Vice President meets outstanding war heroines

Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan met 98 heroic Vietnamese mothers, heroines of armed forces, and outstanding members of the war-time “Long-haired army” and “three responsibilities” campaign in Hanoi on March 6.

Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan and participants (Source: VNA)

The meeting came ahead of the 105 th anniversary of International Women’s Day (March 8), the 55 th anniversary of the founding of the “Long-haired army” during the anti-US resistance war, and the 50 th anniversary of the “three responsibilities” campaign, which contributed to the southern liberation and national reunification.

The Vice President hailed the women’s heroic acts during the war, which she said, have gone down in the history of Vietnam and added to the glorious history of Vietnamese women in particular.

Vietnamese women have brought the tradition of bravery into play and proved worthy of the words that President Ho Chi Minh used to describe them “Heroic – Undaunted – Loyal – Capable”, she said.

Established in the Dong Khoi (Mass Uprising) movement in the southern province of Ben Tre in 1960, the “Long-haired army” skillfully used three types of attack, including military action, political action, and military proselytizing. With their “soft power”, the women’s army with their rudimentary weapons struck fear into the heart of fully-armed enemies.

The “three responsibilities” campaign, which called on women to take on the responsibilities at work, at home and at the battlefield when necessary while the men were away fighting, was launched on March 22, 1965 by the Central Committee of Vietnam Women’s Union, in response to President Ho Chi Minh’s appeal. Only three months later, it drew 1.7 million women nationwide, from rural to urban areas, in every working field.

Tens of thousands of them volunteered to join local militia units or transport teams to bring supplies to the battlefields.

During the campaign, 42 heroines and 9 heroic units were honoured, over 1,700 were awarded with Uncle Ho insignia, while nearly 4 million won the title of “three responsibilities” women.

(Source: VNA)