(HBO) – In 1965, when its special warfare strategy failed disastrously, the US sent large numbers of troops to the south of Vietnam while extending the war to the north and conducting sabotage. In Hoa Binh, which was viewed as one of the important localities for providing support for the Lao battlefield, during only a short period of time, the US conducted 69 bombings to destroy local residential areas, economic premises and roads.
Bui Van Kenh, a resident in
Tha hamlet of Thu Phong commune, who directly commanded the fight as deputy
head of the commune’s militia force.
In
particular, it launched continual attacks on locations across the province from
early 1966. To cope with new plots and ruses of the US imperialists, the province
ordered its communes to make plans for dealing with the war of sabotage,
instruct locals how to take shelter from air raids, dig tunnels, build lookout
towers, and stay ready to shoot down low-altitude fighters.
One of the most successful battles of the militia
of Thu Phong commune was the downing of an F105 fighter of the US on July 20,
1966.
Recalling the battle, Bui Van Kenh, a resident
in Tha hamlet of Thu Phong commune, who directly commanded the fight as deputy
head of the commune’s militia force, said he was on guard at the commune’s
administrative committee at about 3pm on July 20, 1966 when two F105 fighters
flew in from the northwest. Above Cun Slope on Road 12B, they dived and fired
at an automobile of the Hoa Binh transport company that was parking on the top
of the slope. Kenh immediately called on militias to move to the trench behind
a warehouse of the Nam Son Cooperative to ready the combat formation.
Observing the enemy fighters’ direction, Kenh
ordered the first volley to be fired, but the bullets missed their targets. The
militia team shortly learned from this and waited for the two aircraft to lower
to focus their attack on the front one. Braving a rain of bullets from the
enemy fighters, the militias still calmly waited for the planes to come within
the suitable range.
When the leading fighter just entered the right
range, under Kenh’s command, the team focused firing on it. Being hit by
bullets, the fighter burst into flames and crashed onto Cun Slope, causing a
big explosion that shook the entire mountain and forest, Doan Duc Tinh, a
member of the then Nam Son Cooperative’s militia team, recounted.
Not only being heroes in combat, the populace of
Thu Phong also helped safeguard many central agencies that evacuated to the
commune while actively working to ensure livelihoods and support the "great
front” in the south.
In peacetime, they have worked hard to develop
economy and enrich the homeland. In 2019, the local per capita income
approximated 31 million VND (over 1,300 USD at the current exchange rate), and
the household poverty rate was brought down to 3.9 percent. The commune has met
all criteria for a new-style rural area while people’s cultural and spiritual
life has also been improved continually./.
The Standing Board of the Hoa Binh provincial Party Committee met on March 18 to review and guide major investment projects aimed at boosting local socio-economic development.
The air is thick with the hum of drills and the clatter of machinery as the Hoa Binh – Moc Chau expressway takes shape amid the rugged terrain. Welding sparks illuminate the faces of workers, and concrete mixers churn relentlessly, laying fresh pavement on the newly-carved road. The construction site buzzes with a palpable sense of urgency, particularly in Hoa Binh province where the expressway's future is being forged.
The northern province of Hoa Binh, with over 467,000 hectares of natural forest and more than 100,000 hectares of production forest, holds significant potential for carbon credit market development.
Replacing substandard houses with more sturdy ones by June 30 is the direction given by Nguyen Phi Long, alternate member of the Party Central Committee and Secretary of the Hoa Binh provincial Party Committee, at a meeting held in early March by the provincial Steering Committee for the programme to eliminate temporary and dilapidated houses for the needy.
Recognising digital transformation as an inevitable trend, authorities and agencies in Hoa Binh have made great efforts in the work by focusing on three core pillars - digital government, digital society, and digital economy, resulting in enhanced competitiveness, improved investment climate, and ensured economic and social welfare.
In recent years, Da Bac district has improved administrative reform with a one-stop shop mechanism, streamlined inter-agency procedures, and a shift to digital platforms. These efforts have enhanced public service efficiency and contributed to local socio-economic development.
