During the United States' B52 bombing raids on Hanoi in 1972, Bach Mai Hospital, the largest medical and medical science center in northern Vietnam, was a target and objective of the US air force. At 8:57 a.m. on June 27, 1972, US aircraft fired missiles and dropped large bombs on the central area of the hospital, destroying many facilities of the Cardiovascular and Digestive treatment departments, the Postoperative room, and the Obstetrics department, and killing a number of doctors and medical staff.
At 12:05 p.m. on December 19, 1972, US aircraft again dropped four bombs on the hospital, destroying the General Clinic and the Testing area of the Ear, Nose, and Throat Hospital as well as many buildings. More severely, on the night of December 21 and early morning of December 22, 1972, the enemy sent B52 aircraft to heavily bomb many areas of Hanoi, and Bach Mai Hospital again became the focal point of enemy bombardment. They carried out B52 carpet bombing, destroying most of the largest medical center of the capital and the country, killing 28 staff, doctors, and employees of the hospital, collapsing 3 solid high-rise buildings, damaging many other blocks, shattering thousands of glass windows, and burying machinery and medical equipment in the rubble.
After the enemy's bombing raid, the hospital leadership met right on the spot and resolved to hold on to the end with the guiding principle: as long as the people remain in the streets and neighborhoods and the forces continue fighting day and night to protect the capital, Bach Mai Hospital will still serve and will serve right in the heart of Hanoi.
To recognize the hospital's great contributions to the cause of caring for and protecting people's health, the Party and State awarded many noble titles to the hospital, such as the Ho Chi Minh Order, First-Class Resistance Order, First-Class Independence Order, First-Class Labor Order, and the title Hero of the People's Armed Forces for the hospital's collective staff.
The memorial site of the revolutionary and resistance event at Bach Mai Hospital currently has an area of 85.7 square meters within the hospital grounds. Here a relief sculpture depicts the soldiers, doctors, nurses, technicians, and nursing assistants who sacrificed their lives in the events of January 15, 1947 and December 22, 1972, along with a statue of a mother standing holding her child amid a scene of devastation and sorrow. Amid the busy and hurried pace of life, the memorial site appears as a solemn quiet space reminding each of us to always be grateful for the contributions and sacrifices of the collective of physicians, staff, employees, technicians, and others of Bach Mai Hospital, the white-coated soldiers on the front line against the enemy in the two national liberation struggles of the 20th century.
Every year, on major national holidays such as April 30, July 27, and National Day September 2, incense-offering ceremonies are held here to commemorate the soldiers, doctors, nurses, and patients who sacrificed their lives at Bach Mai Hospital on January 15, 1947 and December 22, 1972, with gratitude and reverence.
Over time, war has receded into the past, but the events that took place at Bach Mai Hospital in the past still remind each of us of a heroic and tragic period of the nation, so that today's younger generation knows to treasure the values of peace, independence, and freedom.
The memorial site of the revolutionary and resistance event at Bach Mai Hospital was ranked by the Hanoi City People's Committee as a city-level historical relic in 2016
