"Don't wait until 30, must go to Da Nang immediately on March 29, 1975"

In March, Da Nang people recall the heroic historical moment when the flag of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam flew on the roof of Da Nang City Hall on Bach Dang Street on March 29, 1975, marking the victory in the resistance war against the US to save the country.

That flag is now solemnly displayed at the Da Nang Museum. The flag is rectangular, with a yellow star, the upper half of the flag is red, the lower half is blue.

"5 best" with 3 plans to liberate Da Nang

Sharing at the program of Da Nang Museum, Hero of the People's Armed Forces Pham Kieu Da, one of the commanders of the Eastern Wing of Da Nang, on March 24, 1975, Tam Ky town (now Tam Ky city, Quang Nam province) was liberated, Hue city was also liberated a few days later, the two ends of Da Nang city were now blocked by our army.

On March 26, 1975, the Politburo and the Central Military Commission decided to establish the Command and Party Committee of the Quang Da Front with Lieutenant General Le Trong Tan as Commander and Senior Lieutenant General Chu Huy Man as Political Commissar to directly lead and command the army and people to liberate Da Nang.

The Command of Military Region V and the Standing Committee of Quang Da Provincial Party Committee determined to liberate Da Nang city in 1975 (Photo: Hoai Son).

Mr. Da recalled that Lieutenant General Le Trong Tan asked General Vo Nguyen Giap for 7 days to liberate Da Nang. However, the General only gave him 3 days to complete this task. The commanders also proposed the "5 best": most timely, most surprising, most daring, fastest and most certain to win.

"The above directive shows the strategic vision and intelligence of our armed forces, and their decisive, bold, and scientific assessment of the situation," Mr. Da commented.

According to Mr. Da, the Quang Da Special Zone Party Committee had previously proposed three options to liberate Da Nang. The first option, considering the situation after the liberation of Hue and the liberation of Tam Ky, if the enemy was weak and had a tendency to flee, would use local armed forces to rise up, without waiting for the main force to arrive.

Option two, if our main force arrives in time, together with local armed forces, we will attack and rise up to liberate Da Nang.

Option three, if the enemy regroups and fights to the death, we must use large forces to attack, prepare the masses, and when the opportunity arises, we must promptly coordinate actions.

Transmitter used for communication during the campaign to liberate Da Nang (Photo: Hoai Son).

According to the memoirs of Mr. Tran Than (deceased), former member of Zone V, Secretary of Quang Da Special Zone Party Committee, edited by the Da Nang City Party Committee's Mass Mobilization Committee (now the Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Committee) in the book "Da Nang Spring 1975", although three options were proposed, each option had to cause the enemy to disintegrate on the spot; not allowing the enemy to take people away and protecting the property and lives of the people, and having a plan for supplies and relief.

Regarding the issue of supplies and relief for the people, Mr. Than wrote, this is not a concern, because there is a rice reserve of the enemy, the March rice crop is about to be harvested and when entering the city, there will be a plan to disperse the population and reduce the number of people.

"Must enter Da Nang immediately on March 29, 1975"

The publication History of Da Nang City by Da Nang Publishing House recounts that in preparation for the liberation of Da Nang, the expanded Special Zone Committee discussed plans many times and assigned specific tasks to each department.

After the enemy troops in Da Nang were isolated and divided by our troops at both ends, the city's situation from March 26, 1975 was immersed in a "tornado of despair", even though President of the Republic of Vietnam Nguyen Van Thieu informed Lieutenant General Ngo Quang Truong of the army to call for "defending Da Nang to the death".

Tank convoy entered to liberate Da Nang city on March 29, 1975 (Photo: Da Nang Museum).

At 7:00 p.m. on March 27, 1975, Nguyen Van Thieu also ordered Ngo Quang Truong to send the Marine Division to guard Cam Ranh. The puppet army in Da Nang fell into a more desperate situation, the defense line around the city was falling apart.

On our side, after the victory in Hue, on March 28, 1975, the armed forces formed attack groups into Da Nang. The main force had the task of attacking and controlling the airport and seaport, and surrounding the enemy to prevent them from escaping.

At 5:00 a.m. on March 28, 1975, our artillery opened fire on Ba Ren, Vinh Dien... (now in Quang Nam province) and at 8:00 a.m., they controlled the airport and seaport of Da Nang, opening the campaign to liberate the city. Infantry and armored forces began to attack the outskirts of the city.

The gateways to Da Nang were cleared. News of defeat from various places "flew" to Ngo Quang Truong's Command Headquarters. Evacuees flooded into the city, causing chaos that could not be controlled.

Meanwhile, Boeing 727 flights and helicopters carrying American advisors and personnel to evacuate Saigon continuously took off. Ngo Quang Truong's orders to "shoot to kill" and "defend to the death" were no longer effective.

On the afternoon of March 28, 1975, Ngo Quang Truong and his Command secretly escaped to the 7th Fleet and fled.

At dawn on March 29, 1975, upon receiving information that Ngo Quang Truong had fled, the Standing Committee of the Special Zone Party Committee met and decided "not to wait until the 30th, must immediately enter Da Nang on March 29, 1975".

Next, the Standing Committee of the Special Zone Party Committee and the Quang Da Front Command Committee decided to launch a general uprising to liberate Da Nang city on March 29.

The liberation flags fly proudly

On the morning of March 29, 1975, the main army forces were ordered to ignore the external targets and, by all means, move quickly into the city. Inside, our forces also began to occupy important bases.

The city commandos and the 1st Company of the 96th Regiment took over the Da Nang City Hall, the flag of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam flying proudly on the roof of this building.

The flag of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam was raised on the Da Nang City Hall on March 29, 1975 (Photo: Hoai Son).

In District I (now Hai Chau District), on the morning of March 29, 1975, the city's self-defense forces attacked the prison, freeing more than 700 prisoners. The forces also mobilized workers at the Lien Tri Lamp Factory (District I) to protect the machinery and persuaded the guards to desert. On the afternoon of March 29, 1975, the Front flag was hung in front of the factory gate.

In Khue Trung ward (now Cam Le district), paramilitary forces and the masses proactively occupied the commune council headquarters and police station, effectively supporting the capture of the puppet government's 1st Corps base and Da Nang City Hall.

Sao Vang was sewn by Ms. Nguyen Thi Nguyet Anh, preparing for the campaign to liberate Da Nang (Photo: Hoai Son).

At 2:00 p.m. on March 29, 1975, the revolutionary flag flew on the flagpole of the puppet government's 1st Corps Command, replacing the flag embroidered with the words "Ben Hai raises troops, pioneers destroy communists". After that, other areas in the city also occupied important headquarters.

Coordinating with the uprising forces of the masses, on the afternoon of March 29, 1975, the main force crossed Trinh Minh The bridge (now Nguyen Van Troi bridge) and entered to occupy Son Tra base. The main force from all directions advanced towards Da Nang without encountering any significant resistance.

By 3:00 p.m. on March 29, 1975, the gunfire had basically stopped. The flag of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam was flying on the roof of the Da Nang City Hall and other puppet government agencies.

The Quang Nam - Da Nang Revolutionary People's Committee called on officers, soldiers, and employees of the Saigon government to present themselves, March 30, 1975 (Photo: Hoai Son).

On the evening of March 29, Secretary of the Party Committee of Zone V, Vo Chi Cong, and leaders of the Party Committee of Zone V, arrived in Da Nang. The second largest city in the South, the center of the puppet regime in the Central region, had completely collapsed. The campaign to liberate Da Nang city was a success.

According to Mr. Ho Duy Le, former Editor-in-Chief of Quang Nam Newspaper, on the afternoon of March 29, 1975, the army entered Da Nang, but before that, people on the streets had prepared ready-made flags. When the liberation army entered, they went out into the streets waving flags to welcome them.

Mr. Le said that he had passed by the City Hall headquarters (now the Da Nang Museum) many times. But on March 26, when he stood to salute the flag at the City Hall during the ceremony of the Da Nang Museum, he was truly moved to recall the memories of 50 years ago.

Dantri.com.vn

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/xa-hoi/khong-de-den-30-nua-phai-vao-ngay-da-nang-trong-ngay-2931975-20250326222803802.htm