Victory News April 18, 1975: Liberation of Phan Thiet town

At noon on April 18, 1975, the Coastal Army attacked and took control of the districts of Phan Ri, Tuy Phong, Song Mao, and Hoa Da, approaching Phan Thiet town.

At exactly 8:00 p.m. on April 18, 1975, our army crossed Phu Long bridge to attack Phan Thiet with 3 prongs: The main prong followed Route 1 to attack the administrative sub-district, then followed Binh Hung road to block Thuong Chanh seaport; the second prong from Phu Long followed Phuoc Thien Xuan road, circled down to Phu Hai to capture Lau Ong Hoang, blocking the enemy from retreating to Mui Ne; the third prong bypassed all targets in the town along Route 1 to attack and capture Cang Esepic.

When our tanks rushed into the gate of the sub-region command post and the administrative building, the enemy panicked and fled in all directions. At 10:30 p.m., we completely controlled Phan Thiet town. Building on the victory, Regiment 812 and Battalion 200C, supported by a part of artillery and tanks of the 2nd Corps, developed the offensive to liberate Binh Tuy province.

People of Phan Thiet town follow the news of victory on the battle map at the town's information office. (Photo: VNA)

On the same day, April 18, 1975, the Politburo urgently sent a telegram to the Ho Chi Minh Campaign Command, emphasizing: The military and political opportunity to launch an attack on Saigon - Gia Dinh is ripe. We need to seize every day to promptly launch attacks on the enemy in all directions, we cannot delay. If we delay, it will not be beneficial both politically and militarily. Timely action at this time is to ensure certain victory. Grasping the great opportunity, we will definitely win.

At the Xuan Loc - Long Khanh front, on April 18, 1975, the 7th Division and the 341st Division continuously clung to and fought with the enemy for every house and street corner in Long Khanh town. Local armed forces and local cadres forced the withdrawal of many enemy posts in the suburbs and on traffic routes.

On the enemy side, after learning that the Phan Rang, Phan Thiet, and Ham Tan defense lines had been captured by the Liberation Army, puppet general Le Minh Dao proposed to withdraw from Xuan Loc. The enemy General Staff agreed and instructed to keep the withdrawal plan secret to avoid being destroyed.

On April 18, 1975, Lieutenant General Tran Van Don, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of the Saigon army, sent a report to President Nguyen Van Thieu, stating:

"The country is in a truly critical situation. Survival can only be counted by days, weeks, not months. With abundant preparation capabilities, the enemy's firepower is far superior to our units, so fighting back will be very difficult. The radar system is almost paralyzed because the Da Nang, Pleiku, Buon Ma Thuot, and Phan Rang reporting systems no longer exist. The two main airports of Bien Hoa and Saigon may be paralyzed in the near future."

Libra

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/ban-tin-chien-thang-18-4-1975-giai-phong-thi-xa-phan-thiet-ar938368.html