Memories of him told by Vietnamese veterans and experts who fought and worked in Laos are vivid proof of a simple, approachable leader with strategic vision, always steadfast in cultivating Vietnam-Laos solidarity.

A delegation of Vietnamese veterans and experts visited comrade Khamtay Siphandone. (Photo provided by Mr. Nguyen Tu Lac)

Memories of a simple, approachable leader

During nearly 10 years of fighting in Laos (from April 1964 to June 1973), Lieutenant General Nguyen Tien Long, Vice President of the Vietnam-Laos Friendship Association, also had the opportunity to meet comrade Khamtay Siphandone twice.

“These meetings were extremely short, but the image of comrade Khamtay Siphandone - the simple and friendly Lao revolutionary commander - left unforgettable impressions on me as well as my comrades at that time,” Lieutenant General Nguyen Tien Long recalled.

Lieutenant General Nguyen Tien Long, Vice President of Vietnam-Laos Friendship Association.

“The first time I met comrade Khamtay Siphandone was when I was the political commissar of the 23rd Company, a reconnaissance unit in the 174th Regiment in the northeast battlefield of the Plain of Jars, Xieng Khouang. That day, we were assigned to ensure the safety of the route comrade Khamtay Siphandone would pass. When passing this route, comrade Khamtay Siphandone got out of the car and asked about the health and work of the members of the reconnaissance team.

We were very touched by the friendly and close gesture of comrade Khamtay Siphandone because it not only showed the concern of the superiors but also showed the love of the fathers and uncles for their children and grandchildren in the family. More broadly, it also showed the affection and heart of the Lao people for the young generation of Vietnam in particular and for the Vietnamese people in general," said Lieutenant General Nguyen Tien Long.

After the two countries won victory in the struggle for national independence, comrade Khamtay Siphandone held many important positions in the Lao Party and State such as Minister of National Defense, Deputy Prime Minister, Prime Minister, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, and President, but he still maintained his special affection for Vietnam, always constantly caring for building and nurturing the special friendship and solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Laos and Vietnam.

Later, after retiring from work, comrade Khamtay Siphandone always arranged to welcome delegations of Vietnamese cadres, veterans, and experts who had participated in supporting the Lao revolution when they returned to visit the old battlefield. During the meetings, comrade Khamtay Siphandone was always attentive and asked about each member of the delegation.

Comrade Khamtay Siphandone always expressed his gratitude to President Ho Chi Minh, the Party and the people of Vietnam for supporting the Lao revolution. According to him, the Lao people, especially the Lao armed forces, are always proud of, trust and respect Vietnam, especially President Ho Chi Minh and General Vo Nguyen Giap.

Every time he talked about the victory of the Lao revolution and the Lao People's Army, comrade Khamtay Siphandone always associated it with the revolutionary cause of the Vietnamese people and the achievements of the Vietnam People's Army.

Continuously build and nurture the special friendship and comprehensive cooperation between Laos and Vietnam.

In addition to his years of fighting on the Lao battlefield, Mr. Dao Van Tien (96 years old) has been associated with Laos for more than 50 years as a cultural expert.

In 1948, Mr. Dao Van Tien participated in activities and fought at the western front of Thanh Hoa. It was here that he and his comrades had the opportunity to coordinate and connect with a number of Lao cadres to build forces, build revolutionary bases, and build the Sam Neua base.

During more than 10 years of sharing hardships and sufferings with Lao friends participating in the resistance war, Mr. Dao Van Tien was fortunate to meet comrade Khamtay Siphandone, who was then the Chief of Staff of the Military Region, and regularly went to the field to inspect units located in the two countries.

“In 1959, after being discharged from the army, thanks to my fluent Lao language, I transferred to work at the Central Western Working Committee, building a base in Laos. Later, when the two countries were liberated, I continued to help Laos as an expert. Over the past half century, I have helped Lao friends research and compile a number of documents and materials on the history and culture of the Lao ethnic people,” Mr. Dao Van Tien shared.

Due to work requirements, Mr. Dao Van Tien had the opportunity to read and study many documents and materials in Lao language related to the life and revolutionary career of comrade Khamtay Siphandone. These are valuable documents that will be edited and translated into Vietnamese later to help the young generation of Vietnam better understand comrade Khamtay Siphandone - an outstanding leader, an outstanding son of the Lao people, a close and loyal friend of the Vietnamese people.

With Mr. Dao Van Tien, comrade Khamtay Siphandone devoted his wisdom and tireless efforts to organizing and leading the revolutionary movement, making the Lao revolution grow, develop and continuously gain extremely great and glorious victories. Over the years, as the head of the Lao Party, Government and State, he has made great contributions to the revolutionary cause of the Lao people, contributing greatly to raising the position of the Lao People's Democratic Republic in the international arena.

“As a close and loyal friend of the Vietnamese people, comrade Khamtay Siphandone has constantly cared for building and nurturing the special solidarity and friendship and comprehensive cooperation between Laos and Vietnam; always affirming that this relationship is an objective law, a condition for the existence and development of each country's revolution; tightening the solidarity and friendly cooperation between Vietnam and Laos,” said Mr. Dao Van Tien.

As a cultural expert in Laos, Mr. Dao Van Tien (third from left) connected the working delegations of the Vietnam Army Publishing House to cooperate with relevant units in Laos. (Photo provided by the character)

General Khamtay Siphandone - a brave commander

That was Mr. Nguyen Tu Lac's first comment when talking about General Khamtay Siphandone, former Chairman of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party and former President of Laos.

In the book “Comrade Khamtay Siphandone in the Resistance War Against America”, Mr. Nguyen Tu Lac was assigned to write the section from the end of chapter IV and chapter V with the topic “From preparing to change the direction of the struggle to completely liberating the country” (from August 1958 to December 1975).

Mr. Nguyen Tu Lac was a person who participated in both the Central Laos and Upper Laos campaigns. During these campaigns, he had the opportunity to meet comrade Khamtay Siphandone in his role as the person who directly commanded these important campaigns.

“Comrade Khamtay Siphandone is a brave commander, he is always present at hot spots to directly command the war,” said Mr. Nguyen Tu Lac.

There is a memory that Mr. Nguyen Tu Lac will never forget, that is in 1962, when the working group led by comrade Khamtay Siphandone went to Sam Neua - where many Vang Pao bandits ambushed. As a person with experience and a good understanding of the culture of the Lao ethnic people, comrade Khamtay Siphandone directed his comrades to stay calm and choose the right center of the bandit ambush point to rest. Comrade Khamtay Siphandone's intelligent direction made the bandits waver and withdraw from the ambush site. While the Vietnamese comrades in the group did not understand what was happening, comrade Khamtay Siphandone explained that to defeat the enemy, one must understand them well. From that lesson, later, Vietnamese experts learned to apply it to building and advising on combat plans suitable for each stage and each specific case.

In 1963, with the knowledge and experience gained during his time studying in Vietnam, Mr. Nguyen Tu Lac returned to Laos as an expert working at the General Staff Department (now the General Staff Department) of the Lao Ministry of Defense. His main task was to support his friend in strengthening training activities.

“After more than 37 years of working as an expert at the General Staff and the Department of Operations under the Lao Ministry of National Defense, I have had many opportunities to directly interact with comrade Khamtay Siphandone. Unlike his cold and dry appearance, he is a very thoughtful, practical and profound person. He loves the experts who have to live far from their families, so he always creates the most favorable conditions to help Laos improve and complete all assigned tasks. With the desire to help us quickly integrate into the lives of the local people, he always meticulously instructs us about the culture and customs of the Lao people. Especially, after 1975, after Laos was liberated, every year on the occasion of the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, comrade Khamtay Siphandone visited, encouraged and wished the experts a happy new year,” Mr. Nguyen Tu Lac emotionally recalled.

Mr. Nguyen Tu Lac, a former expert, has worked in Laos for more than 40 years.

Now at the age of 92, Mr. Nguyen Tu Lac still diligently records and recalls the memories of his life spent in Laos, the country he considers his second homeland.

In particular, he wrote and edited a part of the book “Comrade Khamtay Siphandone in the Resistance War Against America”. This is considered one of the valuable documents for the young generations of Vietnam and Laos to better understand Comrade Khamtay Siphandone - an outstanding leader, an outstanding son of the Lao ethnic people, a close and loyal friend of the Vietnamese people.

Source: https://thoidai.com.vn/dong-chi-khamtay-siphandone-trong-ky-uc-cac-cuu-chien-binh-va-chuyen-gia-viet-nam-212232.html