Zil 157 – The Iconic Truck of Truong Son Route

The above verses are from “The no-glass car platoon” poem by poet Pham Tien Duat, written in 1969 on the Truong Son road during the fierce resistance war against America. This poem is part of the poem cluster that won the first prize in the 1969 Literature and Arts Poetry Contest, and was published in the book “Moonlight and Firelight”. The poem depicts the image of military transport vehicles that once traveled along the Truong Son road and contributed significantly to the historic victory of the nation.

The Truong Son road is a network of roads consisting of 5 vertical systems and 21 horizontal systems in the Eastern and Western Truong Son, with a total length of nearly 20,000 km. Among them is a “closed” road over 3,140 km long. There is also a river road system nearly 500 km long. On August 9, 1964, the 98th Battalion, a Heroic Unit, opened the first mechanized road on Truong Son. By October 25, 1965, the first convoy of trucks transported goods to the battlefield, marking the beginning of mechanized transportation on Truong Son.

Thanks to the mechanized transportation route, we were able to transport millions of people belonging to various branches and forces to the battlefield along this road. Dozens of divisions and main forces were transported flexibly to the battlefield within a lightning-fast time of 4 days, replacing the previous 4 to 5 months. On average, we transported more than 1 million tons of goods: weapons, material resources, food, medicine, and ammunition on the 20,000 km road segment, promptly providing support to the frontline in the South… In 1974 alone, the amount of goods transported was 22 times higher than in 1966. In the General Offensive and Uprising Campaign in the spring of 1975, the Truong Son Corps ensured traffic on the entire Highway 1 and 7 and other road routes, with a total length of 2,577 km, using over 1,000 vehicles.

ZIL is the abbreviation for the “Likhachev-named plant”, a long-standing automobile manufacturing enterprise of the former Soviet Union and present-day Russia. This famous factory was named after Ivan Alekseevich Likhachev (1896-1956), the leading designer of the Soviet automotive industry. The Zil157 truck was produced at the Likhachev plant. The Zil-157 truck is a model produced to replace the Studebaker US6, which was the main transport vehicle in the Soviet army during World War II. It was only in 1957 that the new project became a reality with the first Zil three-axle truck, a peak of Soviet technology. The 6×6 off-road truck had three drivetrains and an excellent synchronizer differential between axles. Furthermore, some versions of it were equipped with self-inflating tire devices while driving (later as a platform for development on the Zil-131 truck).

In Vietnam, the Zin 157, also known as the Zil three-axle truck, quickly became a hero on the legendary Truong Son road during the years of the resistance war against the US to save the country. The 3-axle Zil, with dimensions of length: 6.684m, width: 2.315m, height: 2.36m, and a 5.6-liter engine, 109 horsepower, is a peak of Soviet technology.

After its birth, the Zil 157 truck won the “grand prix” (big prize) at the 1958 Brussels International Auto Exhibition. The Zil 157 truck was primarily designed to be a strategic truck used by the Soviet military, but it was also used for many other military variations such as mounting Cachiusa rockets, towing artillery, etc. Both the Soviet Union and China transferred both types of vehicles to Vietnam. Since they were mass-produced, Chinese-produced vehicles could also use Soviet vehicle parts, which made it easier for Vietnamese mechanics to repair the vehicles when damaged.

The Zil 157 and the Liberation CA 30 models look almost exactly alike, except for the square shock absorbers instead of the circular ones. Both models were extensively used by the Vietnamese People’s Army in the Vietnam War, border wars in the Northwest and Southwest, and international duty in Cambodia. They continue to transport soldiers and supplies today.

During transportation, the soldiers of the Vietnamese army created additional supports made of bamboo to camouflage themselves from the bombs and bullets of the enemy. After thousands of kilometers of climbing mountains, crossing rivers, and going through tunnels under bomb rain, the Zil 157 vehicles still exist as evidence, representing the “wild warriors” in the Vietnam War. It is incredible to think that the tiny Vietnamese women were able to conquer such large vehicles without power-assisted steering, heavy shifting, and big tires, using them to transport goods and troops to the beloved South, braving the bomb and bullet rain of the enemy.

This vehicle has also been composed as the song “I am Zil three-axle truck” by musician Tran Tien, adapted from the poem by poet Pham Tien Duat, with simple and strong lyrics: “I am a Zil three-axle truck/ Yes, strong like a Zil three-axle truck/ With my big platoon/ I am respected like the platoon leader…”. Since then, the song has been sung in every unit, echoing throughout the Truong Son forest with the applause of the comrades as a tribute to the heroism of the iconic vehicle that tirelessly transported goods and troops to the beloved South day and night.

Today, in many military units, although they are old, Zil 157 vehicles still patiently serve the soldiers in peacetime training. In addition, there are still a few Zil 157 vehicles being liquidated by state agencies, and they are always of interest to collectors due to their rarity. Recently, on social media, a military truck model that is associated with the achievements and legends on the historic Truong Son trail of the Vietnamese People’s Army has appeared. Although they have gone through periods of use, preservation, and have a long lifespan, with the hands and minds of soldiers and the motto “love the vehicle like a child, treasure gasoline like blood”, the vehicles are always ensured to be in the best condition and cleanest, ready to perform duties when needed.

Binh Nguyen (Tuoitrethudo)