The historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign - an immortal epic.

Forty-one years ago, with the Spring Offensive of 1975, culminating in the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign, our army and people successfully concluded the protracted war against the US, reuniting North and South Vietnam and bringing immense joy to the nation. The war is over, and Vietnam has now modernized and grown stronger, but the great victory of Spring 1975 will forever live on in the memories of every generation of Vietnamese people with its profound historical significance.

As early as March 25, 1975, the Resolution of the Central Party Politburo affirmed that the strategic opportunity had arrived, and that forces and resources had to be concentrated as quickly as possible to liberate the South before the rainy season. The campaign to liberate Saigon - Cholon was named the Ho Chi Minh Campaign by the Politburo.

From the beginning of April 1975, our army and people lived through the most heroic and vibrant days of our nation's history. The entire nation mobilized in a historic spring with the spirit of "marching quickly, striking quickly, and winning quickly" and the momentum of "speed, boldness, surprise, and certain victory."

On April 9th, we attacked Xuan Loc town, a key enemy defensive base protecting Saigon from the northeast. On April 16th, our troops broke through the Phan Rang defenses. On April 21st, the enemy forces in Xuan Loc fled, opening the gateway to Saigon from the northeast. Immediately after the loss of Xuan Loc, President Nguyen Van Thieu resigned.

Ho Chi Minh Campaign

The map recreates the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign, which ended the resistance war against the American invasion and unified the country.

At exactly 5 PM on April 26th, our troops were ordered to open fire, launching the campaign. Five columns of troops from various directions crossed the outer defensive line and advanced into Saigon. On April 28th, our artillery bombarded Tan Son Nhat airport. In the early morning of April 29th, all columns of troops simultaneously launched a general offensive into the city center, seizing key enemy headquarters.

On the morning of April 30, 1975, the 10th Division, 3rd Corps, captured Tan Son Nhat Airport.

Capture the Independence Palace

At 10:45 AM on April 30th, four of our tanks rammed through the gates of the Independence Palace, capturing the entire Saigon puppet regime. President Duong Van Minh of the Saigon puppet regime declared unconditional surrender and ordered the puppet army to surrender as well. At 11:30 AM the same day, the flag of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam flew atop the Saigon puppet regime's Presidential Palace, signaling the complete victory of the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign. On May 2nd, 1975, the last remaining areas of South Vietnam were liberated.

A tank of the liberation army rammed through the gates of the Independence Palace on April 30, 1975.

Historical significance

The Spring Offensive and Uprising of 1975, beginning with the Battle of Buon Ma Thuot and the Central Highlands Campaign, followed by the Hue-Da Nang Campaign, and finally the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign, achieved complete victory in nearly two months of continuous and tenacious fighting (from March 18, 1975 to May 2, 1975). This was the most glorious victory in the resistance war against the US, marking the complete and total triumph of the resistance war against America, a momentous event in the nation's history, and an event with a significant impact on the global situation. Over 21 years of war, five US presidents implemented four neo-colonial strategic plans and waged wars of aggression. The US gradually escalated the war of aggression against Vietnam, transforming it into the largest war in the world since World War II. With determination and will to defeat the Americans through a people's war strategy, the people and army of South Vietnam successively defeated their war of aggression, with the Great Victory of Spring 1975 being the greatest victory that decided the fate of the American imperialist war of aggression.

The people of Saigon enthusiastically took to the streets to celebrate the victory.

The Spring Victory of 1975 crushed over 1 million South Vietnamese troops, completely overthrowing the puppet regime of the US in the South. American advisors had to leave the South, and the puppet President Duong Van Minh had to declare unconditional surrender. That victory liberated the people of the South from the yoke of imperialist and puppet rule.

The great victory of Spring 1975 marked the end of 21 years of resistance against the US, and simultaneously ended 30 years of national liberation and defense of the Fatherland, permanently ending the domination of French and American imperialism and the feudal regime, and wiping away the humiliation and pain of more than a century of losing one's country for the Vietnamese people.

Old colonialism, new colonialism, and reactionary forces were the causes of the country's division. French colonialism divided our country into three regions within the five French Indochina territories, erasing Vietnam from the world map. The US imperialists and the Ngo Dinh Diem regime divided the country into two parts, North and South, along the 17th parallel. The great victory of Spring 1975 abolished all dividing lines, unifying the country territorially. This created favorable conditions for the North and South to unify the country in terms of state administration and other areas.

The Party's revolutionary line of people's democracy is the goal of the revolution, the belief of the nation. The victory of the resistance war against France created conditions for the North to complete the national democratic revolution. The great victory of Spring 1975 overthrew the imperialist regime and its puppets, paving the way for the complete completion of the people's democratic revolution, eliminating the feudal and bourgeois classes in the South.

With the country free from foreign invaders and the puppet regime overthrown, the Great Victory of Spring 1975 was a momentous event in the nation's history, ushering in a new era of national independence, reunification, and progress towards building socialism.

The Spring Offensive and Uprising of 1975 was one of the greatest victories, one of the most glorious achievements in the history of the nation's resistance against foreign invaders. The Ho Chi Minh Campaign – the battle that ended the resistance war against the US to save the country – along with the battles of Bach Dang (1288), Chi Lang (1427), Dong Da (1789), and Dien Bien Phu (1954), marked a glorious milestone in the progress of our country's history, highlighting the indomitable and resilient tradition of our nation in the struggle against foreign invaders and the defense of the Fatherland.

The close-knit solidarity of the three Indochinese nations was profoundly demonstrated during the resistance war against the US on a unified battlefield, fighting a common enemy with the same goal of national liberation. The great victory of Spring 1975 not only opened a new turning point in the nation's history but also created a great opportunity for the Cambodian people to liberate their country on April 17, 1975, and for the Lao people to gain independence on December 2, 1975.

For the American empire, the defeat in South Vietnam in 1975 was the most costly and devastating war, the greatest and heaviest defeat in the 200-year history of American imperialism. This defeat profoundly impacted the internal affairs of the United States, diminishing its prestige and position on the international stage.

For the world, the Great Victory of Spring 1975 shattered the biggest counterattack against the revolutionary forces of the leading imperialist power, breaking through the defense line preventing the national liberation movement and the expansion of socialism in Southeast Asia, and contributing to the upheaval of the global strategy of the United States.

The Spring Victory of 1975 decided on the dissolution of the US-led SEATO military bloc in September 1975, contributing to peace, security, and harmony in Southeast Asia.

The great victory of Spring 1975 in particular, and the resistance war against the US in general, was not only a victory for the Vietnamese nation but also a victory for socialism and the national liberation movement worldwide. This victory contributed to strengthening the power of socialism, narrowing the battlefield of imperialism, and creating favorable conditions for the development of the national liberation movement around the world.

The great victory of Spring 1975 was a powerful source of inspiration for the national liberation movement and the progressive democratic movement worldwide, further proving a truth of our time: A nation resolutely resisting imperialism, with correct leadership and international support, will certainly achieve victory even when facing the leading imperialist power.

Under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam, our army and people fulfilled President Ho Chi Minh's wish: the people of North and South Vietnam were reunited. In the struggle between the Vietnamese will and the military might of the United States, despite the arduous fighting and the sacrifices of many lives and resources, the spirit and will of the Vietnamese people to achieve national independence and reunification triumphed completely. That glorious victory will forever be a source of pride for every generation of Vietnamese people, a great spiritual motivation for us to steadfastly move forward on the path chosen by the Party, our beloved Uncle Ho, and our people: national independence, democracy, and socialism; continuing the process of reform, industrialization and modernization, building and developing the country, and standing shoulder to shoulder with friends around the world, as our beloved Uncle Ho always wished.

Thai Binh (Synthetic)