Exhibition on Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos comes to Savannakhet

The event was jointly held by the Vietnamese Embassy in Laos , the Vietnam Consulate General in Savannakhet, the Lao Ministry of National Defence and Savannakhet province to mark the 55th anniversary of the Tay Truong Son (West Truong Son) road (1961-2016).

Addressing the ceremony, Governor of Savannakhet Santiphap Phomvihane recalled how local people worked side by side with Vietnamese soldiers to build the road and later to protect it during the war, helping ensure the flow of supplies to battlefields in southern Vietnam.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Laos Nguyen Minh Hung said the exhibition acknowledges contributions and valuable support of the Lao Party, army and people to national liberation and reunification in Vietnam as well as the construction and protection of the road.

On display are nearly 100 pictures taken by war reporters illuminating a glorious period in history of the people and armies of Vietnam and Laos when they fought together in the war against the US under the leadership of the Labour Party of Vietnam, now the Communist Party of Vietnam, and the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party.

In May 1959, the Vietnam People’s Army formed Mission 559 and tasked it to build the Ho Chi Minh Trail as a supply route for southern battlefields to aim for ultimate national independence and reunification.

In late 1960, at the permission of the Lao side, the Ho Chi Minh Trail was expanded beyond the Vietnam-Laos border to the west of Truong Son Range, which lies on the Lao territory.

From 1961 to 1975, with an iron will and strong determination, the armies and people of Vietnam and Laos together built thousands of kilometers of roads to connect the north of Vietnam , the central and northern regions of Laos , the Zone 5 and southeastern region of Vietnam , and northeastern Cambodia.

Vietnam and Laos also aligned closely to ensure the operation of the strategic road that played a decision role in the victory against the US and significantly contributed to the 1975 victory of Vietnam and Laos .

Earlier, the exhibition was held in the Lao capital city of Vientiane.