Dien Bien Phu victory, one of the brilliant victories in the history of the Vietnamese people's struggle against foreign invaders in the 20th century. In this historic victory, the logistics force played an extremely important role in successfully completing the task of ensuring military supplies for the Vietnamese revolutionary armed forces, contributing to an unexpected miracle. of the commander of the French expeditionary force. One of the main and extremely creative vehicles used in logistics for the campaign is the "pack bicycle" force. Although they are rudimentary vehicles, bicycles have been "manufactured" into "carts" that can smoothly transport thousands of tons of goods along the route, no worse than any modern means.
Before that, when France invaded Vietnam, they brought these bicycles with them. At that time, bicycles were a valuable asset, not every family could afford them. To own it, only families with conditions must be able to afford it. Furthermore, if you want to drive it, you must register and be issued a license plate. At that time, a bicycle was a great asset of every family, but patriotic people were still willing to voluntarily contribute to the revolution to serve the front lines. During the Dien Bien Phu campaign, 20,991 bicycles were mobilized to participate in the campaign and created a feat called Dien Bien Phu. The French could not imagine that they would be defeated in a historic confrontation by the very bicycles they produced and brought to Vietnam. It's not that the French didn't discover that bicycles were the main source of transportation for Dien Bien Phu, but efforts to stop them were never made. Journalist Jules Joy in the book "The Battle of Dien Bien Phu" wrote: "Hundreds of tons of bombs were dropped on the traffic routes and supply routes of the Vietnam People's Army but could never cut off the That road... General Nava lost were the bicycles with packages from 200 to 320kg driven by people who had not eaten enough and slept right on pieces of plastic spread on the ground".
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Bicycles were used to carry food and weapons to serve the Dien Bien Phu campaign. Source: https://baotanglichsu.vn
Backpacking bicycles became the main, mobile, and productive means of transportation during the Dien Bien Phu campaign, known as the "backpacking bike army" operating over a length of nearly 1,500km. Bicycles are also considered the "king of transport" on the battlefield, "semi-mechanized army" because they have many outstanding advantages and can overcome many disadvantages of many other means of transportation. This type of vehicle is flexible, compact, and more mobile than motorized vehicles, so it can move on any terrain, including mountains, rivers, and streams, even the most difficult, and can also transport bulky materials. , liquid (gasoline, oil), no need for fuel, easy to repair, Easy to camouflage and can go alone or in groups in all weather conditions. Bicycle transportation is highly effective on narrow, winding trails. Not only that, bicycles also have the advantage of making less noise. During operations, transporters can promptly hear the sound of aircraft from afar and take cover in time.
To bring military supplies to the front line, civilians using bicycles were organized into groups according to locality. Each group has many platoons, each platoon has 30 - 40 vehicles, divided into groups of about 5 vehicles to support each other when going over passes and steep slopes. Each group carries essential items for self-cooking and plastic sheets to protect goods from rain. If a vehicle breaks down, move to the side of the road for repairs so as not to obstruct the path of the following vehicle. Each convoy of trucks has a vehicle that transports spare parts and repairs along the way, called a "mobile repair workshop".
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A bicycle convoy carrying food and weapons to serve the Dien Bien Phu campaign. Source: https://baotanglichsu.vn
At first, each bicycle could only carry 80 - 100kg, then the load was gradually increased thanks to simple but effective improvement initiatives of citizens. Through many improvements, the bicycle is increasingly complete with accessories such as: handle bars, brake levers, subframes, dual tires, spokes, bamboo parts... The bike has "grown" with parts. "weird" beyond the original design to increase its carrying capacity on dangerous mountain and forest trails that cars cannot go. To turn a bicycle into a cart, workers tie a small piece of bamboo, about 1 meter long, called a "throne" to control the handlebars. A piece of bamboo about 50cm higher than the saddle to hold, is tied to the saddle shaft to both maintain balance and push the bike. To increase the rigidity of the chassis, civilians and soldiers also welded iron and tied more wood; In addition, workers also use old clothes, old tubes... to "reinforce" and increase the durability of tubes and tires... On sharp rocky mountain roads, workers have to use clothing fabric to wrap around the tire. Increases vehicle endurance. "There is a company of carts with people only wearing shorts and undershirts, but the "iron horses" are all "hooked" and can "gallop" freely. Two "jig" carts can carry two seriously wounded soldiers (lying down) and four light wounded soldiers (sitting). Bicycles with generator lights are also used to create light for surgeons at night.
There have been many records associated with that bicycle. Typically, Mr. Bui Tin (citizen of Thanh Hoa province) transported food and weapons to serve the Dien Bien Phu campaign in 1954, reaching a tonnage of 80kg to 213kg (at the end of the campaign, he was honored to be awarded the Uncle Ho's Badge). Lake and Victory Medal, third class); "Carriage master" Cao Van Ty (citizen of Thanh Hoa province) with many initiatives has been able to carry 320kg/trip. Especially Mr. Ma Van Thang (citizen of Phu Tho province), the bicycle he reinforced set a transport record in the Dien Bien Phu campaign, carrying 325 kg of goods, or 13 times more than a single person carry.
With such high transportation capacity, seemingly rudimentary and harmless bicycles became "special weapons" that contributed to the victory of the campaign. Never before has logistics ensured such a large amount of material: 20,125 tons, of which 14,950 tons of rice, 3,000 tons of ammunition and oil, 268 tons of salt, 577 tons of meat, 565 tons of food. products and 177 tons of other materials. For the first time, we have guaranteed a large force to participate in the campaign, including 53,800 regular soldiers and 33,300 youth volunteers and civilians serving the campaign.
The army of bicycles appearing in Dien Bien Phu is an unprecedented miracle in the history of war, not only in Vietnam but also in the history of world wars. Although the bicycles are simple, they are a living testament to the unshakable spirit and determination of a nation on the path to regaining independence and freedom. Through their stories, the carts exude the meaning that no matter what circumstances, no matter how many difficulties and adversities are faced, if it comes from noble goals and ideals, With perseverance and creativity, we can create miracles from seemingly simple things. That is also the profound meaning that previous generations of ancestors wanted to convey to today's young generation, of which the image of "carts" is a typical example.