On December 22, 1944, Hoàng Văn Thái became one of the first 34 members of The Vietnam Liberation Army Propaganda Unit; he was assigned to hold the national flag during the unit’s founding ceremony. In the attack on Nà Ngần fortress, he was also the one who planted the victory flag.

The August Revolution was successful, on September 7, 1945, he was assigned by President Hồ Chí Minh to establish the General Staff, and he was elected the first Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army when he was only 30.

On January 20, 1948, Hoàng Văn Thái received the rank of Major General in the first general conferment. He held the position of Chief of Staff in the following campaigns: autumn-winter Việt Bắc (1947), Biên Giới (1950), Trung Du (1950), Đồng Bằng(1951), Hòa Bình(1951), Tây Bắc (1952), Thượng Lào (1953), Điện Biên Phủ (1954)...

Photo: Party Committee of Biên Giới Campaign, 1950 General Hoàng Văn Thái (the man at the back), Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army)

In Điện Biên Phủ Campaign (March 13 - May 7, 1954), apart from Commander-in-Chief Võ Nguyên Giáp, Hoàng Văn Thái held the position of Chief of Staff. He personally directed the advisory work and fighting on the front, making an important contribution to the victory of Điện Biên Phủ.

Photo: The Party Committee and Command of the Điện Biên Phủ Campaign in Mường Phăng expressed their determination to destroy the entrenched fortifications in Điện Biên Phủ, April 22, 1954.

During the resistance war against the US, when the US sent soldiers to the South, he was appointed as the temporary Secretary of the Party Committee of Zone 5, Commander-cum-Commissar of Military Region 5 (July 1966).

Photo: Lieutenant General Hoàng Văn Thái and Major General Chu Huy Mân left the South and went to the North to report all developments to General - Commander-in-Chief Võ Nguyên Giáp, 1969.

Lieutenant General Hoàng Văn Thái, the photo was taken when he was on the B2 battlefield, January 11, 1973

The photo of Lieutenant General Hoàng Văn Thái (right) was taken at the Headquarters of Division 471 - Trường Sơn Command, 1973.

In March 1973, after nearly 8 years in the southern battlefield, holding many positions such as: Deputy Secretary of the Central Bureau, Deputy Secretary of the Region Military Committee -cum-Commander of the South Liberation Army ( alias Mười Khang), Commander of campaigns: Lộc Ninh(1967), Tây Ninh (1968), Xuân-Hè (1972)... General Hoàng Văn Thái knew very well the situation of the Southern battlefield at that time, so he was invited by the Central Committee and the Ministry of National Defense to work at the Headquarters.

Photo: Senior Lieutenant General Hoàng Văn Thái attended a meeting of the Politburo and the Military Commission of the Party Central Committee at Headquarters (House D67), 1974

Since 1973, as was Deputy Minister of National Defense, First Deputy Chief of the General Staff, Senior Lieutenant General Hoàng Văn Thái and the General Staff directed the development of strategic plans, implementation of intentions and guidelines of the Politburo, which created a good condition to seize the opportunity for a victory in the Spring 1975 General Offensive and Uprising.

Photo: General Võ Nguyên Giáp and the Standing Team analyzed the battlefield developments on the map, at Headquarters, 1975 (Lieutenant General Hoàng Văn Thái-the middle man)

During the Hồ Chí Minh Campaign, he was the First Vice Chairman of the Battlefield Support Council, the First Deputy Chief of the General Staff. In fact, for the third time he, on behalf of comrade Văn Tiến Dũng held the post of the Chief of the General Staff and secretly left for the South to personally command the battlefield there.

General Võ Nguyên Giáp talked with the Central Group in his office, 1975 (Lieutenant General Hoàng Văn Thái- the first man from the left)