April 1, 1975: Liberating Phu Yen, the Politburo instructed "the final strategic battle has begun"

NDO - At noon on April 1, 1975, Tuy Hoa town and the entire Phu Yen province were liberated. The Politburo issued the directive: "From this moment, the final strategic decisive battle of our army and people has begun." The 1st Army Corps launched a rapid march south.

General Vo Nguyen Giap and his comrades in the Central Military Commission review the operational plan for the Ho Chi Minh Campaign ( Hanoi , April 1975). (Photo: VNA)

In Phu Yen , at 5:00 AM on April 1, 1975, our units began their offensive to liberate Tuy Hoa town. Our 105mm artillery and 120mm mortars positioned in Hoa Thang fired intensely, paralyzing the enemy's artillery positions. At the same time, our tanks advanced along Highway 7 to reinforce the 4th Battalion, 2nd Regiment, in capturing the Ong Chu Bridge, Da Rang Bridge, and Nhan Thap.

At 5:45 AM, the unit captured Dao hamlet and the airport, advancing along Highway 6 and Le Loi Street to seize the Treasury Department and the civil servant area. North of Tuy Hoa town, Regiment 64 of Division 320 captured the provincial headquarters (the administrative office of the former Saigon government), the Police Department, Regiment 47 headquarters, Go Da, Chop Mountain, and Chai Mountain. Battalion 96, Company 25, and a section of the 189th Combined Artillery Battalion attacked the enemy at Sam Mountain, Long Tuong, Lam hamlet, Quy Hau, Phuoc Khanh, Phuoc Hau…

By 8:00 AM on April 1, 1975, our main forces and local troops had completely taken control of Tuy Hoa town. Building on the momentum of the rapid offensive, the main forces, along with the local army and people, successively liberated most of the districts in the province, such as Tuy An, Song Cau, and Dong Xuan. By noon on April 1, 1975, Tuy Hoa town and the entire Phu Yen province were liberated.

In Khanh Hoa , at dawn on April 1, 1975, the 10th Division launched multiple attacks on all remaining enemy troop concentrations and the headquarters of the 3rd Parachute Brigade. Hundreds of enemy soldiers fled towards Tan Lam, Tan Tu, and Dong Than (Tay Ninh Hoa), where they were intimidated by guerrillas and local people. Some surrendered, while others fled along National Highway 1 towards Hon Khoi. We annihilated and captured the remaining forces of the 3rd Parachute Brigade, seizing all their weapons, vehicles, artillery, and ammunition, destroying the "blockade" at Phuong Hoang Pass, and opening the way to the coastal plains.

Enemy forces at the Lam Son Training Center, commando units, and artillery at Duc My panicked and retreated through the town of Van Gia. Our armed units continued their offensive against the enemy's western Ninh Hoa defense line, liberating the majority of the rural areas and the town of Van Gia in Ninh Hoa.

On the night of April 1, 1975, enemy troops in Da Lat and throughout Tuyen Duc province panicked and fled to Phan Rang.

On the Chơn Thành-Highway 13 (Bình Long, now part of Bình Phước province) front, in response to our attack on the Chơn Thành military base, on the afternoon of April 1, 1975, the enemy deployed the 315th Combat Group to reinforce the base, but they were unable to hold it and were forced to retreat. Our 9th Division of the Cửu Long Army Corps was ordered to pursue the retreating enemy.

At 2 PM on April 1, 1975, the Politburo sent a telegram to comrades Pham Hung, Le Duc Tho, and Van Tien Dung, emphasizing: The time is ripe to launch a general offensive and uprising in Saigon-Gia Dinh. From this moment, the final strategic decisive battle of our army and people has begun... We must seize this strategic opportunity, resolutely carry out the general offensive and uprising, and successfully conclude the war of liberation in the shortest possible time. Ideally, it should begin and end in April of this year, without delay... We must act "swiftly, boldly, and unexpectedly"...

On the same day, General Vo Nguyen Giap - Member of the Politburo, Minister of National Defense, and Commander-in-Chief - sent a telegram to comrades Pham Hung, Le Duc Tho, Van Tien Dung, and Tran Van Tra, clearly stating the Politburo's assessment of the timing and plan for liberating Saigon-Gia Dinh according to the motto "Rapid, bold, unexpected, and certain victory" so that the battlefield could study and act accordingly.

In early April 1975, under orders from the Truong Son Command, the 471st Motorized Division conducted reconnaissance to identify staging areas and routes for transporting supplies along Highway 14, delivering goods at Bu Na and Dong Xoai; it was also tasked with concentrating the 3rd Army Corps' forces into Southern Vietnam and transporting 6,100 tons of ammunition for the campaign to liberate Saigon-Gia Dinh.

On April 1, 1975, the 1st Corps Command, along with the heads of units and agencies, met to discuss measures for a rapid march to participate in the campaign to liberate Saigon as ordered by the Ministry. That same day, the 312th Division, various branches of the armed forces, and the corps' main command post set out with the Corps' motorized vehicles, along with over 1,000 transport vehicles from the General Department of Logistics and the 571st Division of the Truong Son Command.

In the newly liberated city of Da Nang, the 2nd Army Corps received orders from the Ministry to leave a contingent to hold the newly liberated area, while the rest would move south to participate in the campaign to liberate Saigon. However, at the request of the majority of the soldiers who wanted to go south to fight, the unit commander submitted this request to the Ministry of National Defense.

Source: https://nhandan.vn/ngay-141975-giai-phong-phu-yen-bo-chinh-tri-chi-thi-tran-quyet-chien-chien-luoc-cuoi-cung-da-bat-dau-post869125.html