PART 1: READY FOR CAMPAIGN
During the 30 years of resistance war for the country's independence and freedom (1945 - 1975), the Vietnam People's Army conducted over 100 campaigns. From the Vietnam Bac Autumn-Winter campaign in 1947 to the Ho Chi Minh campaign in 1975, which ended successfully, the art of the Vietnamese campaign was developed to a new height that was the art of people's war organized on the basis of promoting the synergy of the entire people and the armed forces as the core.
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View of the Paris Conference on January 27, 1973. Source: War Remnants Museum
After successive defeats on the battlefields, especially the failure of the 12 days and nights strategic ambush in the North in 1972 by the US in the North, the US government had to sit at the negotiating table to sign the Paris Agreement on ending the war. The war on January 27, 1973, restored peace in Vietnam. However, when the agreement was not fully dried, the US and the government of the Republic of Vietnam tried to sabotage the agreements, implementing the plan of "invasion and pacification" by the trick of "overwhelming the territory" to suppress patriotic political forces, oppose national harmony and reconciliation, seriously violate the Paris Agreement.
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US President Nixon received Nguyen Van Thieu, President of the Republic of Vietnam regime (April 1973) in San Clemente, California, promising aid to the Republic of Vietnam army $2.27 billion, 1,100 tanks, armored vehicles, 800 cannons, 700 aircraft, 200 warships.
Source: War Remnants Museum
In that situation, the 21st Conference of the Third Party Central Committee (October 1973) convened and issued a resolution stating: "The revolutionary path in the South is the path of revolutionary violence". In October 1974, the Politbureau determined that the urgent task at this time was: "Union members make the best efforts of the entire Party, army and people in both regions, to launch a final general offensive and uprising. From now on, all preparations must be carried out urgently, creating the most adequate conditions and facilities to hit hard, fight quickly, win neatly and thoroughly in the two years 1975 - 1976". In early January 1975, the Politbureau and the Central Military Commission held a meeting to decide on the strategy to liberate the South. Implementing the Politbureau's determination to liberate the South and unify the country, the Vietnamese army and people carried out the General Offensive and uprising, launched strategic offensive campaigns to win all victories such as: Highlands; Tri Thien - Hue campaign; Hue - Da Nang campaign and the victories in the campaign brought the main armies close to Saigon - Gia Dinh.
On March 31, 1975, the Politbureau held a meeting and recognized: "The General Offensive has won a great victory, marking a new and comprehensive growth step of the Vietnam People's Army, its units of the main team has accumulated a lot of experience in organization, in command of operations and in combining forces in large-scale annihilation campaigns. In fact, 2 legions of the Republic of Vietnam government were removed from the combat, liberated 16 provinces, bringing the population of the liberated area to 8 million; The strategic opportunity to carry out a general attack and a general uprising against the enemy's stronghold is ripe, so it takes determination to complete the best final strategic decision in April 1975. In his memoir "Headquarters in the Spring of Victory", General Vo Nguyen Giap wrote: "The Politbureau meeting on March 31, 1975, unanimously judged that we were superior to the enemy in both strategic position, political and military forces. Even with American reinforcements, it could not save the puppet collapse and judging from the meeting, the fate of the Saigon regime was already decided”. At the meeting on April 8, 1975 at Ta Thiet base (Loc Ninh), the Politbureau affirmed: Our strategic general offensive has begun, a new strategic opportunity has come, we have conditions to complete soon, determined to liberate the South. Therefore, it is necessary to quickly gather forces, weapons, techniques and materials to liberate Saigon before the rainy season.
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At the end of March 1975, Comrade Le Duc Tho from the North to the South, together with comrades Pham Hung, General Van Tien Dung, on behalf of the Politburo, directly directed the campaign to liberate Saigon. Source: Ca Mau province's web portal
Initially, the campaign was called Operation to liberate Saigon - Gia Dinh, but then, on April 14, 1975, the Politbureau approved the proposal of the Campaign Command, agreeing to rename the Saigon Campaign is The Ho Chi Minh Campaign. General Vo Nguyen Giap signed the directive of the Central Military Commission to open the Ho Chi Minh Campaign in which Van Tien Dung was the Commander; Le Trong Tan, Le Duc Anh and Tran Van Tra as Deputy Commanders; commanded 5 armies with the strength of 20 divisions to simultaneously liberate Saigon. At this time, the Liberation Army was superior to the enemy in both strategic position and military and political forces. Determining the time had come, the Politbureau affirmed its determination to carry out a total offensive and a total offensive as soon as possible. The best ends in April 1975. Must act "Fast, bold, unexpected, sure to win".
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Confidentiality of General, Commander-in-Chief Vo Nguyen Giap sent to units participating in the historic Ho Chi Minh campaign, April 7, 1975. Source: National Museum of History
Also on April 14, 1975, the Politbureau and the Central Military Commission approved the plan to liberate Saigon - Gia Dinh for the last time. The plan determined that the attack would take place simultaneously in 5 directions: Northwest, Northeast, East, Southeast, West and Southwest; carry out quick and decisive strikes, destroy and completely disintegrate the enemy army, protect the people, and protect economic and cultural facilities in the city. The military offensive had the task of dividing, encircling, destroying and disintegrating divisions of the Republic of Vietnam government in the outer circle, preventing the enemy from clustering in the inner city; occupied the large bridges, paving the way for the assault corps with the combined armed forces, along with the commandos, commandos and insurgent masses to capture the main targets, including 5 most important are: Independence Palace, General Staff, Tan Son Nhat Airport, Capital Special Zone, General Police Department. Mobilize the masses to rebel to coordinate and promote the results of the military offensive.
From April 5 to April 26, 1975, to transport strategic units into the Southeast, more than 7,064 cars (including 3,364 vehicles of the General Department of Logistics and Truong Son Command), 32 ships of the navy, 311 train carriages... were mobilized to transport forces and technical weapons to the South. The adjustment of forces, positions and material additions for the operation were urgently completed: 10,000 people were added to the front, 15 field hospitals, 17 treatment teams were able to collect 10,000 wounded soldiers; established 8 mobile battalions to serve loading and unloading and road construction. In order to timely replenish 20,000 tons of missing materials (mainly large artillery shells and gasoline), the General Department of Logistics directed the collection from the Central, Central Highlands, and Truong Son lines to get 5,100 tons of ammunition, 600 tons of gasoline. and directed the logistics units to carry 5,000 tons of ammunition and 1,500 tons of gasoline. Thanks to that, the Ho Chi Minh campaign had a reserve of 55,000 tons of materials of all kinds, reaching 90% of the combat needs.
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In order not to be completely destroyed, US President Gerald Ford ordered all US military and civilian forces to leave South Vietnam. 81 helicopters were mobilized for the evacuation campaign called "Frequent Wind". Source: War Remnants Museum