Historical stories
History must be, above all,
the painting of a time, the portrait of a time.
When it is limited to being the portrait of a person or the painting of
an era, of a life, only half is history. “Joseph Joubert.
Remembering
role of pack-bikes in Dien Bien Phu Victory
May 05, 2014
Source: GramaLa (Habana
Cuba 27 octubre 2022
Visitors to the Thanh Hoa Museum can now see an exhibition of
pack-bikes and other items used by local people during the Dien Bien Phu
Campaign.
During the 56-day campaign, people from across Vietnam were
called to support the battle. The people of Thanh Hoa province sent more than
120,000 workers with 11,200 pack-bikes and 1,300 boats to transport supplies.
This was critical, as transportation played a most vital role in the victory at
Dien Bien Phu.
The pack-bike was able to move in rugged terrain without fuel
and was easy to repair and to disguise in all types of weather conditions.
Initially, each pack-bike could carry 100kg of supplies, but
after numerous innovations and improvements, the bike’s capacity was increased
to 200-300kg.
A one-metre bamboo pole was fastened to the handle to improve
its performance and the frames were reinforced with iron rods or planks. The
tires were covered with cloth to make them more durable.
At the exhibition, visitors can see the bike owned by Trinh
Ngoc. This bike was known for its record capacity of 345.5kg.
There are also photos of lines of pack-bikes pushed by workers who used to make regular runs back and forth along the 500km route from Thanh Hoa Province to the battlefield in Dien
Bien.
Thanh Hoa workers transporting supplies for troops in Dien
Bien Phu in 1954
Numerous rivers crossed the path from Thanh Hoa to Dien Bien
Phu
The
fighters send messages to the mercenary soldiers to lay down their arms. Photo: Getty
General
Vo Nguyen Giap, head of the Vietnamese forces, meeting with his staff near the
colonialist garrison. Photo: Archive
General
De Castries with his state surrendered to Vietnamese forces on May 7, 1954, at
7:30 p.m. Photo: Archive
Thousands
of invading soldiers were captured by Vietnamese forces. Photo: Getty Images
During a visit to Thanh Hoa Province on March 16, 1957,
President Ho Chi Minh praised the efforts of local people during the Dien Bien
Phu Campaign. "Thanh Hoa province has contributed 120,000 workers to
transport food and supplies to solders during the campaign, and so the people
of Thanh Hoa can be proud of their great contribution to the victory," he
said.
Alongside items relating to the Dien Bien Phu Campaign, the
exhibition also showcases photos, documents and other items from the people of
Thanh Hoa people related to the French and American wars since 1945.
Source: Dtinews
With affection,
Ruben
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