On April 30, 1975, we launched a general offensive into the city center, capturing strategic targets. The Ho Chi Minh Campaign was a complete victory. Saigon and most of the Mekong Delta provinces were liberated.
On the morning of April 30, 1975, Martin, the US Ambassador, fled Saigon. At 9:30 a.m., Duong Van Minh announced on Saigon Radio that he proposed the Liberation Army halt its offensive "to discuss the orderly handover of power."
From 5 a.m., our troops, with the core being the deep penetration assault force, advanced en masse into the heart of Saigon from all directions.
On the northwest front, at 7:15 AM on April 30, 1975, mortar positions of the 3rd Corps and the 10th Division simultaneously unleashed a barrage of fire on Tan Son Nhat Airport and the Saigon Army General Staff Headquarters. Units from their deployment positions quickly seized their designated targets. The 24th Regiment, along with one battalion of the 273rd Armored Brigade, guided by commandos, opened fire and seized Bay Hien Crossroads at 6:30 AM.
At 9:45 AM, the 24th Regiment, along with tanks, split into two prongs to attack Tan Son Nhat. The first prong, Company 5, was the breakthrough unit. Battalion 5 surged through Gate 5, the communications area, and the headquarters of the 5th Air Force Division. The enemy put up fierce resistance. Battalions 4 and 6 of the 24th Regiment advanced through Gate 4 to capture the Airborne Command Headquarters, the Air Force Command Headquarters, and surrounding targets.
Company 9, Battalion 6 quickly advanced to Camp David, where the headquarters of our two military delegations in the Four-Party Joint Committee implementing the Paris Agreement were located. The meeting between the soldiers of Regiment 24 and their comrades in the delegation was extremely moving.
The 6th Battalion continued its advance to capture the Republic of Vietnam Air Force Command. At 11:00 AM, Company 11 of the 6th Battalion entered the Republic of Vietnam Air Force Command. At 11:30 AM, the 24th Regiment completely secured Tan Son Nhat Airport.
Receiving orders to attack the General Staff Headquarters of the Republic of Vietnam, at 9:30 AM, Regiment 28 advanced to Lang Cha Ca and encountered Regiment 24, which was engaging the enemy at Gate 5. They immediately maneuvered to the right. Battalion 3, along with Tank Battalion 2 and engineering, reconnaissance, and anti-aircraft units, launched a breakthrough towards the main gate. The enemy put up fierce resistance.
The 28th Regiment split into two prongs: one attacked the main gate, and the other flanked to the southeast. The 28th Regiment's forces, led by tanks, breached the main gate and advanced directly to the headquarters of the Republic of Vietnam's General Staff, securing the objective at 11:30 AM on April 30, 1975.
At the same time, soldiers of the 320B Division, 1st Corps, attacked the General Staff Headquarters of the Republic of Vietnam from another direction, capturing the multi-story buildings, artillery positions, and helicopter landing pad near Gate 2, the communications area, the First and Second Offices, the General Directorate of Logistics, and advancing into the central area. They coordinated with the 28th Regiment to occupy and defend the main building of the General Staff Headquarters of the Republic of Vietnam.
The 64th Regiment of the 320A Division, under orders from the Corps, advanced to the Independence Palace to rendezvous with friendly units, but only arrived at 13:00. Afterwards, they joined forces to attack and take control of District 3 and Phu Nhuan District. The 316th and 320th Divisions pursued the enemy and, together with local forces in Tay Ninh , Cu Chi, and Hoc Mon, liberated these areas.
To the north, in the direction of the 1st Corps, the 165th Regiment (312th Division), with 10 tanks providing support and 2 companies of local troops coordinating, attacked the Phu Loi base. The 209th Regiment captured An Loi, Cau Tay, My Thach, and Xom Xoai. The 141st Regiment crossed Trang Bang and attacked the enemy at Lai Khe. Subsequently, these forces advanced towards Thu Dau Mot, destroying and dispersing the 5th Division and all of the puppet army, coordinating with local forces to completely liberate Binh Duong province.
At dawn on April 30, 1975, the 312th Division ordered the 209th Regiment, the 141st Regiment (incomplete), and reinforced technical units, supported by one battalion of local troops, to encircle and block the 5th Infantry Division (minus one regiment) of the Republic of Vietnam at the Lai Khe stronghold. Near noon, the enemy at this stronghold raised a white flag and surrendered.
Advancing along National Highway 13, the 320B Division's deep penetration force shattered the Lai Thieu military zone's defenses, opening the last "hard gate" in the north to enter the inner city of Saigon. At dawn on April 30th, the 27th Regiment (320B Division), reinforced by the 3rd Tank Company of the 202nd Brigade, advanced to attack the Binh Phuoc Bridge and the enemy's Command Headquarters. Upon reaching the Vinh Binh Bridge, the battle for control was extremely fierce. By 8:30 AM, the 27th Regiment had secured the bridge, and with the guidance of local people, subsequently captured the Binh Phuoc Bridge and the Command Headquarters in Go Vap.
The main thrust into the inner city was undertaken by the 48th Regiment (320B Division), which broke through the enemy's defensive line holding the Binh Trieu Bridge, penetrating along Bach Dang and Chi Lang roads to attack the General Staff Headquarters of the Republic of Vietnam. At the Saigon Army General Staff Headquarters, while the 10th Division (3rd Corps) captured Gate 1, the 48th Regiment also captured Gate 2, the computer area, the communications center, and the operations center.
On the west and southwest fronts, the 232nd Regiment advanced and took control of the Hau Nghia area and both sides of the Vam Co River. After crossing the river, the 9th Division advanced in two prongs. The first prong, the 1st Regiment, destroyed the paratrooper battalion at the Ba Queo intersection, captured the Vinh Loc sub-district, then attacked and crushed the enemy at the Bay Hien intersection and advanced along Le Van Duyet Street, capturing and taking control of the South Vietnamese Capital Special Zone Command at 10:30 AM. Following this, another prong advanced to converge at the Independence Palace.
The second thrust involved the 3rd Regiment destroying the 8th Brigade Headquarters and the 88th Ranger Battalion on the Korean perimeter, routing the 327th Security Battalion south of Vinh Loc, then attacking the outpost of the 317th Security Battalion, destroying the Ba Hom district, capturing the Phu Tho racetrack, and a contingent advancing to rendezvous at the Independence Palace.
At 5:30 AM on April 30, 1975, the 24th Regiment, along with special forces, attacked and annihilated the enemy at the Dinh Hung Dong intersection, then seized the Nhi Thien Duong Bridge and the Y-shaped Bridge. At 10:30 AM, the Regiment captured the National Police Command Headquarters and moved a unit to the Independence Palace for regrouping. Special forces units quickly organized their offensive, capturing Tan Binh District at 8:00 AM; Binh Chanh District at 10:00 AM; and the Rung Sac Special Zone at 12:00 PM.
From 5:30 to 8:00, Regiment 88 attacked and destroyed the Ba Phuoc outpost and sub-district, then advanced to take control of the Ong Thin outpost, An Phu intersection, and Nha Be area. Regiment 16 captured the Western Port area, An Lac, and Binh Dien, after which a contingent advanced into the inner city.
From 5:00 AM to 12:00 PM on April 30th, the 5th Division launched an attack, destroying and forcing the surrender of the entire 22nd Division and its commando battalions. Subsequently, the Division, along with local forces, captured Tan An town and the Thu Thua sub-district.
On the eastern front, from 7:00 to 9:00 on April 30, 1975, the 6th Division (4th Corps), in coordination with the 3rd Regiment (341st Division), captured the headquarters of the 3rd Corps of the Republic of Vietnam Army. At 11:00, they took control of the headquarters of the 3rd Air Force Division and Bien Hoa airfield.
At 9:00 AM on April 30, 1975, the 341st Division captured Hoc Ba Thuc, and at 1:00 PM advanced into Thu Duc.
At 10:30 AM, the 209th Regiment captured the 18th Division headquarters and the commando base, then advanced into downtown Saigon. At 11:00 AM, the 7th Battalion of the 3rd Regiment, along with 6 tanks, crossed the Ghenh Bridge and advanced, entering Saigon by 4:30 PM.
At 9:00 AM on April 30, 1975, the 7th Division organized its formation to advance into Saigon along the highway, capturing designated targets such as the Marine Corps Headquarters, the naval base, the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of Vietnam, and Bach Dang Port… Following the 7th Division's formation, the 52nd Brigade attacked and secured its assigned targets in District 10.
In the southeast direction, at dawn on April 30, 1975, having just secured the area around the Highway Bridge over the Dong Nai River, the 2nd Corps Command immediately ordered its mechanized assault forces to quickly advance towards Thu Duc, Saigon.
After capturing Long Binh, the 304th Division (2nd Corps) seized control of the Saigon Highway and advanced on Tan Cang. At 1:30 PM, the 325th Division crossed the river and captured District 9 and Thu Thiem. The 3rd Division (5th Military Region) took control of Vung Tau and, with the help of local people providing boats, organized a river crossing to capture Can Gio.
At 5:00 AM on April 30, 1975, the deep penetration force (203rd Tank Brigade and 66th Regiment), guided by the 116th Special Forces Regiment, crossed the Bien Hoa Bridge, bypassed the enemy blockade at Thu Duc intersection, and reached the Rach Chiec Bridge at 9:00 AM.
At 9:00 AM on April 30, 1975, the spearhead crossed the Saigon Bridge, destroying enemy resistance strongholds at Hang Xanh and Thi Nghe Bridge, and advancing towards the Independence Palace. At 10:30 AM, guided by urban guerrilla forces, Company 4 of the 203rd Tank Brigade, commanded by Captain Bui Quang Than, led the spearhead force, breaking through the gates and entering the Independence Palace. The leading unit of the 66th Infantry Regiment (2nd Corps) and a detachment of urban guerrilla forces compelled President Duong Van Minh and the entire Saigon government cabinet to surrender. At 11:30 AM, the liberation flag flew atop the Independence Palace, signaling the complete victory of the Ho Chi Minh Campaign.
After more than three days and nights of swift and fierce fighting, we captured five key targets, and on April 30, 1975, we took control of all military, political, and economic targets within Saigon.
On the same day, April 30, 1975, our forces in the Mekong Delta provinces continued to coordinate with the people to launch simultaneous attacks and uprisings to seize power. Especially after receiving news that Saigon had been liberated and the enemy was demoralized, most districts and provinces in the Mekong Delta proceeded to liberate their localities very quickly. On April 30, 1975, the people and armed forces of the provinces of Can Tho, Go Cong, My Tho, Vinh Long, Tra Vinh, Soc Trang, Bac Lieu, Rach Gia, Sa Dec, and Long An combined their attacks and uprisings to liberate themselves.
In Can Tho, Military Region 9, using the 4th Division, successively captured Tra Noc Airport, the headquarters of the 4th Air Force of the Republic of Vietnam, then advanced into the city center, seizing: the headquarters of Military Region 4 of the Republic of Vietnam, the airport, the port, warehouses, and units of the Republic of Vietnam Navy Command… At the same time, local armed forces and urban guerrilla forces, in coordination with the revolutionary masses, rose up and took control of important positions in the city. Can Tho city was liberated on the evening of April 30, 1975.
In Tra Vinh, on the morning of April 30, 1975, provincial armed forces advanced into the town from multiple directions, coordinating with local forces and the people to disarm and force the surrender of security battalions 404 and 407, and apprehend the cruel oppressors. By noon, Tra Vinh was completely liberated.
In Vinh Long, on the morning of April 30, 1975, armed units of the region and the province simultaneously attacked and captured the town as planned. The enemy stubbornly resisted with artillery fire and fought to the death at the outposts on the outskirts of the town. By 3 PM on April 30, 1975, the armed forces, in coordination with mass political forces, captured the airport, destroyed the civilian defense outpost, and forced the district units to surrender. By the afternoon of April 30, 1975, Vinh Long was liberated.
In Soc Trang, on the night of April 29th and the morning of April 30th, 1975, our main and local forces simultaneously launched an attack on Soc Trang town. Armed forces, in combination with the insurgent masses, seized important targets in the town such as: An Hoa Bridge, Nam Ong Pagoda, the police station, the governor's residence, Hoang Dieu area, Ly Thuong Kiet camp, and the airport… The enemy fiercely resisted. By 2 PM on April 30th, 1975, the town and most localities in Soc Trang were completely liberated.
In Bac Lieu, thanks to effective preparatory work among the troops, on the morning of April 30, 1975, our cadres hoisted the National Liberation Front flag on vehicles and drove straight to the Governor's residence. On the streets, the people gathered in support of the revolution in front of the administrative building, forcing the colonel governor to declare the handover of power to the revolution at 11:30 AM.
In Ha Tien, at 5:30 PM on April 30, 1975, the armed forces, in coordination with the people, launched an attack and uprising to completely liberate the towns of Ha Tien and Kien Luong.
On the same day, April 30, 1975, the Politburo sent a telegram "warmly commending the army and people of Saigon-Gia Dinh, commending all cadres and soldiers, party members and youth union members, belonging to the main army units, local army units, elite army units, and militia who fought extremely bravely, achieved brilliant victories, destroyed and dispersed a large enemy force, forced the Saigon puppet regime to surrender unconditionally, liberated the city of Saigon-Gia Dinh, and brought the historic campaign named after the great President Ho Chi Minh to complete victory."
NDO
Source: https://baohanam.com.vn/chinh-polit/ngay-30-4-1975-chien-dich-ho-chi-minh-toan-thang-160470.html
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