Assoc.Prof.Dr. Ha Minh Hong

In mid-April, when the whole country was preparing for the 40th Anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification, we and some special forces soldiers of Brigade 316 returned to the foot of Rach Chiec bridge in District 2 to offer incense in memory of the 52 soldiers of Brigade 316 who sacrificed their lives 40 years ago in a fierce battle between the liberation army and the Saigon puppet army.

"Death" point

As a researcher of the history of the resistance war against the US, Associate Professor Dr. Ha Minh Hong (University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ho Chi Minh City) once led students majoring in Vietnamese History to survey and research the battle of Rach Chiec bridge during the General Offensive and Uprising in the spring of 1975. He said that although the battle of Rach Chiec bridge was the last battle at the eastern gateway of the city during the historic Ho Chi Minh campaign, it left behind a very unique and typical art of war.

Associate Professor Dr. Ha Minh Hong said: When losing the battlefields of the Central Highlands and Da Nang, Nguyen Van Thieu declared to "defend to the death" in Saigon. But the battle of Rach Chiec bridge proved to the government of the Republic of Vietnam (RVN) that even "defending to the death" would fail.

In particular, when Phan Rang (Ninh Thuan - Nguyen Van Thieu's hometown) and Xuan Loc (Dong Nai) were lost, the Saigon government decided to quickly set up defensive posts with a "death defense" plan to protect Saigon. Associate Professor, Dr. Ha Minh Hong analyzed: The three most important bridges in the East direction on National Highway 1 are Dong Nai Bridge (on Dong Nai River), Rach Chiec Bridge (on Rach Chiec estuary, a branch of the lower Saigon River) and Saigon Bridge (on Saigon River). Of these three important bridges, Rach Chiec Bridge is located in the middle on the road from Vung Tau intersection to Hang Xanh.

Because the location of Rach Chiec bridge is close to the inner city, capturing this bridge means opening the door to Saigon's inner city, sending our army forward, stabbing the sword straight into the enemy's neck. Dong Nai bridge is relatively wide, if the enemy destroys it, there are other directions to go. Saigon bridge is close to the center, the enemy cannot destroy it because they still need it to retreat. Rach Chiec bridge is small and short but the enemy really needs to keep it for mobility but can also destroy it to prevent the liberation army, helping to "defend to the death" and protect Saigon.

Mr. Nguyen Duc Tho, then Lieutenant Z23 (Special Forces Brigade 316), was the first person to fire the B40 to start the battle at Rach Chiec Bridge. Mr. Tho said: Towards the mouth of Rach Chiec is the Saigon River, which is impossible to maneuver; to the rear is the muddy Bung Sau Xa, which is also a revolutionary base. Although the Rach Chiec River is narrow, it is very deep. If the bridge is destroyed, it will be difficult to deploy a pontoon bridge for firepower and tanks to pass. From the end of March 1975, in addition to the system of nearly ten bunkers surrounding the bridge, the enemy deployed 400 security soldiers equipped with heavy machine guns, M16s, M79s, 61mm mortars, anti-tank guns, etc., and built a series of fortifications and bunkers at both ends of the bridge. Before the battle took place, reconnaissance discovered that the enemy had placed two explosives weighing hundreds of kilograms under the bridge. If they could not hold the bridge, they would destroy it.

Rach Chiec Bridge has been rebuilt more impressively today.

Surrender is inevitable

Associate Professor Dr. Ha Minh Hong commented: Capturing and holding Rach Chiec bridge, waiting for the main army to enter the enemy's lair when they were determined to "defend to the death", was clearly a direct mission to destroy the enemy's "death-defying" plot, ensuring the rapid advance of our army. We used strong special forces including: D.81, Z.22, Z.23 to participate in the battle. On the night of April 27, 1975, right from the first minutes of firing, special forces secretly destroyed the enemy's mines planted under the bridge. The battle that followed was fierce, the liberation army gradually took over the battlefield and drove the enemy out of the bridge area.

On the morning of April 28, the enemy concentrated all their forces to retake the bridge, but they could not carry out their plan. On the night of April 29, Rach Chiec Bridge became the most fierce fighting point between us and the enemy. In the open terrain and fierce fighting conditions, our troops destroyed two enemy battalions, disintegrated thousands of soldiers on the spot, captured many weapons and war vehicles, and held Rach Chiec Bridge. On the morning of April 30, our army crossed over and penetrated deep into Saigon city.

According to Associate Professor Dr. Ha Minh Hong, Mr. Duong Van Minh was a man with a lot of battle experience. He had participated in coups, especially the coup in 1963. During those historic April days, Mr. Duong Van Minh clearly understood the trend and requirements of the war, clearly understood the withdrawal of the US from the South, clearly understood the nature and capacity of the ARVN army and seemed to have the answer that even if they "defended to the death", they could not keep Saigon because the Rach Chiec bridge defense line fell so quickly. We asked why the ARVN army "defended to the death" at Rach Chiec bridge to stop the advance of our troops? Associate Professor Dr. Ha Minh Hong said that in fact, the "defending to the death" had been planned by the ARVN government not only at Rach Chiec bridge but also in Saigon before that. The Rach Chiec bridge defense line was the decisive point in the East of the enemy, which had a decisive meaning in whether Saigon could be kept, whether Saigon could be "defended to the death" or not? The revolutionary army's battle formation and offensive power, with the speed of "one day equals 20 years", once they had closed in on Saigon, the enemy could no longer "defend to the death" anywhere. By the time the enemy completely lost Rach Chiec bridge, many other places would also fall, and the enemy could no longer retreat or regroup in the inner city; the intention of "defending to the death" in Saigon would also disappear. President Duong Van Minh could only surrender unconditionally.

The battle of Rach Chiec Bridge is considered one of the last major battles in the historic Ho Chi Minh campaign that paved the way for our troops to liberate Saigon. And to capture a bridge that was only over 100 meters long, 52 soldiers heroically sacrificed their lives. Today, Rach Chiec Bridge has been built solidly with a length of over 735 meters and 10 lanes.

“It is necessary to build a worthy monument like an Arc de Triomphe engraved with the names of the soldiers who sacrificed their lives at Rach Chiec Bridge, the eastern gateway of the city, to remind everyone, especially the young generation, of the decisive battle to defend the bridge when the moment of victory was very close,” said Associate Professor Dr. Ha Minh Hong.

According to Traffic Newspaper