admission notices from universities and vocational schools and planned to begin their studies after completing their assignment.

Their comrades and local people still recount these stories and events whenever they visit Truong Bon, with both sorrow and pride. War robbed so many people not only of their youth, but also of love and personal happiness, further underscoring the steadfast revolutionary resolve of our armed forces and people in the cause of national liberation and defense of the Fatherland.

The journey to historic sites was not only an opportunity to honor heroes and fallen soldiers, but also a vivid lesson in revolutionary traditions and unyielding patriotism for today’s generations. For the NEU Veterans’ Association, it was an opportunity to revisit a heroic past, remind one another to live up to the tradition of “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers,” and continue contributing their knowledge and experience to the building and development of NEU and the country in the new era. At every stage of the journey and every historic site they visited, the veterans were filled with sorrow, joy, and pride in having contributed to the nation’s victory.

Article and photos: Veterans’ Association & Department of Communications

This is an automated translation. If you notice any errors, please contact the Department of Communications, National Economics University at phongtruyenthong@neu.edu.vn.