50 years of Long An liberation: Unforgettable marks (Part 3)

Lesson 3: Long An in the 1975 Spring General Offensive and Uprising

On April 30, 1975, two large red flags with yellow stars flew on the roof of the Provincial Government Hall and the Palace of the puppet Provincial Governor, Tan An Town (now Tan An City), the entire Long An Province was completely liberated. The 21-year resistance war against the US, full of hardship and sacrifice, finally won in the joy of the entire South and the whole country.

Division 5 crossed Ben Luc bridge to liberate Tan An town on April 30, 1975 (Photo: Archive)

“Commune liberates commune, district liberates district, province liberates province”

In early April 1975, the Central Party Politburo determined to "Seize the strategic opportunity... speed, boldness, surprise, sure victory, carry out a general attack and general uprising as soon as possible...". Thoroughly implementing the directive of the superiors, the Long An Party Committee directed the concentration of forces to quickly open a springboard from Quon Long (Cho Gao) to Can Duoc, Can Giuoc, ready to coordinate with the main force of the Region, forming an attack on Saigon from the South.

From April 3 to 10, 1975, our army and people liberated a series of communes in Chau Thanh area (An Luc Long, Thanh Phu Long, Thanh Vinh Dong, Thuan My) and opened the way to coordinate with Regiment 88, Military Region 8 to attack Tan Tru, destroy 20 posts and posts, and liberate 15 more communes in the lower Tan Tru area and upper Can Duoc and lower Can Giuoc.

On April 14, 1975, the Central Party Politburo decided to launch the Ho Chi Minh Campaign to liberate Saigon - Gia Dinh city. In April 1975, along with the spearheads of the 5th Division, the main force of the Region, the army and people of Long An - Kien Tuong were directed by the 2 Provincial Party Committees to officially enter the General Offensive and Uprising in the province with the motto "commune liberates commune, district liberates district, province liberates province".

The people of Duc Hoa, Duc Hue, Ben Luc, and Thu Thua districts mobilized all forces to organize activities to supply food, transport ammunition, transport materials for fortifications, guide the way, etc. to serve the superior combat forces; at the same time, they took advantage of all conditions and opportunities to attack and destroy the enemy, liberating their localities. On April 28, the forces of the 3rd Division of the 232nd Corps attacked and liberated Hau Nghia sub-region, then completely liberated Duc Hoa on the morning of April 29, 1975. Duc Hue and Ben Luc districts simultaneously attacked and were completely liberated on April 30, 1975.

In the South, the Long An Party Committee led the provincial forces to directly participate in the attack on Saigon, while at the same time liberating local areas. In Can Duoc, our forces attacked and destroyed the Rach Kien base, disintegrating the enemy and liberating the entire district. In Chau Thanh and Can Giuoc districts, we proactively attacked the outposts and police stations, forcing the enemy to surrender.

In Kien Tuong, we captured stronghold 75 (region 6), Battalion 504 captured route 29 (Tan Hoa), forcing the enemy headquarters in Moc Hoa to surrender on the morning of May 1, 1975. Thus, with the victory in Moc Hoa, our army and people, through a general attack and uprising, simultaneously and rapidly, forced the enemy to surrender unconditionally, winning total victory with the South and the whole country.

50 years of Long An liberation: Unforgettable marks (Part 1) The war has been over for half a century, but every April, millions of Vietnamese people in general and Long An people in particular are filled with special emotions about memories.

Control Route 4, liberate Tan An

In the historic month of April, soldiers who fought on the Long An battlefield recalled the heroic moments of battle, contributing to the Great Victory of April 30, 1975, unifying the country . In those fierce battles, the campaign to capture Route 4 (National Highway 1) was considered to be of great significance, both cutting off the supply route of the enemy's main divisions to Saigon, attacking the enemy's hideout behind, foiling the enemy's plan to withdraw troops to the West, and advancing to liberate Tan An town (now Tan An City).

With the intention of keeping the vital route open so that troops from the Southwest could come to rescue Saigon when necessary, or retreat to the West when the situation arose, the enemy deployed a very large force from Nhi Binh intersection to Tan An town, organized into many defensive lines, supported by artillery fire and air force.

In the Thu Thua area (Long An), in addition to 3 security battalions, local forces, 22 militia platoons, and militia, the enemy also increased the 22nd puppet division from the Central region to station in the Voi bridge area, the 7th Division and the 9th Division. At that time, the 5th Infantry Division, part of our 232nd Corps, was preparing for the plan to liberate Kien Tuong province and was ordered to urgently march to Thu Thua, Long An to carry out the mission of capturing and cutting off Route 4.

As a direct participant in the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign 50 years ago, Colonel and writer Tran The Tuyen - former Editor-in-Chief of Saigon Giai Phong Newspaper, recalled: “That was April 30, 1975 - the day when, at 11:30 a.m., tank 390 of the 2nd Corps crashed through the iron gate of the Independence Palace so that Captain Bui Quang Than could rush forward and plant the flag of determination to fight and win of our army on the roof of the last lair of the old regime. At that sacred moment, we were present in the Southwest army commanded by General Le Duc Anh.”

He recounted that exactly half a century ago, together with the Southwestern army commanded by General Le Duc Anh, the 5th Division assigned the 174th Regiment (Cao Bac Lang Group) to be the main unit to cut off Route 4, seizing the opportunity to liberate Tan An town. After many days of marching from the Southwestern border battlefield, crossing the "yawning dog field" under enemy bombs and artillery, in mid-April 1975, the 174th Regiment approached Route 4 and Tan An town.

Entering the Ho Chi Minh Campaign on the afternoon of April 26, 1975, the enemy in Tan An, Thu Thua, Ben Luc,... were terrified when they heard the roar of armored vehicles and the sound of long-barreled 130mm artillery shells. That day, when marching, he had a radio branded Phuong Dong hanging on his hip. The song "The Road We Take" by Huy Du performed by singer Doan Tan was like a trumpet call urging him and his comrades to charge forward.

“On the morning of April 30, 1975, from our stronghold, we charged up Route 4 into Tan An town. The enemy resisted fiercely. Many of our comrades fell at the foot of Tan An bridge, along Route 4,... And that afternoon, under the direct command of Deputy Regiment Commander Vu Viet Cam, units of Battalion 5 and Battalion 6 joined forces to plant our army's flag on the roof of Long An Provincial Governor's Palace, contributing to the liberation of the entire Long An province,” said Colonel and writer Tran The Tuyen.

To have that sacred historical moment, along the war path, from 1972 to April 1975, more than 2,000 officers and soldiers of Division 5, of which more than 600 officers and soldiers of Regiment 174, fell. Before the hour of total victory at noon on April 30, 1975 in Tan An town and surrounding areas, the battle between us and the enemy was still fierce. Hundreds of officers, soldiers and our compatriots sacrificed. The blood and bones of martyrs and compatriots reddened this strategic land - the gateway to the West.

To commemorate the great contributions and sacrifices of our army and people, with Regiment 174 as the core, the 174 Regiment Tradition Liaison Committee wishes to build a cultural work right on the old battlefield, contributing to educating the patriotic tradition for the younger generation. The monument commemorating the feat was built at Ward 5 Park, Tan An City, and is expected to be inaugurated on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of Tan An City, the Liberation of the South, and the Reunification of the Country (April 30, 1975 - April 30, 2025)./.

50 years of Long An liberation: Unforgettable marks (Part 2) The practical struggle of the army and people of Long An over 9 years of fighting against the French is a testament to the wisdom and direction of the Central Bureau and the Regional Command.

(to be continued)

Thanh Nga

Lesson 4: The Final Battle

Source: https://baolongan.vn/50-nam-giai-phong-long-an-nhung-dau-an-khong-quen-bai-3--a193969.html