He was the former Secretary of the Saigon-Gia Dinh City Youth Union, and also the first Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union after April 30, 1975.

Exciting atmosphere in the inner city

Mr. Pham Chanh Truc is currently the Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union Traditional Club. The arrival of April has awakened many memories of the fiery time when he and his comrades - students, university students, and youth of Saigon-Gia Dinh - were the vanguards in the struggle during the General Offensive and Uprising in the Spring of 1975. He said that since the 1960s, the struggle movement of students, university students, and youth in southern cities, especially in Saigon-Gia Dinh, rose. Generations of youth at that time were filled with revolutionary ideals, always at the forefront, ready to sacrifice for the Fatherland.

From late 1974 to early 1975, the Saigon-Gia Dinh City Youth Union was instructed by its superiors to prepare to participate in an uprising in the inner city. To carry out this task, the City Youth Union urgently and secretly deployed forces ready to rise up and seize power when the Saigon puppet government collapsed at 5 uprising points including: Nga Bay-Ban Co-Vuon Chuoi, Cau Kieu-Phu Nhuan, Cau Bong-Ba Chieu, Xom Chieu-Khanh Hoi and Tan Phu-Tan Son-Ba Queo. These 5 locations were carefully selected, close to the enemy's headquarters, concentrating forces here to support the Liberation Army's attacks when entering Saigon. The command boards of the uprising points prepared to sew flags, loudspeakers, first aid equipment, food, etc.; mobilized some houses to hide forces and logistics. In that context, at the end of March 1975, comrade Pham Chanh Truc and a number of cadres were sent to the inner city to prepare a plan to attack and seize power. He was assigned to take over District 11. “At 9:30 a.m. on April 30, 1975, when puppet President Duong Van Minh ordered the Saigon puppet government to remain still and cease fire while waiting for the Liberation Army to enter, I clearly realized that this was the right time, so I quickly moved with my comrades to District 11 to take over important targets according to plan,” Mr. Truc recalled.

“At that time, the police and army of the Saigon puppet government had begun to flee. When they saw us holding the liberation flag running towards District 11 amid the cheers and excitement of the people, many people used motorbikes to take us to the enemy's headquarters faster. The crowd headed towards the police station and then the District 11 palace without encountering any resistance. The mass spirit at that historical moment was as high and strong as a waterfall. Those were unforgettable moments when total victory was very close,” Mr. Truc emotionally recounted.

Comrade Pham Chanh Truc interacted and shared with young people of Ho Chi Minh City.

Along with Mr. Nam Nghi's direction, other directions undertaken by the Saigon-Gia Dinh City Youth Union held on, built bases in the inner city, and raised the flag of uprising right on the historic day of April 30, 1975. The City Youth Union, together with the revolutionary forces in the inner city, mobilized the masses to rise up and seize power at the grassroots level, disintegrated the puppet government, paralyzed the enemy's headquarters, supported the main force and the general offensive spearheads, and liberated Saigon-Gia Dinh.

Continue writing about courage and spirit: Living is dedication

As the first Secretary of the City Youth Union after the liberation day, Mr. Pham Chanh Truc still did not forget the initial difficulties when the country was at peace and unified. At that time, he organized teams and groups of young people to collect weapons left by the enemy on the streets, clean up, collect trash, and erase cultural and propaganda remnants of the old regime; coordinate the organization for soldiers, officers, and civil servants of the Saigon puppet government to present themselves and study for re-education. The city's youth also actively participated in cultural, artistic, and production activities, restored workshops and factories, kept the city from losing electricity or clean water, etc., and helped stabilize people's lives soon.

Recalling this period, Mr. Truc said: "In response to the requirements of the new situation, the City Youth Union boldly developed a plan to organize youth forces to go to Cu Chi district to reclaim land for agricultural production. On March 28, 1976, I directly received the shock flag from comrade Vo Van Kiet, Secretary of the City Party Committee, during the campaign of 10,000 youth volunteers to participate in implementing the plan. The young people of that time showed their spirit, pioneering, not afraid of hardships and sacrifices in the struggle and also on the economic front, determined to overcome the consequences of war, building a new life".

According to Mr. Truc, the organization of the youth volunteer force after liberation was the creative feature of Ho Chi Minh City. This is a very diverse force, including cadres, union members, young people, young intellectuals, students, and even the disbanded puppet army, unemployed young workers... with cadres, union members, and communist youth as the core. They not only went to the outskirts of the city to reclaim and cultivate, but the youth volunteer teams and general teams also went to many localities in the South, supporting land reclamation and implementing many new economic models. The new models and ways of doing things of the city's youth in volunteer activities, organization building, youth integration, technology application... have spread and multiplied throughout the country.

In 2025, Mr. Pham Chanh Truc, although 86 years old, still regularly participates in traditional activities of youth unions and socio-political organizations. Wherever he goes, he is affectionately called "Anh Nam Nghi", "Uncle Nam Nghi". Because his enthusiasm, youthfulness, and passion for dedication have not diminished over the years, he is always the core inspiration for the young generation and teenagers. He often reminds the young generation that life is dedication. Regardless of the period, ambition, aspiration and pioneering spirit are the foundation for the city's youth to affirm their own role and brand.

Discussing more about the city's development over the past half century, Mr. Pham Chanh Truc affirmed: "Ho Chi Minh City is a dynamic city, always at the forefront, the cradle of many movements such as youth volunteers, hunger eradication, poverty reduction, building charity houses, sponsoring poor patients... It is the spirit of daring to think, daring to do that has created the dynamism and creativity of the people of the City named after Uncle Ho, creating new things, new models. That is also the tradition of the heroic land of "The Fatherland's Bronze Citadel". I always believe and expect that the Party Committee, government and people of the city will continue to promote that tradition, especially the force of union members and youth of the city will always play a pioneering role, leading in movements, activities, advancing in science; contributing with the Party Committee, government and people of the city to successfully complete the goals, breakthroughs in the new development stage".

Article and photos: HUNG KHOA