On 19/8, the Fuel Department under the General Department of Logistics and Technology (Ministry of National Defense) presented a section of the wartime Ho Chi Minh Trail fuel pipeline to the family of General Vo Nguyen Giap. This piece is part of the pipeline that the general received from the Soviet Union, subsequently initiated its use, and provided extensive guidance for its installation and operation.
Major General Nguyen Van Luc, Director of the Fuel Department, explained that the project stemmed from respect for General Giap. Subordinate units surveyed, restored, transported, and installed the pipeline section to present to the family on the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution. The department hopes the family will preserve it as a memento of the general's and the army's achievements.
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A section of the wartime pipeline presented to the family of General Vo Nguyen Giap on 19/8. Photo: Thang Bay |
A section of the wartime pipeline presented to the family of General Vo Nguyen Giap on 19/8. Photo: Thang Bay
Major General Luc explained that the Fuel Office, the predecessor of the Fuel Department, was established on 18/4/1955 to ensure fuel supply for the military. During the American War, General Vo Nguyen Giap directed the construction of storage facilities and pipelines through key areas.
In 1968, after a visit to the Soviet Union, the general proposed the idea of a wartime fuel pipeline system and received two 100 cm pipeline sets, each 150 km long. "This was the foundation for the construction of the legendary Ho Chi Minh Trail fuel pipeline," General Luc said.
From this starting point, troops built the 5,000 km Ho Chi Minh Trail pipeline, with over 300 pumping stations and more than 100 storage tanks with a capacity exceeding 330,000 m3. It connected north and south Vietnam, from Dong Dang (Lang Son) through the Ho Chi Minh Trail, across Laos and Cambodia to Bu Gia Map (formerly Binh Phuoc), delivering fuel directly to the battlefield. The project became a "symbol of the ingenuity and resilience of the fuel troops."
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General Vo Nguyen Giap (center, in light-colored jacket) inspecting the pipeline in 1968. Archival photo. |
General Vo Nguyen Giap (center, in light-colored jacket) inspecting the pipeline in 1968. Archival photo.
During the Ho Chi Minh Campaign in 1975, the primary fuel supply for the battlefield was pumped 24/7 from Hanoi, supplementing fuel transported by road, sea, and captured from the enemy. Storage facilities in Bu Gia Map and Loc Ninh (stockpiled since 1974) supplied the 4th Corps, while the 1st and 3rd Corps, advancing from the Central Highlands towards Dong Xoai and Chon Thanh, were also supplied from the pipeline.
Thang Bay - Hong Chieu
