Liberation of Da Nang city

At 5:30 AM on March 29, 1975, the offensive to liberate Da Nang city began. Our main forces advanced into the city from various directions.

On Highway 1, the 18th Regiment of the 325th Division, led by six tanks from the 4th Company, advanced in motorized vehicles to attack the defensive line of the 258th Marine Brigade on Hai Van Pass. Surprised and panicked by our attack, the enemy abandoned their positions and fled into the forest. At 8:00 AM, as the leading force of the 18th Regiment of the 325th Division approached the foot of Hai Van Pass, they encountered enemy troops advancing by motorized units to reinforce their comrades. Overwhelmed, our forces quickly annihilated this force, then advanced to seize the Lien Chieu fuel depot.

At 10:00 AM the same day, the advancing formation of the 325th Division reached the center of Da Nang city, continuing to cross the Trinh Minh The bridge to attack the enemy. By 11:30 AM, our troops had completely seized the port area, capturing more than 100 enemy ships and boats, blocking the enemy's escape route. Subsequently, our troops attacked and completely seized the radar telecommunications area, the combined warehouse area, and the operational support command of the puppet 1st Corps.

At the same time, on other fronts, the 304th Division of the 2nd Corps and forces of the 5th Military Region also launched relentless attacks and achieved many victories.

- On the northwest direction, at 12:30 PM on March 29, 1975, the 9th Regiment of the 304th Division, 2nd Corps, and reinforced forces marched by motorized troops along Highway 14, breaking through the blockade line of the puppet 3rd Division, crossing Phuoc Tuong and Hoa Khanh mountains, and capturing the headquarters of the puppet 3rd Division and the city hall. From there, the 9th Regiment deployed a unit to occupy the city center.

- On the southwest direction, at 12:30 PM on the same day, the 66th and 24th Regiments of the 304th Division, 2nd Corps, routed the enemy forces blocking the way at Ai Nghia and, together with the forces of Military Region 5, captured the Hoa Cam training center, Da Nang airport, the administrative area, and several other important targets.

- On the South and East fronts, also on the morning of the same day, the forces of Military Region 5 bypassed external targets and rapidly advanced into the city, capturing Da Nang Airport, Nuoc Man Airport, and other important targets.

Working closely with the main army, the commando and secret self-defense forces of Da Nang, along with the people, attacked and seized the police station. The Quang Da provincial troops also quickly captured Hoi An town, the Hoa Da Zone 5, the Non Nuoc area, Nuoc Man airport, the An Don warehouse system, and advanced to converge with the main force of the Huong Giang Army Corps to attack the Son Tra peninsula.

By 1:30 PM, Regiment 18 had taken control of the Son Tra peninsula, completing its deep penetration mission as part of the campaign.

By 3 PM, our troops had taken complete control of the Da Nang - Son Tra Peninsula joint military base. The "Determined to Fight, Determined to Win" flag of our army and people flew atop the City Hall and the headquarters of the Saigon regime's 1st Army Corps, marking a momentous historical event: the complete liberation of Da Nang city.

Thus, the enemy's last line of defense in Central Vietnam was shattered, and the remaining puppet forces fell into disarray, no longer capable of organizing resistance. Tens of thousands of puppet soldiers surrendered, and we seized a large quantity of weapons, tanks, aircraft, and other military equipment. The Hue -Da Nang campaign (March 21-29, 1975) ended in victory, contributing to a shift in the balance of power on the battlefield, creating a leap forward in the war situation entirely in our favor, and providing favorable conditions and opportunities for us to intensify the final strategic general offensive at the enemy's stronghold in Saigon.

On the night of March 29, 1975, immediately after Da Nang was liberated, Western news agencies predicted: "The collapse of the Saigon regime is only a matter of days and hours away."

* In Binh Dinh, on March 29, 1975, enemy troops at Go Boi retreated, and the people of the eastern communes of Tuy Phuoc district rose up to liberate their homeland. The enemy's northern defense line in Quy Nhon was broken. Regiments 2 and 141 of Division 3 attacked the enemy at Lai Nghi, blocking the Thu Thien Ha bridge and cutting off the escape route of the puppet 22nd Division.

Meanwhile, soldiers from the 19th Regiment, 968th Division, and the 95A Regiment advanced to join forces with the 3rd Division of Military Region 5. Under the direct command of the Military Region 5 Command, the 968th Division and the 3rd Division attacked the enemy in the Thu Thien, Lai Nghi, Phu Phong, and Binh Khe areas, providing strong support to the people's uprising to regain control.

* At 4:30 PM on March 29, 1975, the Politburo sent a telegram to Comrade Pham Hung instructing: "The situation is changing rapidly. The revolution in the South is entering a leapfrog stage of development"... "At this time, it is necessary to act very promptly, resolutely and boldly"... "While urgently promoting the implementation of the established strategic resolve," it is necessary to "emphasize one urgent point that must be done immediately: boldly increasing the forces to carry out the strategic encirclement and division of the western part of Saigon, in the My Tho and Tan An areas" and "In reality, the campaign to liberate Saigon can be considered to have begun from here."

At the North Tay Ninh base, in accordance with the guiding ideology of the Politburo and the Central Military Commission, the Standing Committee of the Central Bureau of the Southern Region held a plenary session and issued Resolution No. 15-TUC, stating: "Concentrate all your spiritual strength and forces to the highest degree, maximize the combined strength of the three prongs of attack, the three branches of the armed forces, and the three regions, rise up in a general offensive and general uprising, quickly overthrow the entire puppet army and government, and reclaim all power for the people with a fierce, swift, bold, and decisive attack, liberating your commune, your district, your province, and the entire South. From this moment, the final strategic decisive battle of our army and people has begun."

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

According to the News Report

Source: https://baohanam.com.vn/chinh-polit/ngay-29-3-1975-giai-phong-thanh-pho-da-nang-154779.html