The Political Department of Military Zone 5 opened an exhibition on the Ho Chi Minh Trail at the zone’s museum on May 16, on the occasion of the 60^th anniversary of the legendary Ho Chi Minh Trail, also known as Truong Son Trail.

Naval soldiers at the exhibition (Photo: VNA)

More than 180 images and artefacts are being displayed to reflect the fierce battle along the logistics route from the North to the South during the anti-American resistance war, and also the continued role of the road in the cause of national industrialization and modernization.

On May 19, 1959, the Politburo and President Ho Chi Minh made a decision to open a strategic logistics route to assist the southern battlefield. A special military unit, later named Group 559, was established to build the route, which ran along the Truong Son mountain range through 20 provinces of the three Indochinese countries.

The Ho Chi Minh Trail was the main artery from northern Viet Nam to battlefields in southern Viet Nam, Laos and Cambodia. It has a total length of nearly 20,000km, plus a “secret” route 3,140km long and 1,400km of petrol pipeline.

The transport route played a decisive role in the great victory of the anti-US war for national liberation.

At present, the route till serves as an important road in the national construction and development cause in all aspects of culture, economy, society, security, and defence.

(Source: VNA)