In April 1965, the US Military Advisory Council planned to bomb the North of Việt Nam. After many scouting waves, the White House and the Pentagon decided to implement a plan for attacking Hàm Rồng Bridge – one of the key objectives of the war against the North.

Judging the plot of the enemy, from February1965, different forces were mobilized to Hàm Rồng and the militia units intensified practices to be well prepared for the combat. The headquarter of the Hàm Rồng Front Command Post was located at Cuội Mountain; two observatories were set at the mountain peak 134 and and Một Mountain.

Soldiers and people pulling cannons to the battlefield

In two days on April 3^rd and 4^th, 1965, 47 US aircrafts were shot down, the conspiracy of the American to demolish Hàm Rồng Bridge failed. Hàm Rồng victory is the convergence of the strength of great unity that was then multiplied to form a brilliant weapon to defeat the enemy right from the first match. That was the close relationship between the army and the people and the power of the people’s war.

Despite the enemy’s continuous bombs that rained down, the militia of the villages Yên Vực, Hạc Oa, and Đông Sơn spared no dangers kept on supplying ammunition and first aid as well as bringing rice and water to the battlefield. Such sectors as Health, Transportation, Post Office, Police, Culture and Information etc. always abreasted the battlefield to provide services.

Mothers in Đông Sơn Village supplying at the battlefield

Hàm Rồng victory – a striking image within the vivid picture about the fight against the enemy of the entire people to save the country – made the peace-loving mankind in the world understand why in such an unequal fight, the  victory absolutely belonged to a small country where people fought only with conventional weapons.

                                                                                                                                                                Minh Dương