Forty five years ago, after 12 days and nights of heroic, resilient, brilliant, and creative fighting, our military and people completely defeated the Imperial America’s strategic air raid, the scale of which was greatest ever seen, to earn us a victory then known by the name “Dien Bien Phu in the air”. The victory contributed to firmly defending the socialist North, protecting revolutionary achievements, forcing the Imperial America to sign the Paris Peace Accords of January 27, 1973 on ending the war and restoring peace in Vietnam, and greatly contributed to the Great Victory in the spring of 1975 that liberated the South and unified the country.
SAM-2 missiles, referred to as “Thang Long flame dragons” during the 12-day-and-night operation of 1972, were able to defeat the dominance of US Air Force.
Going down in history as one of the most glorious victories and unique achievements, the “Dien Bien Phu in the air” victory brilliantly showed the revolutionary heroism, bravery, and intelligence of the Vietnamese people and further affirmed the excellent leadership of the Party and the Government. The victory was an eloquent demonstration of the unrivaled power of the great national unity bloc and also a miracle of the people’s synergy and morale. To the people of the capital city, the “Dien Bien Phu in the air” victory will always be regarded as an everlasting pride and a brilliant modern-day symbol of the spirits of the thousand-year-old land of Thang Long – Hanoi.
Gathering great forces
Five years prior to the air raid of the Imperial America, on December 29, 1967, when assigning tasks to Colonel Phung The Tai, Commander of the Air Defense and Air Force service, President Ho Chi Minh affirmed: “Sooner or later the Imperial America will send B.52 aircrafts to attack Hanoi. They will only admit defeat after losing this battle. We need to anticipate this scenario to have time to think and prepare for it […] The US will undoubtedly be defeated in Vietnam, but not before losing in the sky of Hanoi.”
True to his words, in 1972, due to defeat on the southern battlefield, the Imperial America frenetically escalated the war and brought it back to the North. On December 14, 1972, US President Nixon approved a military operation, known as “Linebacker II”, to deploy massive air force bombing attacks on Hanoi, Hai Phong, and many other cities and provinces, mainly by B.52 aircrafts, the so-called “super flying fortresses”, in an attempt to put pressure on our government and force our country to accept conditions favorable to the Imperial America at the negotiating table. The strategic vision and ingenious forecasts of the Party and President Ho Chi Minh had helped the troops and people in the North, especially in Hanoi, the nerve center of the resistance war, actively prepare for every strategy against the enemy.
With the instructions of Under Ho, under the guidance of the Central Party Committee, the Hanoi Party Committee highly promoted its leadership and steering role and creatively applied the policies on the whole-people, comprehensive resistance war to gather great forces to perform the tasks of preparing for and organizing combat and to handle the huge workload in a rush of time under circumstances filled with difficulties and dangers.
One of the most important tasks that had been carried out successfully by the Hanoi Party Committee was evacuating people. On April 27, 1972, the Municipal Standing Party Committee issued a resolution on air defense and evacuation to prepare for combat which required the People’s Committees and Air Defense Boards at all levels to evacuate about 300,000 people out of the inner city. On December 2 and December 19, 1972, the Municipal Standing Party Committee decided to undertake emergency evacuation of the elderly, children, non-combatants, and industrial establishments out of the inner city. Owing to the close leadership that was in line with the situation from time to time and was highly supported by the people, in a short period of time, Hanoi successfully evacuated nearly 500,000 people and thousands of agencies, enterprises, and schools out of US Air Force’s target zones to both ensure safety and limitation of damage to people and property and give space for our air and air defense forces.
With a clear understanding of the situation and a creative, brilliant tactic in every field, at every area, and during any period of time, under the leadership and guidance of the Party Committee, the authorities of the capital city were able to maintain in the army and the people a will to fight and an attitude to “never back down until claiming victory” when confronted with the most powerful enemy in the world. When the two main spans of Long Bien bridge were bombed in May, 1972 and when Duong bridge was severely damaged by bombing attacks in July 1972, the ferries of Chuong Duong, Khuyen Luong, and Dong Tru took the role as replacement for ensuring transport of vehicles across the river. Ha Noi Port was raided many times, but workers still maintained the loading and unloading of goods, transporting 2,000 tons per day. Hanoi Railway Station was destroyed in bombing attacks, but the goods were still sent to the South regularly. The ferries crossing the Red River in Chuong Duong, Khuyen Luong, and Chiem and a number of floating bridges and bridges across the Duong River were urgently reinforced. The city also completed the construction and put into operation two strategic pipelines, namely Lang Son – Hanoi and Bai Chay, Quang Ninh – Hanoi, which were connected with the southern Hanoi pipeline that ran all the way to Cam Lo and the south of Road No. 9 (3,278 km), meeting the requirements for receiving and transporting petroleum of the neighboring country as well as supporting the battlefield
Under the comprehensive leadership and guidance of Hanoi Party Committee and with the will of millions of citizens who united into one single bloc that wouldn’t stop fighting until the enemy admitted defeat, the troops and the people of the capital city were able to complete a huge workload. Within a short span of time, the city managed to build a system of 45,000 km of traffic trenches, 5,600 underground tunnels, and over 63,000 individual pits guaranteeing enough shelter for 900,000 people. The city’s tunnel collapse rescuers and fire fighters were provided with hundreds of bulldozers, cranes, and fire engines for timely rescue. The city had 1,202 emergency stations and teams, 266 emergency treatment facilities, 64 mobile rescue teams, and 11 mobile surgery teams. All facilities and teams were organized into lines for timely rescue in the front line, the middle line, and the rear.
In such a fierce war situation, Hanoi actively cooperated with the national air forces and residents in neighboring provinces in building a “fire air defense network” of the three forces using all kinds of conventional and modern weapons. The cities and provinces all mobilized residents to fire at the enemy’s aircrafts, catch the pilots, and support the battlefield. Around 54,000 soldiers armed with over 500 light machine guns, machine guns, and heavy machine guns were deployed in 295 battlegrounds in both the inner city and the suburbs. Each inner city neighborhood was protected by an anti-aircraft gun company that had been trained in techniques and tactics to fire at the enemy’s aircrafts. The soldiers and people of Ha Tay (now part of Hanoi City) even deployed a low-altitude battleground to ambush in the direction of attack of the enemy’s aircrafts. An “arc of fire” covering both the height and the width of the city had been established, taking the lead in the battle with the enemy in the sky of Hanoi.
When the US’s air strike campaign began in Hanoi in the night of December 18, 1972, the troops and people of the capital city were not caught in surprise and actively responded to the attacks.
The unrivaled power of solidarity and human will
In deploying the air raid on the capital city of Hanoi and the North 45 years ago, the Imperial America had mobilized the largest force since the Second World War. Hundreds of B.52 strategic bombers, dubbed “super flying fortresses” and “unbeatable idols”, and thousands of ultramodern tactical aircrafts, aircraft carriers, and battleships had been mobilized by the United States. During the last 12 days and nights of 1972, Hanoi, Hai Phong, and some cities and towns in the North suffered more than 80,000 tons of destructive bombs dropped down by the Imperial America. The capital city alone suffered over 10.000 tons of bombs dropped by 441 turns of B.52 aircrafts and thousands of turns of of tactical aircrafts that resulted in the destruction of many neighborhoods and villages, including 5,480 houses, nearly 100 factories, enterprises, schools, hospitals, and railway stations, killing 2,368 civilians and injuring 1,355 others. The devastating destruction caused by bombs poured down Kham Thien Street, Bach Mai Hospital, An Duong Residential Quarter, Yen Vien Railway Station, Uy No Commune, and many others will forever remain a traumatic memory and evidence of crimes of the Imperial America.
Facing with such savage attacks of the enemy, along with the troops and the people of the whole nation, the Party, government, armed forces, and the people of the capital city had learned to turn loss and pain into revolutionary acts while maintaining faith in the leadership of the Party and the final victory.
Equipped with the initiative and creativity of Vietnam’s military art and years of research on methods to fight against B.52 aircrafts, the armed forces with the Air Defense and Air Force service serving as the core force together with the people of the North, especially people of Hanoi, organized and promoted the combined strength of the people’s solid air defense system and the close cooperation of the forces to fight against the enemy. In the midst of bombing and mass destruction, the brave people of the country and the capital city still held their ground and stayed in the battlegrounds with a firm goal: to fire at the enemy’s aircrafts, making them terrified.
Right in the first battle in the night of December 18, 1972, our troops shot down a B.52 aircraft, the so-called “super flying fortress”, paving the way for other resounding victories in subsequent battles. In the 12 days and nights, the “arc of fire” of Hanoi and other cities were able to shoot down 81 US aircrafts, including 34 B.52 aircrafts, and captured 43 pilots. The troops and people of the capital city shot down 30 US aircrafts, including 23 B.52 aircrafts, greatly contributing to the historic victory of “Dien Bien Phu in the air”. The US’s loss was considered to be the greatest loss ever seen during large-scaled air raids. In large-scaled air raids, normally the loss rate of attackers was about 1-2%, meanwhile in the battle in the sky of Hanoi, the Imperial America, despite its frightful military power, suffered a loss rate of B.52 aircrafts up to 17% (34/193 units).
The victory of our troops and people really stunned the enemy and shocked the world. Later, George Etter, Deputy Commander of US Strategic Air Command, confessed in the US Air Force Magazine as follows: “The loss of strategic B.52 aircrafts and crew members was extremely heavy, a dazing blow to the planners at the Pentagon.” In his memoirs, US President Nixon wrote: “My anxiety these days is not to worry about severe waves of protest and strict criticism in the country and the world, but the heavy damage of B.52 aircrafts”.
As a result of the failure in the sky of Hanoi, the Imperial America had to declare an end to the B.52 strategic bombing of Hanoi, Haiphong, and several regions from the 20th parallel North. On January 27, 1973, the United States signed the Paris Peace Accords on ending the war and restoring peace in Vietnam, opening up an opportunity for the liberation of the South and reunification of our country.
The victory in the Imperial America’s air raid touched the hearts of the people in all regions and strengthened the whole nation’s spirit and determination to achieve victory. People everywhere saw in Hanoi, the heart of the country, the pride and great faith in the beautiful future of the country.
Significant historic lessons
The victory of “Dien Bien Phu in the air” leaves profound lessons on promoting the strength of the Party, the people, and the people’s army. It is a source of encouragement for us in the cause of national construction and defense of today and tomorrow.
It gives a lesson of unity and consensus under the brilliant leadership of the Party Central Committee and the wise strategy of the Central Military Commission. Being an important strategic city and a major target of air raids by the Imperial America, Hanoi always received the attention and close guidance of the Central Government. The victory of “Dien Bien Phu in the air” contributed to demonstrating the right political and military doctrine of the Communist Party of Vietnam which was led by President Ho Chi Minh, as well as the wise tactics of the Central Military Commission as shown in the capacity to analyze and properly assess the enemy’s and our situations and to set out accurate and timely strategies. The victory was based on a scientific, comprehensive, and realistic viewpoint, reflected not only in the assessment of the military but also in the overall assessment of the contemporary political, economic, ideological, and cultural situation in the country and in the world, as well as in the accurate assessment of the relationship between opportunities and conditions.
Before as well as during the campaign, the Central Military Commission focused closely on Party activities and political tasks, ensuring all military officers, soldiers, people of the North, and people of Hanoi were well aware of the enemy’s plot and tricks, as well as the harsh and fierce nature of the historical confrontation, thereby strengthening the determination to fight. With only a limited number of weapons and technical equipment, the troops and people, especially the people of the capital city, managed to overcome difficulties and be creative in battling the enemy and to unite and support each other to fight against the US’s B.52 flying fortresses.
The policy “Hanoi for the country, the country for Hanoi” also played an important role in the victory. The victory of the troops and people of the capital city owed to the timely and close guidance of the Central Government, the extremely significant support of the brother socialist countries, and especially the cooperation with Ha Tay, Ha Bac, Vinh Phu, and Hai Duong, those that not only fighted side by side with Hanoi, but also shared the difficulties with the people of the capital city during evacuation. During combat, the ethnic minorities of Ha Tay Province (now part of Hanoi) well played their role as both a protective armor and a solid rear for the capital city’s combatants. They were the source of strength for the troops and people of Hanoi to resiliently overcome all challenges and successfully resist all escalating attacks of the enemy.
The victory gives a lesson on how to build solid defensive areas as well as how to build people’s war posture and air defense posture. Hanoi was a populous city with a lot of important public works, warehouses, factories, and enterprises, and was the place where the highest levels of leadership of the Party, the Government, and the army were based. If a war were to occur, Hanoi might be one of the top targets of the enemy’s air raid. In such situation, had our military and civilian air defense services not been well prepared, we could have suffered heavy casualties and material damage that might cause panic among the people. Therefore, when planning the city’s defense, in addition to organizing the army to fight back the enemy’s air strikes, we must also have a good civil defense plan.
The victory also gives a lesson on how to build armed forces. It is necessary to thoroughly grasp the policies and guidance of the Central Government on the strategies of defending the fatherland in the new situation and building up the core force composed of elite and high-quality regular troops that are strong both politically and ideologically, and are gradually modernized. We must enhance the system of organization, personnel arrangement, and leadership to build a comprehensively strong armed force with a special focus on political construction which acts as a fundamental to the transition in qualification, combat and training capability, combat readiness, discipline, and promotion of military science and military art research. We must also focus on building a large-scaled militia and self-defense force with a reasonable quantity and higher quality.
Another lesson drawn from the victory is the lesson of promoting synergy. The victory owed to the combination of national strength and historical advantage, the support of the governments and the people of brother socialist countries, and the strong support from the national liberation movements, the revolutionary forces, and the peaceful democracy movements as well as from the peace-loving people around the world. The Government should heavily focus on strengthening the political and moral power and the will to fight for the people in peacetime in order to defeat the “peaceful evolution” of hostile forces. The Government also needs to build people’s war posture and air defense posture with regular troops, including air-defense forces, being the core forces, and raise awareness of the people and build strong local armed forces to ensure combat readiness to firmly defend the sky, maintain political security and social order and safety, and firmly defend the capital city and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
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In promoting the spirit and valuable historic lessons of the victory of “Dien Bien Phu in the air”, in the past 45 years, the Party and people of the capital city have made continuous efforts to carry out the instructions of President Ho Chi Minh: “The people of the capital city have a glorious revolutionary tradition and passionate patriotism. I am sure that the people of the capital city will actively contribute to the gradual development of every sector of the city to set an example for the people all over the country in the course of consolidating peace and fighting for complete unification and independence for our country in order to build an everlastingly happy, beautiful, and peaceful life for our children.”
Hanoi Party Committee has continued to promote its leadership and steering role as shown in the continuous renovation and enhancement of leadership and combativeness of Party organizations as well as the enhancement of quality for officers and Party members, the renovation of the leadership style with focus on key and major tasks, and the overcoming of shortcomings and weaknesses to create breakthroughs. Overcoming all difficulties and challenges, Hanoi has obtained comprehensive achievements in all fields, increasingly deserving of its role as the major political and administrative center as well as one of the major centers of culture, science, education, economy, and international transactions of the country. The capital city has become a driving force for development of the Red River Delta as well as the whole country with its comprehensive and sustainable socio-economic development, increasingly advanced material and spiritual life of residents, strengthened political and social stability, increasingly consolidated and strengthened defense and security system, and increasingly clean and strong political system.
Given new tasks in the new situation, the Party and people of the capital city are aiming at successfully implementing the Resolution of the 12th National Assembly, the Resolution of the City’s 16th Party Committee, and the resolutions of the Party committees at all levels with the goal of “Building a truly clean and strong Party committee, enhancing the leadership and combativeness of Party organizations as well as the quality of officers and Party members, promoting the city’s cultural tradition and heroic tradition as well as the power of the people’s solidarity, mobilizing all resources, and comprehensively and synchronously promoting the renovation and the cause of industrialization and modernization in order to build a strong, beautiful, civilized, and modern capital city”.
The victory of “Dien Bien Phu in the air” has contributed to further building the pride of “Thang Long – Hanoi, land of thousand years of civilization”, “Heroic capital city”, “Capital of human savvy and dignity”, and “City of peace”. We firmly believe that the levels and branches of the city authorities will effectively implement the five main tasks and three breakthroughs stated in the Resolution of the City’s 16th Party Committee, the eight comprehensive programs, and the contents of the Central Resolution No. 4 of the 12th National Assembly on “Strengthening the Party’s building and reorganization, preventing and repelling the degeneration of political thought, morality, and lifestyle as well as signs of internal “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” as required under the Politburo’s Directive No. 05-CT/TU on “Promoting the studying and following the ideals, moral, and style of Ho Chi Minh” as well as the resolutions of the 5th Central Meeting and 6th Central Committee of the 12th National Assembly and the resolutions on “2018 – year of enhancement of the effectiveness and efficiency of the political system”. We believe that every citizen of the capital city, with the pride of being one, will be devoted to promoting his/her potentials and making endless efforts to preserve the precious values of independence, freedom, and happiness as well as the values of peace and development in order to actively contribute to the cause of building and developing the capital and the country.
With the great victory of the past and a firm faith in the ability of the people of Hanoi in particular and Vietnam in general, we believe that the glorious revolutionary cause of our Party and our people will definitely reach succeess and that our beloved capital city will be more prosperous, civilized, and modern, worthy of the title of “the heart of the country”, meeting the expectations of the entire people.
The victory of “Dien Bien Phu in the air”, a glorious victory of our army and our people in defeating the Imperial Amercia’s air raid of 1972, will remain forever in the memory of our beloved capital city and in each one of us.
Hoang Trung Hai
Member of Politburo, Secretary of Hanoi City’s Party Committee