Joining the delegation were Major General Hoang Ngoc Minh, former Deputy Chairman of the Government Cipher Committee; Mr. Nguyen Xuan Viet, former Deputy Chairman of the Government Cipher Committee; along with nearly 200 cipher officers, staff, and soldiers from across the armed forces.

The delegation offered incense at President Ho Chi Minh’s Temple in the ATK (Safety Zone).

The first destination of the delegation was the ATK – the capital of the resistance war. It is well known that within the ATK system of the Central Committee based in the Viet Bac resistance base, the decision to select Dinh Hoa, Thai Nguyen as the command center of the resistance was a sound and visionary choice, reflecting the strategic foresight of the Party and President Ho Chi Minh. Dinh Hoa possessed distinct advantages in location and terrain: “advance to attack, retreat to defend” - its mountains and forests provided both a stronghold for counteroffensive and natural protection, ensuring secrecy and security for the Central Committee and other agencies stationed there.

Major General Hoang Ngoc Minh, former Deputy Chairman of the Government Cipher Committee and former Director of the Department of Cipher under the General Staff, together with Major General Hoang Van Quan, current Director of the Department of Cipher under the General Staff, rang the ceremonial bell to report their achievements at President Ho Chi Minh’s Temple.

This site is also where many historic decisions were made, such as the conference chaired by President Ho Chi Minh to approve the operational plan for the Winter–Spring Campaign of 1953–1954, and the decision on December 6, 1953, to launch the Dien Bien Phu Campaign - a momentous resolution that became one of the most glorious milestones in the history of the Vietnamese nation.

The delegation took a commemorative photo at President Ho Chi Minh’s Temple in the ATK.

At the site, the delegation offered incense in remembrance of President Ho Chi Minh, General Vo Nguyen Giap, and the fallen heroes and martyrs, and visited the “Hill of Generals.”

As part of this “march back to the roots,” the delegation of cipher officers from across the armed forces also visited the Historical Cipher Memorial at Ban Co Forest, Yen Thong Commune, Dinh Hoa District, Thai Nguyen Province (now Reo Cai Hamlet, Binh Yen Commune, Thai Nguyen). During the resistance war against the French (1948–1950), the General Staff held numerous training courses here for cryptographic officers and staff, ensuring a timely force to serve the leadership and command of the Party Central Committee, the General Command, resistance zones, and localities nationwide.

On May 9, 1950, President Ho Chi Minh visited the students of the “Le Lai” class and reminded them: “Cryptography is a highly confidential, important, and honorable task. It is necessary for the General Staff to open such a large class. You are entrusted by the Party Central Committee and the General Staff; therefore, you must study and work well… I remind you to keep cryptography secret, maintain solidarity, and follow military discipline.” His instructions became the guiding principle, the code of conduct, and the working motto of the Military Cipher sector throughout its 80 years of building, fighting, and development.

The delegation took a commemorative photo at the Historical Cipher Memorial.

As part of the journey, the delegation paid tribute to the Party Committee, authorities, and people of Binh Yen Commune, Thai Nguyen Province - who wholeheartedly supported, sheltered, and protected the revolutionary forces in general and the cipher force in particular during the most difficult years of hardship, contributing to the ultimate victory of the resistance and national construction.

The delegation presented gifts to the People’s Committee and the Boarding School in Binh Yen Commune, Thai Nguyen Province.

This “march back to the roots” aimed to educate officers, staff, and soldiers about the proud traditions of the Cipher sector in general and the Military Cipher Force in particular.

Upholding the tradition of “Loyalty, Dedication, Solidarity, Discipline, and Creativity,” the Military Cipher Force will continue striving to excel in all assigned tasks: ensuring the absolute secrecy of information in support of combat readiness; advancing research to master cryptographic science and technology; securing information systems, IT infrastructure, weapons, and military equipment; building and developing digital signature authentication systems to serve digital transformation and administrative reform within the Ministry of National Defense; and accelerating the implementation of modernization projects, developing the Military Cipher Force into a modernized unit capable of meeting the demands of new missions in the current context.