Combatants of Vietnam army exceptionally skilled
Tuoi Tre
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Members of the special operations command and commonly called commandos, they are special soldiers of the Vietnam Army with exceptional skills.
The can keep vigil an entire night, ‘anchor’ under water for 20 hours, lie buried in hot sand under scorching sunlight for days, run 40km with only an hour break, and swim 7km while carrying heavy weapons.
The combatants use disguise and wait for hours to ambush targets. They practice special reconnaissance, unconventional warfare, and covert demolition operations against enemies violating national sovereignty.
Other standard training includes parachuting, practicing kung fu, learning how to use various dangerous weapons, and studying multiple foreign languages.
Brutal training
In the darkness and foggy cold of early morning during the rainy season in the central highland of Vietnam, a siren sounded and immediately heavy footsteps were heard in the soldiers’ barracks.
It was 5:00am and time to get up. Soldiers start the day before dawn, tidying themselves up and having breakfast before the long day ahead.
A fake battlefield built to replicate a genuine field lies in the middle of the camp. It is comprised of a small forest of trees and bushes as well as sand dunes. Blockhouses, models of tanks, shelters, and trenches are scattered throughout the field. Spike boards and sharp barbed wires complete the menacing area.
Senior lieutenant colonel Phan Ich Dan, deputy political commissar of commando brigade 198, pointed towards the forest saying, “The training field must look like a genuine battlefield so that soldiers are not surprised when they encounter the real thing.
“No other place is more miserable or more difficult to train in,” he added. “We must always be ready for combat, so hard training is essential.”
It was only when the official suddenly ordered, “Stand up!” that the Tuoi Tre journalist realized that soldiers were surrounding him, disguised in the field. With guns in hands, they quickly appeared, their hands and faces covered with grass, mud, and sand. They wore only small underpants. They crawled swiftly past trenches and barbed wire without making a sound.
“The soldiers can lie motionless so that the battlefield is not revealed. They can also hide beneath hot sand or mud for hours to neutralize their flesh odor to deceive hunting dogs,” Dan revealed.
Dang Van Giang, a soldier of battalion 35 of brigade 198, admitted, “I got used to training. Here we lie under hot sand in sunny days and soak ourselves under water in cold days. It is an accomplishment to be recruited into the commando forces, so I don’t see it as a negative experience.”
If the temperature outside is 35 degree Celsius, it will be anywhere from 37 to an excruciating 45 degrees in the sand, he added.
A member of the unit for three years, Giang admitted that he is still a rookie compared to those with more experience, though he has been training all day long practicing kung fu, shooting, and occupation and rescuing missions.
Battle-hardened combatants
A seasoned combatant of the commando force must be both brave and clever in order to infiltrate the core of the enemy to launch sudden attacks. They also must be judicious and cunning so that when threatened by a large force, they can counterattack with equal strength even if their force is smaller.
It is the combat method of the Vietnamese commando.
Being in the commando force is certainly difficult, but once promoted to the ‘combatant’ level, much more is asked of a solider. It is a demanding job, but the dream of any young commando.
Captain Pham Danh Do from Cam Xuyen, Ha Tinh Province in the central region, who is the head of the CKB (anti terrorism) commando unit, said his team is comprised of combatants with special capabilities.
The 35-year soldier added, “We are in charge of protecting all ports from Tien Sa Port in Da Nang to the border of Ho Chi Minh City. We also protect frontier areas and key sites in the central region.
“Each combat here has own special talent. One can swim like an otter; another can shoot with a gun in each hand with unfailing accuracy. One is an expert sniper, another a kung fu master.
“We master all different kinds of guns. The target for shooting training is only 15x15cm and placed 800m – 1,000m away,” Do said.
Serving as a commando during the military conflicts in the northern border in 1979, colonel Vu The Phiet – head of brigade 198 – said, “We are always the last one to withdraw from the battlefield. Our force is small but always terrifies the enemy.”
Vietnamese commandos are well equipped with state-of-the-art weapons that match those of any elite force. The force has Micro UZI guns manufactured by Israel, able to shoot 600 shots a minute. They have special sniper guns manufactured by Russia, night vision binoculars, positioning machines, armor, and dozens of other devices. While state-of-the-art equipment certainly augments their power, victory truly depends on the acute knowledge, strategy, and courage of the combatants themselves.
Combat skills of Vietnam’s naval special force
Tuoi Tre
Each member of the special force of Vietnam Navy can dive 50m below the water surface while carrying a load of 500kg, ‘anchor’ motionless in the water for 24 consecutive hours, or hide themselves in sand of a school yard without detection.
They are trained for both water- and land-based operations, including direct action, special reconnaissance, unconventional warfare and other covert demolition operations against enemies encroaching national sovereignty.
Two-year brutal training
The barracks of the Naval Special Force -- one of the two most elite units of the commando regiment 126 of the Vietnam Navy -- is stationed between a hilly chain and a deep river which are also their training fields.
Members of the force are normally frogmen who are battle-hardened not only in the water but also on the land. They can hide themselves in sand of a school yard for hours without any detection by teachers and students.
“In cold season when temperature drops down to 8-10 degree Celsius, these frogmen make their regular swimming session. In such a harsh weather condition, the skin becomes blue and pale on leaving the water. We can’t open wide or close mouths for cold,” said captain Nguyen Hai Trieu, who has worked for the force for 18 years.
With exceptional health, they are the ones passing through strict recruitments. Usually from thousands of soldiers, only ten are selected, according to Do Quang Khai -- deputy political commissar of the regiment 126.
On average, only 20-30 men are selected a year.
“They are special men of the army with combating capability of deep and far diving and well equipped with the state-of-the-art special machines,” he added.
It takes a newly-recruited man two years of hard training to become a qualified seasoned soldier of the special force who is able to swim 10km without making a noise and dive in deep water for a long distance of 1km, and proficient in using heavy weapons.
An amphibious commando is also strong at his vestibular health that helps him remain his senses of balance and orientation during and after challenging activities of gyration. For training, his feet are tied to a Ferris wheel and the body hang upside down, and he is gyrated around and around, sometimes for several hours.
“Training program starts with far diving ability to catch a target. It is the most brutal training. Each soldier carries a load of 200kg, later up to 500kg, and dives 20-50m deep in the water. In the total darkness, soldiers are guided by special devices. It is an exhausting job due to strong tidal flows in the deep water,” said captain Trieu.
“In deep water, commandos are most obsessed by jellyfish and sea-urchin, the sea creatures that causes itch and blister after a touch.”
Soldiers are also trained with the ability to ‘anchor’ immovable under water to ambush selected targets. The current record of ‘anchoring’ in deep water of the force is 24 consecutive hours at sea.
In summer, the training field changes to the ground with a regular practice to lye burying in hot sand under the scorching sunlight to train disguising ability and strong spirit. The capability is useful in setting attacks into a city or against a well-fortified position. Then the commandos are the pioneers to surround the target. Each soldier then digs a hole and buries themselves to wait for the starting time.
They can bury themselves under hot sand from 6am till the midnight in the following day.
“If the weather is 35 degree Celsius, it must be 37-45 degree in sand. It’s an exhausting work but we have to choose between life and death, success or defeat, keeping secrecy or betrayal,” said commissar Trinh Duy Hieu.
“Our bodies turn rosy. Sun-burnt skin peels off many times and becomes as thick as the sheath of areca tree. Face complexion looks dark and weather beaten,” he admitted.
“Once we encroached a school yard and disguised ourselves by lying in sand on the yard as a test. Teachers and students set feet on us but they didn’t recognize anything.”
Challenges in deep sea water
Three times a year, members of the special force are sent to Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago in the East Sea for field training for 30-50 days. They set up a new record of the force by swimming continuously 48 hours at sea.
It is aimed at training soldiers to possess good command of combating skills in water, and underwater demolition of obstacles prior to any amphibious landing.
Actually, the biggest challenges are the swift and whirling tidal flows in Truong Sa and attacks by aggressive sharks.
“At 40-50m under sea surface in Truong Sa, you may get oxygen or nitrogen intoxication if you are not proficient with machines to decompress at different levels of depth. With a certain kind of machines, your lungs may be badly damaged if water enters the machines during your manipulation in the total darkness of the sea,” Trieu said.
Besides, naval commandos are also trained to surpass electric detectors and confront aggressive dolphins or man-eating white sharks the enemy warships keep.
For warships with hull made of 1-2cm thick steel, commandos can attack by approaching it just 3-4 meters away and setting fire. In such a case, the commandos know in advance they will sacrifice, Trieu said.
