Xuan Loc - Long Khanh Campaign: 50 years of echoes of the heroic liberation song

(PLVN) - The Xuan Loc - Long Khanh Campaign was the key battle that opened the "steel door" to Saigon, opening the decisive opportunity for the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign, completely liberating the South and unifying the country.

Open the "steel door" to Saigon

In April 1975, in the rapid momentum of the Spring General Offensive and Uprising, the Central Party Politburo approved the plan to liberate Saigon - Gia Dinh. On April 9, 1975, the Xuan Loc - Long Khanh Campaign opened, marking the final decisive stage of the resistance war.

At 5:40 a.m. that morning, the 4th Corps opened fire to attack Xuan Loc, a town in Long Khanh province (currently Long Khanh city, Dong Nai province), which was considered the "steel door" northeast of Saigon. Artillery units poured down fire, followed by infantry spearheads penetrating deep, dividing and breaking the enemy's defenses. In the North, East and outer directions, our main units took turns capturing strategic targets, from information areas, military bases, to key blocking positions on Highway 1 and Dau Giay intersection.

In the Southwest, the 5th Division attacked Thu Thua, Tan An and the outposts along the Vam Co Tay. Meanwhile, on the sea, the Central Military Commission promptly ordered the occupation of the Truong Sa islands, which showed signs of enemy retreat. On the Truong Son road, the transport divisions urgently mobilized the 1st and 2nd Corps to approach Saigon from both the East and West.

In the provinces of Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan , the special forces of Military Region 6 combined with the infantry to expand the area, creating a solid siege of the campaign. After 12 days of fierce fighting, on April 21, 1975, the enemy fled Xuan Loc, the "steel door" was officially broken. On the same day, President of the Republic of Vietnam Nguyen Van Thieu announced his resignation, marking the irreversible collapse of the Saigon regime.

The Xuan Loc Campaign was considered a decisive strategic blow that had a decisive meaning for the final victory of the Ho Chi Minh Campaign. By using the art of flexible tactics, switching from direct attack to encirclement, division, and destruction of reinforcements, our army defeated a dense defensive line that the US and the Saigon government had built with all their efforts.

Xuan Loc is located 80km from Saigon, blocking the main traffic routes: National Highways 1A, 15 and 20. Therefore, the enemy turned this place into an impregnable fortress with all the elite forces: infantry, armored, artillery and special forces divisions. General

Frederick C. Weyand - Chief of Staff of the US Army once inspected and declared: "Must keep Xuan Loc, losing Xuan Loc means losing Saigon".

However, with determination, bravery and flexible tactics, the 4th Corps and its coordinating units caused the enemy's entire defense system to collapse.

As soon as Xuan Loc fell, the political situation in Saigon was shaken. That same evening, in an atmosphere of panic, especially when the US evacuation campaign was accelerated, President Nguyen Van Thieu announced his resignation. His successor was Tran Van Huong, but this change could not stop the wave of disintegration of the Republic of Vietnam government. At the same time, the Trang Bom - Bien Hoa battlefield continued to be fired upon, accelerating the progress of the attack on Saigon.

The very next day, April 22, the Party Committee and the Ho Chi Minh Campaign Command approved and officially approved the plan to attack and liberate Saigon - Gia Dinh. On April 23, US President Gerald Ford declared before Congress: "The war is over for the Americans."

Speaking at the scientific conference "Trang Bom Victory (April 27, 1975) in the Ho Chi Minh Campaign - Significance and Lessons Learned" held on April 23 in Dong Nai, Major General Nguyen Hoang Nhien said that in the last days of April 1975, when the whole country was focusing all its efforts on the Ho Chi Minh Campaign (April 26-30, 1975) to destroy the last stronghold of the puppet government, the battle to destroy Trang Bom Stronghold on April 27 by Division 341 (then Army Corps 4, now Military Region 4), with the coordination of the army and people of Dong Nai, played a very important role.

In this battle, we destroyed and disintegrated a large part of the enemy's forces, broke the "hard link" on the eastern defense line of Saigon, opened wide the door to Bien Hoa and created momentum to liberate Saigon on April 30, contributing significantly to the final victory of the historic campaign.

From fierce battlefield to the most dynamic economic region in the Southeast

The victory of Xuan Loc was a decisive turning point that paved the way for the Ho Chi Minh Campaign. This was a testament to the effectiveness of modern Vietnamese military art, from preparing the battle, organizing troops to flexibly applying combat forms, and closely coordinating between main and local forces.

From a fierce battlefield, Xuan Loc district has now risen strongly. (Photo: A corner of Xuan Loc district seen from above)

In addition to its strategic value, the campaign also carries a strong symbolic meaning for the indomitable spirit, intelligence and patriotism of the people and soldiers of the Southeast region. From a land plowed by bombs and bullets, Xuan Loc today has become an advanced new rural district, a symbol of the will to recover and develop after the war.

The Xuan Loc - Long Khanh Campaign ended not only with a resounding military victory, but also opened a new chapter in the nation's history of independence, peace and unity. 50 years have passed, but the echoes of the campaign still hold true, continuing to inspire today's generation with the aspiration to contribute and build a strong country.

During the resistance war against the US, Dong Nai province, especially Xuan Loc, Long Khanh, Trang Bom areas, was a strategic area that the enemy tried to control by all means, turning into a solid military base. The enemy modernized Bien Hoa airport into the largest air base in the South, built a series of military bases such as the 3rd Corps, the 2nd Field Command, the Nuoc Trong Training Center and giant logistics warehouses such as Long Binh. In Xuan Loc, the enemy established a key defense line with the determination to stop our army's advance from the Northeast.

The resounding victory at Xuan Loc - Long Khanh and then Trang Bom not only tore apart the enemy's key defense line but also opened up a decisive opportunity for the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign, completely liberating the South and unifying the country.

50 years later, the land that was once a fierce battlefield has truly “blossomed and borne fruit”. The localities of Xuan Loc, Long Khanh, Trang Bom have risen strongly, becoming bright spots in the socio-economic development of Dong Nai province and the whole country.

Xuan Loc District, once known as the "steel door", is now one of four districts nationwide selected by the Central Government to pilot the construction of an "advanced new rural district" and has completed many outstanding targets. Chairwoman of Xuan Loc District People's Committee, Ms. Nguyen Thi Cat Tien, said: All 14/14 communes in the area have met the model new rural standards for the period 2021 - 2025; the average income per capita of the whole district reached 95 million VND/year; traffic infrastructure, schools, health care, and culture have been invested synchronously.

Long Khanh City (formerly Xuan Loc District) has also developed strongly as an economic, cultural and educational center of the Southeast region. Long Khanh maintains its agricultural strengths, especially high-quality fruits and value chain production. At the same time, the locality also strongly attracts investment in light industry, services, education and high-quality healthcare.

Trang Bom District, once the last strategic area before Bien Hoa, has become a dynamically developing industrial zone. According to Mr. Le Tuan Anh, Secretary of Trang Bom District Party Committee, the district currently has 4 industrial parks and 1 industrial cluster in operation, attracting 223 FDI projects with a total registered capital of 3.4 billion USD, creating jobs for more than 118,000 workers. The economic growth rate has reached an average of over 17% per year; the economic structure has shifted in the right direction: industry and construction account for 83.2%; trade and services account for 14.1%; agriculture accounts for the remaining 2.7%.

Along with economic development, localities in Dong Nai province pay special attention to social security work, taking care of the lives of people with meritorious services. Currently, the whole province has more than 16,000 people receiving regular policy benefits, including many Vietnamese Heroic Mothers, wounded and sick soldiers and families of martyrs. The work of "repaying gratitude" is carried out carefully, creating a solid foundation for political and social stability.

During her visit to Xuan Loc on March 24, 2025, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification Day, Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan emphasized: "If on April 30, 1975, Xuan Loc and the whole country entered the era of independence - freedom - peace - unification, then on April 30, 2025, Xuan Loc and Dong Nai entered a new era, an era of strong national growth".

The remarkable development of the former battlefields demonstrates the strategic vision of the Party and State in the process of restoring and developing the country after the war. Dong Nai is currently one of the leading provinces in the country in attracting investment, developing industry, high-tech agriculture and building synchronous infrastructure, including national projects such as Long Thanh airport, the North-South expressway in the East, and Ho Chi Minh City Ring Road 3.

Duy Khuong

Source: https://baophapluat.vn/chien-dich-xuan-loc-long-khanh-50-nam-am-vang-ban-hung-ca-giai-phong-post547016.html