Phúc Yên Air Base

Phúc Yên Air Base
Part of Vietnam People's Air Force
Phúc Yên under attack in 1967
Phúc Yên Air Base
Coordinates	21°13′16″N 105°48′26″E / 21.22111°N 105.80722°E / 21.22111; 105.80722
Type	Air Force Base
Site information
Controlled by	Vietnam People's Air Force
Site history
Built	1960s
In use	1964-Present
Battles/wars	Vietnam War Action of 23 August 1967

Phúc Yên Air Base (also known as Noi Bai Air Base) is a Vietnam People's Air Force (VPAF) (Không quân Nhân dân Việt Nam) military airfield located immediately north of Noi Bai International Airport and approximately 30 kilometres (19 mi) north of Hanoi.

Phúc Yên was North Vietnam's first jet-capable airfield and on 6 August 1964 the first VPAF jet fighter unit, the 921st Fighter Regiment (known as the Red Star Squadron), arrived at Phúc Yên after training in the People's Republic of China (PRC), bringing 36 MiG-17 and MiG-19 fighters.

In response to the attack on Bien Hoa Air Base on 1 November 1964 the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) proposed a B-52 strike on Phúc Yên, but this was opposed by senior Johnson Administration officials.

At the start of Operation Rolling Thunder in March 1965, U.S. aircraft were forbidden to go within a radius of 40 nautical miles of Hanoi, which included Phúc Yên, although these restrictions were gradually reduced as the campaign continued.

In May 1965 Il-28 bombers were identified at Phúc Yên, as these aircraft were capable of conducting airstrikes on South Vietnam the JCS again proposed a B-52 strike on Phúc Yên and nearby SA-2 sites, but once again approval was denied for fear that such an attack might provoke increased Soviet and PRC support for North Vietnam or even PRC intervention in the war.

By late March 1966 U.S. intelligence indicated that more than 60 MiG-15s and MiG-17s and 15 MiG-21s were based at Phúc Yên while crates containing an estimated 5 MiG-15s and 25 MiG-21s were also at the base.