Over the past 60 years, the Vietnam People’s Air Force has been unceasingly developing, maturing, and fulfilling their tasks as one of the major forces to protect Homeland’s airspace, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. Today, the Air Defence - Air Force is being further built revolutionary, regular, seasoned, and gradually modernized to meet the requirements in the new situation.
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Ceremony to mark 60th anniversary of the Vietnam People’s Air Force |
Right after the establishment of the Vietnam People’s Army, the Party and President Ho Chi Minh advocated that the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) be built gradually regular, modern with sufficient services and arms. To this end, on March 9th 1949, the Ministry of National Defence and Commander of the VPA decided to establish the Air Force Research Department under the General Staff with the assigned tasks as follows: setting up the foundation, studying the activities of the French Air Force, proposing measures to deal with; at the same time, preparing facilities and documents to train cadres, being ready to establish the Air Force.
After the Dien Bien Phu Victory, the Geneva Accords was signed, the North moved forward Socialist construction, and the South continued carrying out the people’s democratic and national revolution. Alongside the implementation of plans and tasks to develop the revolutionary forces, on March 3rd 1955, General Vo Nguyen Giap, Commander of the VPA signed a Decision to found Airport Research Department to take over, command, and manage the existing airports. At the same time, the Department would help the Ministry of National Defence with research on organizing and building the Air Force. Since then, March 3rd became the Traditional Day of the Vietnam People’s Air Force.
During the air war against North Vietnam by the US Air Force and Navy, the Vietnam People’s Air Force conducted the guidelines “to pit the few against the mass, the high quality against the large”, “annihilating the enemy to protect the targets, preserve and develop our forces”, being determined to victoriously open the “airspace front”. On April 3rd and 4th 1965, in the first battle, our Air Force was organized into 2 fighting fleets of airplanes in combination with other forces to protect Ham Rong bridge (in Thanh Hoa province). All the participant units worked closely and flexibly with one another, from the Service Headquarters (commanding and navigating) to each pilot, from the offensive fleet to the diversionary one. Pilots of the two fleets ingeniously and courageously fought, shooting down 4 US aircraft (2 F-8Us, 2 F-105s). The Air Force victory in Thanh Hoa sky pleased soldiers and people nationwide, receiving compliments from President Ho Chi Minh and the Party Central Committee. The victory inaugurated the traditional history of the Vietnam People’s Air Force. Promoting their tradition of winning the first battle and being victorious when fighting, soldiers and cadres of the Air Force have overcome all hardships, actively studying and training to increase the mastery of weapons and equipment, grasping the enemy’s sinister plots and tricks, unceasingly developing and maturing. With the will “bringing back a victory after every take-off”, during the fights against the air war by the US imperialist in the North, generation after generation of cadres and soldiers of the Air Force promoted their courage, resilience, and ingenuity to invent many unique and clever ways of fighting, making contributions to enriching Vietnam’s military arts. The Air Force troops defeated the enemy in the sky and the sea, both daytime and nighttime, even advancing deep into the enemy’s rear. In the fierce and strenuous fighting, the revolutionary heroism of the Air Force troops was promoted to the utmost, further brightening the virtues of “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers” in the air-to-air front, protecting Homeland airspace.
In the General Offensive-General Uprising in 1975 Spring, the Air Force troops, with the “lightning speed, daring, surprise, certain victory” spirit, set up 2 airlines, namely Hanoi- Hue and Hanoi- Da Nang, to assist the battlefield. By the end of April 1975, the Air Force troops had made more than 160 flights, carrying 4.300 cadres and soldiers, shipping hundreds of tons of weapons, ammunition, including a large number of flags, banners, leaflets, satisfying the urgent requirement of the General Offensive-General Uprising. The Air Force troops also proactively selected excellent pilots to quickly train, using the enemy’s captured A.37 aircraft to make them surprised. The “determined to win” (Quyet Thang) squadron was formed, taking off from Phan Rang airport, unexpectedly raiding Tan Son Nhat airport (in the afternoon of April 28th 1975), contributing to destroying Sai Gon puppet government and troops’ fighting morale, quickly ending the resistant war against the U.S. for national salvation. In this war, the Air Force troops shot down 320 US aircraft of all types, damaging many others, sinking and damaging various US warships.
Moreover, the Air Force troops successfully fulfilled the international tasks. In the crucial times, especially in the southwest border defence war, when requested by our friend, the Vietnam People’s Air Force, disregarding difficulties, hardships, losses, collaborated with other forces maneuvering for fighting all over the battlefield, saving Cambodian people from genocide.
In the implementation of the two strategic tasks of building and defending the Homeland, the Air Force troops have proactively overcome difficulties, striving for mastery of weapons and equipment, successfully fulfilling the assigned tasks, including regular and unscheduled ones. Alongside training and being ready to protect the Homeland, the Air Force troops are actively involved in other tasks such as flying special aircraft, flying in rescue and disaster relief, economic and social development, economic and defence combination, etc.
Under the leadership of Party and beloved President Ho Chi Minh, and directly under the Central Military Commission and the National Defence Ministry, over the past 60 years of its development, the Air Force has been unceasingly maturing, growing stronger, developing from zero to being, small scale to large scale, less modern to modern; overcoming all hardships and sacrifices, becoming stronger and stronger after the fights, making contribution to enriching the glorious tradition of the heroic Military and heroic Nation. For those outstanding victories and achievements, the Air Force was presented the Golden Star Order, the People’s Armed Forces Hero title and many other noble awards by the State.
Lieutenant General Phuong Minh Hoa
Commander of the Vietnam People’s Air Defence- Air Force