On the morning of March 5, in Buon Ma Thuot City, the Ministry of Defense, in collaboration with the Dak Lak Provincial Party Committee, organized a scientific conference themed: “The Victory of Central Highlands 1975 and Half - Century of Construction and Development in Dak Lak.”

The scene of the conference. 

Attendees of the conference included: Lieutenant General, Doctor Le Huy Vinh - Member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, Deputy Minister of National Defense; Lieutenant General Phung Si Tan - Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army; Nguyen Dinh Trung - Member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, Secretary of the Dak Lak Provincial Party Committee; Major General Truong Thien To - Deputy Head of the General Department of Political Affairs of the Vietnam People’s Army; Brigadier General Le Ngoc Hai - Commander of Military Region 5; Brigadier General, Doctor Nguyen Hoang Nhien - Director of the Military History Institute; Pham Ngoc Nghi - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the People's Committee of the Province; other leaders and former leaders of the Ministry of National Defense and units under the Ministry; representatives of leaders from Dak Nong, Gia Lai, Kon Tum, Lam Dong provinces; veteran revolutionaries, national heroes of the armed forces; historical witnesses, scientists, historians, researchers; leaders of relevant departments and sectors in the province.

The chairpersons of the conference.

The Central Highlands, and Dak Lak in particular, represent a strategically important area in terms of socio-economic development, national defense, security, and foreign relations for the entire country. In the spring of 1975, under the leadership of the Politburo and the Central Party Committee, the Central Military Commission, our military and people successfully conducted the Central Highlands Campaign, liberating the Central Highlands and certain provinces in South Central Vietnam. The success of the Central Highlands Campaign shattered the strategic advantage of the enemy, creating a strategic breakthrough that fundamentally altered the balance of forces in our favor, and opened up opportunities for the strategic offensive to evolve into a General Offensive and Uprising in the spring of 1975 across the entire southern battlefield, leading the resistance against American imperialism and the struggle for national salvation to complete victory.

The victory in the Central Highlands affirmed the strategic vision and the correct, timely, and wise leadership of the Politburo and the Central Party Committee; it confirmed the strength of national unity and the longing for peace and national reunification of the people in both the North and South after more than two decades of steadfast and resolute struggle.

Lieutenant General, Doctor Le Huy Vinh - Member of the Central Committee of the Party, Deputy Minister of National Defense delivered a speech at the conference.

In his remarks at the workshop, Lieutenant General Le Huy Vinh emphasized that, following the spirit of the 1975 Central Highlands victory, right after the liberation day, the Party committee, government, and people of Dak Lak province began to heal the wounds of war, restore and develop the economy, and stabilize the lives of the people. To date, Dak Lak province has achieved significant milestones in the process of building a prosperous, civilized, and culturally rich homeland. These events have left behind invaluable lessons with profound historical significance and practical relevance for the mission of building the Armed Forces and strengthening national defense and security to protect the Fatherland in the new circumstances.

At the workshop, Nguyen Dinh Trung - Member of the Central Committee of the Party, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee affirmed that, after half a century, the victory in the Central Highlands in 1975 and the victory in Buon Ma Thuot have always been a source of pride for the military and the people of all ethnic groups in Buon Ma Thuot city, Dak Lak province, and for the ethnic groups in the Central Highlands as well as for the entire country; serving as a source of encouragement and inspiration in educating the revolutionary tradition for generations of officials, soldiers of the armed forces, and people to continue selflessly fighting for the independence and freedom of the nation, as well as for the mission of building and protecting the Fatherland today. The lessons learned from the 1975 Central Highlands victory will continue to be studied and creatively applied to the new conditions of the mission of protecting the Fatherland and building the prosperous, civilized, and culturally rich province of Dak Lak.

Comrade Nguyen Dinh Trung - Member of the Central Committee of the Party, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, spoke at the workshop. 

Within the framework of the workshop program, delegates focused on analyzing and discussing various specialized topics such as: The Central Highlands Campaign - Reflections and Insights; The Role of Main Forces in the Central Highlands Campaign - Some Lessons for the Current Construction of Military Corps; Art of Deception in the Central Highlands Campaign; Promoting the Spirit of the Central Highlands Victory, Dak Lak Province Enhancing the Quality of Education and Training to Meet Socio-Economic Development Requirements; Promoting the Spirit of the Central Highlands Victory, Building a Strong Military Force in Military Region 5; Dak Lak After 50 Years of Liberation - Achievements in Construction and Development (1975 - 2025); Training High-Quality Human Resources as a Driving Force for Socio-Economic Development in the Central Highlands; Promoting the Spirit of the Central Highlands Victory, Building Buon Ma Thuot City to Rightfully Become the Central Urban Area of the Region; The Victory of Buon Ma Thuot - A Preemptive Strike Against the Saigon Government and Military…

Comrade Pham Ngoc Nghi - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, delivered a speech at the seminar.

In addition, the organizing committee of the seminar has received nearly 90 submissions with rich and high-quality content, which have been edited and published as a book. This material serves as a valuable resource for research, propaganda, study, and education on history and the summary of the war; it acknowledges the efforts and achievements of the Party Committee, government, and people of Dak Lak Province over the past half century. 

The scientific seminar "The Victory in the Central Highlands in 1975 and Half - Century of Building and Developing Dak Lak" is a meaningful and practical activity aimed at affirming and deepening the significance of the victory in the Central Highlands for the resistance war against the U.S. imperialists; identifying the reasons for the success and drawing valuable lessons that can be applied in the current process of building and safeguarding the Fatherland; highlighting the achievements of the Party Committee, government, and people of the Central Highlands provinces in general and Dak Lak Province in particular after 50 years of healing the wounds of war, promoting the values of peace and the fighting spirit of determination and victory represented by the victory in the Central Highlands in 1975 in implementing the renewal process.

Lieutenant General, Doctor, Hero of the Armed Forces Doan Sinh Huong - Former Commander of Military Region 4 presented a discussion at the conference. 

The conference aims to continue promoting the national cultural identity and the potential advantages of the province, to inspire the spirit and aspirations for advancement in a new era for the nation, to build the strategic region of the Central Highlands and Dak Lak province to be increasingly prosperous and civilized; to honor and pay tribute to the heroes and martyrs who contributed to the victory in the Central Highlands, sacrificing their blood and efforts for the national liberation cause; to continue propagating and educating patriotism, national pride, and self-respect for the younger generation and the people of the country in general; and for the officers and soldiers of the Vietnam People’s Army in particular, contributing to the successful implementation of the twin strategic tasks of building and protecting the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in the new context.