"May the skies over your country always remain blue, and may war never return," Belarusian veteran Vladimir Alexandrovich Gvozdovsky told the Vietnam News Agency after meeting General Nguyen Trong Nghia and a delegation from the General Department of Politics of the Vietnam People's Army.
Nghia, who is Director of the General Department of Politics of the Vietnam People's Army, recently had a meeting with Belarusian military experts who once helped Vietnam during the war.
More than half a century ago, Gvozdovsky and his comrades in a Soviet Union air defence missile unit stood alongside the Vietnamese air defence force to protect Hanoi. Today, in Minsk, the veteran warmly embraced the Vietnamese general, recalling the years he spent in Vietnam.
"Vietnam has now become one of the most attractive countries for tourists, and many people want to visit, including me," he said. "Vietnam is a wonderful country that has risen from the devastation of war in just over 50 years. With its current pace of development, I can say that you are one of the most advanced countries in the region."
Admiring Vietnam’s rapid transformation, the veteran also urged younger generations to remember the lessons of history. The most important thing, he said, is not to forget the heroic past of previous generations, but to turn that history into a source of pride in modern life.
"We are very happy to see Vietnam's development today. We are grateful that Vietnam has remembered, and continues to remember, the good things in which we played a small part," he said. "May the skies remain blue, and may war never return to your country."
Showing a copy of a photograph displayed at the Belarusian Great Patriotic War Museum, former military expert Iosif Aleksandrovich Kruglikov recalled that 53 years ago, he and his comrades were young volunteers who went to help train Vietnamese troops to operate Soviet-supplied air defence missile systems.
He called on young people to preserve peace, visit one another more frequently, and build the best possible relationship between the two countries.
Vasily Ivanovich Braga, chairman of the association of Belarus's former military experts who helped Vietnam, shared the same sentiment.
He said the Vietnamese people, under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam, have shown that they could not only fight but also work effectively to develop their country.
"In building a strong and prosperous nation, Vietnam has, within just a few decades, transformed itself from a war-torn and underdeveloped country into one of the leading countries in the region, with high export volumes," Braga said.
Recounting visits to Vietnam organised by the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence, Braga said they gave Belarusian experts an opportunity to witness the country's achievements first-hand.
"We saw the great changes that took place during the post-war period of peace. New industrial enterprises, beautiful roads, modern supermarkets, and abundant industrial and food products appeared," he said.
At an earlier meeting with General Nghia, Braga noted that the first Soviet military experts, including those from Belarus, arrived in Vietnam in April 1965, together with trains carrying military equipment.
Training for Vietnamese officers and soldiers in operating air defence missile systems began soon afterwards. In early July 1965, the first S-75 Dvina air defence missile battalions were deployed to protect Hanoi. On July 24 that year, they shot down three US aircraft, according to Braga.
He said Soviet military equipment and weapons later accounted for up to 70% of the equipment and weaponry used by the Vietnam People's Army.
About 11,000 Soviet military personnel were sent to Vietnam as experts and advisors, including 205 from Belarus, Braga said. Despite intense bombing and difficult climatic conditions, with temperatures inside missile system control cabins sometimes reaching 60 degrees Celsius, they fulfilled their duties.
Many Soviet personnel received orders and medals for their courage and bravery in combat. Soviet officer Vasily Mikhailovich Zamkov was awarded the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces of Vietnam. Others lost their lives while on duty, including Belarusian First Lieutenant Mikhail Konstantinovich Bryndikov, who was killed during a US air raid on Vietnam on September 9, 1972./.
