50 years of national reunification - March 25, 1975: Liberation of Hue and Quang Ngai

Liberation Army enters Ngo Mon Gate, in front of Hue Citadel. (Photo: Ngoc Dan/VNA)

In Thua Thien-Hue, on the morning of March 25, 1975, Regiment 101, Division 325, Regiment 3, Division 324 from the South and units of Tri-Thien Military Region from the North entered the center of Hue city.

On the western front, the 6th Regiment (Phu Xuan Regiment) and the 271st Infantry Regiment of the Military Region, which were fighting the enemy on Route 12, were also ordered to march quickly straight to Hue.

The two regiments had broken through the enemy's defense line, captured the two villages of Dinh Mon and Kim Ngoc, and were preparing to cross the Huong River when they encountered sporadic enemy counterattacks and had to stop fighting. That same evening, the two regiments were able to cross the Huong River.

Meanwhile, on the way to pursue the enemy, the 4th Infantry Regiment, Military Region 5, advanced to Sinh intersection.

In the south of Hue, the 3rd Regiment of the 324th Division coordinated with tanks to occupy Mang Ca. The encirclement of the southern troops of Thua Thien-Hue province formed two directions, tightly clamping the enemy in Hue and Thuan An estuary.

All the troops of the 2nd Corps and the Tri-Thien Military Region from all directions advanced towards Hue, surrounded all four sides and quickly entered the city center. From the two directions of South and North Hue, a leading part of the 8th Battalion was led by the militia, simultaneously with the attack of the 101st Regiment of the 325th Division, carried by the people and the grassroots forces using lam cars and motorbikes, advancing straight into the inner city.

At 10:30 a.m. on March 25, 1975, the Liberation Army raised the victory flag on top of Phu Van Lau, and Hue city was liberated.

That same night, in the suburbs of the city, the Hue City Party Committee held a meeting to decide to mobilize the masses to rise up and coordinate with the armed forces to fight to liberate the entire province. Also on March 25, 1975, the districts of Phu Vang, Quang Dien, Phu Loc, and Huong Thuy were all liberated.

The Liberation Army used flamethrowers to destroy the enemy entrenched in an underground bunker at Nong Son base (Que Son, Quang Nam). (Photo: Thanh Thoi/VNA)

In Quang Nam, on March 25, 1975, Regiment 38, Division 2, supported by tanks, attacked Tuan Duong base. The enemy did not dare to resist and quickly surrendered.

At the same time, Battalions 70 and 72 pursued the remaining enemy troops in the Eastern region and Tam Ky town. Companies V20 and V14 of Tam Ky district coordinated with the main force to pursue the enemy at Chu Lai airport and Ky Ha port, collecting and protecting the spoils of war.

On the same day, in Que Son, the enemy troops in the center of the district began to panic, many local military units and militiamen automatically disbanded; the puppet government mostly abandoned their posts and sought escape.

The 51st Regiment, 3rd Division of the puppet army in Dong Mong, Da Ham, and Cam Doi began to retreat but still ordered engineers to place dense anti-tank mines along Highway 105 to prevent our troops from pursuing them.

Liberation Army enters Son Tinh district (Quang Ngai). (Photo: Thanh Tung/VNA)

In Quang Ngai, on March 25, 1975, the army and people of Duc Pho and Mo Duc districts surrounded and captured two security battalions and the logistics unit of the puppet Regiment 4; liberated Mo Duc district at 5:00 a.m. and Duc Pho district at 7:00 a.m.

At 7:00 a.m. on March 25, 1975, Battalion 81, Company 95 and the people of Binh Son took control of the district capital and Chau O town. At the same time, our army destroyed and disintegrated the puppet 2nd Infantry Division, the 11th Ranger Group, artillery and armored units, completely liberating Quang Ngai province.

On the morning of April 21, 1975, nearly 30,000 people of Hue city held a rally at Ngo Mon Square to celebrate the complete liberation of Thua Thien-Hue province. Chairman Nguyen Huu Tho and the delegation of the National Liberation Front and the Provisional Revolutionary Government attended. (Photo: Le Dan/VNA)

In Binh Dinh, at 5:00 a.m. on March 25, 1975, Regiment 2 and Regiment 141 entered the battle area and waited for orders to open fire on Lai Nghi - a fortified base of the defense line on Route 19, guarded by the puppet 22nd Division. The enemy discovered them and sent out forces to counterattack. The fighting here was fierce.

Faced with new developments, on March 25, 1975, the Politburo held a conference and determined to liberate Saigon and the entire South before the rainy season (May 1975).

The Politburo also issued Resolution No. 241-NQ/TU to establish the Southern Support Council in the Central Government, chaired by Comrade Pham Van Dong, Politburo member and Prime Minister.

The Council's tasks are: 1- Mobilizing and transporting human and material resources from the great Northern rear to support the battlefield; 2- Solving issues regarding the takeover of newly liberated areas in the South; 3- Directing and coordinating sectors and localities to implement the plan to support the South.

On the same day, the Politburo and the Central Military Commission also approved the plan to liberate Da Nang and decided to establish the Da Nang Front Command with the code name Front 475. Comrade Le Trong Tan, Deputy Chief of the General Staff, was appointed Commander and Comrade Chu Huy Man, Commander of Military Region 5, was appointed Political Commissar and Party Committee Secretary.

The Central Military Commission and the General Command assessed: "After losing Hue, Tam Ky, Quang Ngai, Chu Lai, even if the enemy tried to hold Da Nang, it would be impossible" and instructed Military Region 5 and Army Corps 2 to: "Act boldly and unexpectedly, making the enemy unable to react, concentrate forces to destroy the enemy's large forces in Da Nang... win a decisive victory in this decisive battle, creating conditions for the next strategic decisive battle."

On the night of March 25, 1975, the Military Region 5 Command was determined to liberate Da Nang according to the plan of "Fight quickly, resolve quickly"./.

[Source: VNA; Historical Moments: Ho Chi Minh Campaign 1975, People's Army Publishing House, Hanoi, 2005; Campaigns that were decisive for victory in the Great Spring Victory of 1975, People's Army Publishing House, Hanoi, 2010; Historical Events and Figures, People's Army Publishing House, Hanoi, 2015; Historical Decisions, People's Army Publishing House, Hanoi, 2015; Ministry of National Defense - Vietnam Military History Institute: Vietnam Military History, Volume 11, National Political Publishing House Truth, Hanoi, 2019; General Van Tien Dung: Great Spring Victory, People's Army Publishing House, Hanoi, 2024; From the Battle of Phai Khat, Na Ngan to the Ho Chi Minh Campaign, People's Army Publishing House, Hanoi, 2024].(VNA/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/50-nam-thong-nhat-dat-nuoc-ngay-2531975-giai-phong-hue-va-quang-ngai-post1022448.vnp