The role of the General Headquarters in the 1975 Spring Offensive

15 April, 2015

On 14 April 2015, a conference titled “The role of the General Headquarters in the 1975 Spring Offensive” was held at Thăng Long Imperial Citadel under the auspices of the Vietnam Historians’ Association and Thăng Long – Hà Nội Heritage Conservation Centre on the 40th anniversary of the liberation of the South and reunification of the country.

The conference was attended by former Secretary General of the Communist Party of Vietnam Lê Khả Phiêu, lieutenant general Nguyễn Quốc Khánh – deputy chief of the general staff of the People’s Army, Mr. Lê Hồng Sơn – Vice Director of Hanoi People’s Committee. The conference attracted a wide range of attention, from scholars, members of the consultantation council, representatives of administrative agencies and research institutes to local and central museums and UNESCO Office in Hanoi, agencies under the Ministry of National Defence, the Sappers Command, the Communications Command, the Capital Command, the History Summary Committee of the Ministry of National Defence, and war veterans and witnesses who worked for a long time in the General Headquarters at Zone A of the Ministry of National Defence.

The Imperial Citadel of Thang Long has a history of more than 1,000 years, spanning from the reign of King Lý Thái Tổ to the era of Ho Chi Minh in modern Vietnam. The revolutionary relics in this site are of immense importance in educating the Vietnamese people, especially the young, about the country’s traditions. One typical example is the House and Bunker D67 situated at the very heart of the Kinh Thien Palace foundation where many important events took place and were closely linked to the milestones of Vietnam’s great Resistance War against America.

The conference featured 30 presentations, focusing on the three following issues:

The role of the General Headquarters in the Resistance War against America. The general headquarters within the old citadel was the cerebral centre where important and prompt policies, decisions, strategic plans, directives were issued instructing the people and army nationwide to effectively combat the Americans.
The process of constructing and operating the general headquarters, especially House D67, Bunker D67, and the bunker of the Department of Operation (Cục Tác chiến).
The conservation, embellishment and promotion of the values of historical, revolutionary relics inside the Central Sector of the Imperial Citadel of Thăng Long.

Ideas contributed at the conference helped shed more light on the substantial value and epochal stature of the liberation of the South and reunification of the country, reasserting and justifying more clearly the sensible leadership of the Party, the Central Military Commission, the General Command, the General Staff during the Resistance War against America. The conference also mapped out important directions for the gradual conservation and promotion of the values of the revolutionary relics in harmony with the overall Imperial Citadel of Thăng Long.

It was also on this occasion that the Thăng Long – Hà Nội Heritage Conservation Centre put on display some documents, memorabilia of the leaders of the Party, State and Army associated with the General Headquarters – Zone A of the Ministry of National Defence during the Resistance War against America.

The promotion of the revolutionary relics within the Imperial Citadel of Thăng Long will contribute to an improved understanding and awareness of the heroic cultural traditions of Thăng Long – Hà Nội, thus nurturing the national pride and sense of independence and self-reliance in the new era.

Some photos of the Conference