During the anti-American war, the "no-number-plate ship" of the Việt Nam People's Navy transported tens of thousands of tonnes of weapons, equipment, and thousands of officials and soldiers from the North to major battlefields in the South, creating the legendary "Hồ Chí Minh Trail" at Sea. File Photo published by VNA

HÀ NỘI - Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính on November 26 signed a decision recognising the Ho Chi Minh Trail at Sea, encompassing Hải Phòng city and provinces of Phú Yên, Bà Rịa - Vũng Tàu, and Cà Mau, as a national special relic site.

Lê Hoàng Phú, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Phú Yên, said the designation is especially significant as it coincides with the 60th anniversary of the first "no-number-plate ship" arriving at the locality's Vũng Rô port (November 28, 1964 - 2024).

For 14 consecutive years, from 1961 to the historic victory on April 30, 1975, those ships played a pivotal role in establishing the legendary Hồ Chí Minh Trail at Sea, creating a vital strategic supply line.

Vũng Rô was a key point in the network of five ports along the trail which stretches over thousands of kilometres. In just a few months, from November 1964 to February 1965, it received four such ships, including three that successfully transported more than 200 tonnes of weapons and medicine from the North to the southern battlefield.

At the end of 1964, one ship captained by Hero of the People’s Armed Forces Hồ Đắc Thành departed from Bãi Cháy of the northern province of Quảng Ninh with the mission of transporting 60 tonnes of weapons and supplies for battlefield in Zone 5. It also carried a mission of opening the port for similar ships to dock at Vũng Rô.

Thanks to this supply, Phú Yên Province equipped its military and militia units with sufficient weapons, including nearly 3,000 rifles for the 6,963 local guerrilla fighters.

With this support, Phú Yên locals and armed forces scored numerous victories which contributed to the liberation of the province on April 1, 1975. VNS