Hue–Da Nang Campaign

Hue–Da Nang Campaign
Part of the Vietnam War
A Vietnam People's Army T-54 tank entering Da Nang in 1975.
Date March 5 – April 2, 1975 Location Huế (Thừa Thiên-Huế Province), Da Nang (Quảng Nam Province), Quảng Trị Province, Quảng Ngãi Province, South Vietnam Result Decisive North Vietnamese victory.
Belligerents
North Vietnam Viet Cong	South Vietnam
Commanders and leaders
Lê Trọng Tấn Nguyễn Hữu An Lê Tự Đồng Chu Huy Mân	Ngô Quang Trưởng
Strength
4 infantry divisions 5 infantry regiments 4 infantry battalions 1 independent brigade 1 armoured regiment 3 artillery regiments 1 air-defence division 1 combat engineers brigade 1 communications regiment Total: ~75,000 men 60 tanks 103 heavy artillery pieces.	3 infantry divisions 1 airborne division 1 marine corps division 4 ranger groups 1 armoured brigade 5 armoured squadrons 1 air force division 2 navy squadrons Total: ~134,000 men 513 tanks and AFVs 418 heavy artillery pieces 373 aircraft 165 warships
Casualties and losses
Unknown	More than 120,000 were killed or captured Large quantities of military hardware were also captured

The Hue–Da Nang Campaign was a series of military actions conducted by the Vietnam People's Army (VPA) and the Viet Cong against the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) during the Vietnam War, also known in Vietnam as the American War. The campaign was centred on the cities of Huế (Thừa Thiên-Huế Province) and Da Nang (Quảng Nam Province), with secondary fronts in the provinces of Quảng Trị and Quảng Ngãi. The campaign began on March 5 and concluded on April 2, 1975.

During the spring season of 1975, the Vietnam People's Army High Command in Hanoi made the decision to seize the major South Vietnamese cities of Huế and Da Nang, and also destroy the various South Vietnamese units in I Corps Tactical Zone, led by ARVN General Ngô Quang Trưởng. Originally, the campaign was planned to take place over two phases; during the seasons of spring-summer and autumn. However, as the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces rolled over South Vietnamese defences on the outskirts of Huế and Da Nang, President Nguyễn Văn Thiệu ordered General Trưởng to abandon all territories under his control, and pull his forces back to the coastal areas of I Corps. However, the South Vietnamese withdrawal quickly turned into a rout, as the North Vietnamese 2nd Army Corps picked off one South Vietnamese unit after another, until Huế and Da Nang was completely surrounded. By March 29, 1975, North Vietnamese troops had full control of Huế and Da Nang, while South Vietnam lost all territories in I Corps and most of the units belonging to the ARVN 1st Brigade.

The fall of Huế and Da Nang did not spell the end of the misery suffered by the Army of the Republic of Vietnam. On March 31, ARVN General Phạm Văn Phú—commander of II Corps Tactical Zone—attempted to form a new defensive line from Qui Nhơn to cover the retreat of the ARVN 22nd Infantry Division into the Mekong Delta, but they too were destroyed by the North Vietnamese. By April 2, South Vietnam had lost control of the northern provinces, as well as two army corps.

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