Two days later, we totally liberated Da Nang city. On March 31 morning, the Political Bureau of the Party Central Committee held a large meeting. This historical meeting discussed the third and last strategic attack in the General Offensive and Uprisings in spring 1975. The meeting assessed the situation, “We are better than the enemy in terms of strategies and military and political force. Even if the US reinforces the Saigon regime, it cannot be saved from collapse”. The Political Bureau confirmed its determination to launch a general offensive at an earliest time and conclude it in April 1975. The general offensive must be “at lightning speed, daring and unexpected”.

With that decision, all wings of our army rushed into the main battle at a lightning speed. From the northern rear, Army Corps No. 1 marched for days and nights into the south. The northern rear mobilized its utmost human and material resources for the final battle against the HQs of the Saigon puppet regime to liberate Saigon.

Division 3 which was the regular army of Military Zone 5 and Division 968 smashed all the defensive positions of the Saigon Division 22 along Highway 19. They fought with the local armed forces to liberate Quy Nhon town and the whole Binh Dinh province on March 31, 1975.

On April 1, 1975, Division 320 advanced along Highway 7 and together with Phu Yen province’s armed forces liberated Tuy Hoa town.

On April 2, our army liberated Bao Loc provincial capital of Lam Dong province and attacked Da Lat.

On April 3, Da Lat city was liberated.

On April 2 and 3, Nha Trang city in Khanh Hoa province and Cam Ranh military port were liberated.

On April 5, puppet President Nguyen Van Thieu made an urgent order to consolidate their defensive positions. Special attention was paid to the remote Phan Rang, Phan Loc and Tay Ninh and Saigon peripheral defensive positions.

At that moment, realizing the guidelines of the Political Bureau of the Party Central Committee and the Military Commission of the Party Central Committee, all the wings marched at lightning speed to regrouping points to launch their final attack on the enemy’s lair.

On Highway 1, they were close to Phan Rang. On Highway 20, they advanced to Kiem Tan after liberating Lam Dong, Da Lat and Tuyen Duc.

On April 6, at the southern front, the Political Bureau announced the decision to establish the Military Command for the Saigon-Gia Dinh campaign with General Van Tien Dung as its commander, Mr. Pham Hung, political commissar, senior lieutenant general Tran Van Tra and lieutenant generals Le Duc Anh and Dinh Duc Thien, deputy commanders. Mr. Le Duc Tho participated in the southern Committee of the Party Central Committee and the front Party Committee.

The southern Party Committee assigned its deputy secretary Nguyen Van Linh with the task of leading the people’s movement, particularly in Saigon. Permanent committee member Vo Van Kiet oversaw the taking over of the city. The Party Committee and Military Command of the Saigon-Gia Dinh campaign were fully prepared to take prompt action.

On April 7, General Vo Nguyen Giap, Political Bureau member and Secretary of the Military Commission of the Party Central Committee sent an urgent message to the front urging soldiers and the people to do their utmost to win total victory.

Meanwhile along Highway 1 and Truong Son road, Military Corps 559 with the support of Military Zone 5 fully ensured logistics for the campaign despite enemy’s attacks on land and from the air and sea. Having been supplied with enough food and military munitions and the people’s support, our liberation army sped up their advance to the front. On the same day, the southern Party Committee and the Southern Military Commission of the Party Central Committee passed the plan to launch a military attack on Saigon.

On April 8, an F5 aircraft of the Saigon air force bombed the Independence Palace. The Saigon administration thought it was a coup d’etat and imposed a curfew on the city. Their morale was sinking as even their Military Commander was attacked. Their spirits were all the more lower upon hearing that lieutenant Nguyen Thanh Trung who bombed the Independence Palace was a member of the Vietnam Communist Party who had been planted in their air force.

On April 14, the Military Command received a message from the Political Bureau naming the Saigon-Gia Dinh liberation campaign as Ho Chi Minh. They were happy to know that they were very close to the final victory.

On April 15, General Vo Nguyen Giap sent a letter to the Security Department of the General Staff congratulating the efforts of its staffs during the campaign.

On April 18, Phan Thiet town and the whole Binh Thuan province were liberated. US ambassador Martin secretly reported the desperate situation to Washington. After confronting the situation, the US administration ordered the mobilization of 35 warships, 4 aircraft carriers and 100 aircraft to evacuate American people from Saigon from April 21.

During their withdrawal, the US launched the ‘Baby Lift Operation’ to take thousands of Vietnamese children to the US with the aim of winning global public sympathy and in the long term, make these children forget and act against their native country. They even incited tens of thousands of Vietnamese people to take refuge abroad.

On the night of April 24, the Front HQs of the Saigon campaign Military Command was established in Cam Xe, northwest of Ben Cat. On April 26, the last participating unit arrived in a regrouping point and all armed forces were fully prepared to attack Saigon.

In the evening of April 28, the Saigon campaign Military Command met to review the situation in all fronts and discuss attacking tactics. Its policy was to launch a lightning attack to defeat the Saigon puppet administration and army while protecting the people and the city from too much damage. At the end of the meeting, General Van Tien Dung gave an order to launch a general offensive on all battlefronts at 5 am on April 29, 1975.

As scheduled, the artillery heavily pounded all puppet military bases in the city. The liberation army attacked and occupied Dung Du and Trang Bang while the enemy fiercely counter-attacked.

Down southwest, Division 9 crossed the Vam Co Dong river early April 29 and at 5 am occupied Vinh Loc and Ba Lac T-junctions on their way. At 5am sharp, the liberation forces’ artillery began to pound Tan Son Nhat airport.

The news were sent to the General Command on the night of April 29. They analysed the situation and gave concrete order and guidelines to all military corps.

At 5.30 am on April 30, the liberation army from four prongs simultaneously launched a general offensive on Saigon, shaking the whole city. All important bridges and communication links were occupied and controlled by commandos.

The enemy feebly resisted, those in some military bases even took no action as if they were waiting for the liberation army to come and take over. Liberation tanks and other armoured vehicles thunderously rushed forward with golden-starred red flags fluttering in the sky.

The sharp prong of Military Corps 2 quickly crossed Thi Nghe bridge and headed to the Independence Palace. Liberation tanks smashed the iron gate of the Palace. Lieutenant Bui Quang Than and other soldiers quickly rushed to the top floor of the building, pulling down the puppet regime’s flag and replacing it with the liberation flag on the flag-pole of the Independence Palace on 11.30 am of April 30. At 1.30 pm the same day, the then Saigon President, Duong Van Minh announced an unconditional surrender to the liberation army, putting an end to the Republic of Vietnam. This marked the final moment of the US’s 21-year war of aggression in Vietnam.

                                                                                                                 Nguyen Viet Chinh

Truong An ward, Hue city