(kontumtv.vn) – During the Ho Chi Minh Campaign of 1975, the 10th Division was tasked by the 3rd Corps with capturing Tan Son Nhat Airport and the South Vietnamese General Staff Headquarters . These were two of the five key targets of the Ho Chi Minh Campaign. The officers and soldiers of the Division, in coordination with friendly units, fought bravely and achieved great victories.

In the final days of April 1975, Tan Son Nhat Airport resembled a giant military camp. In addition to the existing defense forces, the South Vietnamese army reinforced its defenses with the 2nd Parachute Brigade and troops from the Capital Special Zone. They erected numerous fences and bunkers around the airport to ensure the secure protection of this crucial military objective.

At exactly 4:30 AM on April 30th, Major General Vu Lang, Commander of the 3rd Army Corps, ordered the attack. At this time, the 10th Division was ordered to fire on Tan Son Nhat Airport and the South Vietnamese General Staff Headquarters. The whole of Saigon shook with the explosions of our artillery. While the enemy was in disarray and disarray, at 5:30 AM on April 30th, the 24th Regiment captured the Bay Hien intersection to advance to Gate 5 of Tan Son Nhat Airport. Colonel Le Ngoc Tung – Former Deputy Chief of Staff of the 28th Regiment, 10th Division, 3rd Corps, recalled: “ Our 28th Regiment was assigned the task of attacking the General Staff Headquarters, and on the 29th, we advanced along the entire Highway 15 axis of Cu Chi, then reached Highway 1. On the night of the 29th, we reached Hoc Mon, the Non-Commissioned Officer Training School, still about ten kilometers from the General Staff Headquarters. On the morning of the 30th, we had reached Bay Hien Crossroads, and at 11 o'clock, we advanced to capture the puppet regime's General Staff Headquarters.”

The battle fought by the 24th Regiment at Lang Cha Ca was fierce; our tanks were destroyed by enemy fire on Vo Thanh Street, blocking the route to the South Vietnamese General Staff Headquarters. At this point, the commander of the 28th Regiment decided to change the direction of attack, advancing along Truong Minh Ky Street past Tan Sa Chau Church, turning onto Thai Ngoc Hau Street, and then turning onto Vo Thanh Street to reach the South Vietnamese General Staff Headquarters. At 9:40 a.m., the leading detachment of the 28th Regiment, Company 10, along with its tanks, advanced along Vo Thanh Street when it was ambushed by three enemy tanks positioned in front of the South Vietnamese General Staff Headquarters. Enemy troops on the rooftops of buildings on both sides of the street fired relentlessly at Company 10 of the 28th Regiment. “The battle against the General Staff Headquarters was extremely fierce. We suffered casualties near Lang Cha Ca. Upon entering the headquarters, their tanks and armored vehicles counterattacked. 35 soldiers from the 28th Regiment and Company 10 were killed just before we entered the headquarters. Only after we annihilated the entire tank company did we advance and capture the entire General Staff Headquarters. In the final moments of capturing the General Staff Headquarters, the 3rd Battalion had lost around 40 officers and soldiers,” Colonel Le Ngoc Tung recounted emotionally.

During the Ho Chi Minh Campaign, the 10th Division was tasked with capturing two important enemy targets and achieved great victories in both. At exactly 10:35 AM on April 30, 1975, the flag planted by the officers and soldiers of the 24th Regiment flew atop the South Vietnamese Air Force Command Headquarters at Tan Son Nhat Airport. At 11:30 AM, the victory flag, planted by the flag-planting team of Company 10, Battalion 3, Regiment 28, 10th Division, flew atop the South Vietnamese General Staff Headquarters. Lieutenant General Tran Quoc Phu – former Commander of the 10th Division, 3rd Corps, proudly stated: “ In the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign, the 10th Division was a key force in one of the five main targets of Saigon. In liberating Saigon, the 10th Division was responsible for two targets: capturing Tan Son Nhat airport and capturing the puppet regime's General Staff Headquarters. The 10th Division successfully completed both of these targets ahead of schedule.”

The historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign achieved a great victory, completely liberating Saigon-Gia Dinh city; the entire South was completely liberated. At the end of the resistance war against the US for national salvation, the 10th Division was awarded the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces.

Contributor Duy Hung