General Giap and the Great Victory of Spring 1975

(Baonghean) - In 1973 and 1974, the situation on the battlefield changed rapidly in favor of the Revolution; conditions appeared in the domestic and foreign situations showing that the opportunity to completely liberate the South was ripe.

Faced with that situation, in early January 1975, the Politburo and the Party Central Committee met and set the goal of liberating the South within 1975-1976, and if the opportunity came early, it would be completed in 1975. Immediately afterwards, on January 9, 1975, General Vo Nguyen Giap, Secretary of the Central Military Commission, chaired an expanded meeting of the Central Military Commission to thoroughly grasp the spirit of the above resolution of the Politburo. This important meeting led to the decision to launch the Central Highlands campaign, liberating Buon Me Thuot and surrounding areas. Before that, after studying the opinions of the generals, the General proposed to the Politburo to choose the Central Highlands as the strategic attack direction.

After the discussion, General Vo Nguyen Giap concluded the conference. The General determined the area and target of the attack, the mission of the campaign, suggested the way of fighting, emphasized the motto of secrecy, surprise, and boldness, and at the same time organized diversions to make the enemy focus their attention on protecting the northern Central Highlands. He also paid special attention to logistics to serve the campaign in the most effective way.

The Central Highlands Campaign opened at dawn on March 10, 1975, with our troops pouring down thunderous firestorms on the enemy, causing them to be extremely surprised and panicked. One day later, our troops took control of Buon Ma Thuot Town, the most important link in the enemy's strategically important defense system that had been broken. This strategically significant victory not only cheered up the army and people of the whole country, but also put the American advisors and the puppet army and puppet government of Saigon in a state of confusion and passivity.

Meanwhile, the Hue - Da Nang Campaign was also launched almost simultaneously on March 5. And with a stormy offensive spirit, our army and people continuously liberated the two cities of Hue and Da Nang in just 3 days. With the strategy of splitting bamboo, within just 1 month, with the motto of "lightning speed, boldness, surprise, sure victory" of General Vo Nguyen Giap, our army and people liberated most of the urban areas along National Highway 1; continuously penetrated the enemy's defense lines, including the extremely solid defense lines in Phan Rang and Xuan Loc.

Documents of General Vo Nguyen Giap and the Vietnam People's Army High Command planning the 1975 Spring General Offensive.

Closely following the developments on the battlefield every hour and every minute, realizing that the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity had arrived, on April 7, 1975, on behalf of the Politburo and the Central Military Commission, the General sent a secret telegram to the South with the content: "Fast, faster, bolder, bolder, seize every minute, every hour, rush to the front, liberate the South, fight and win". Immediately after that, on the battlefield, the two words "fast" were carved by soldiers on gun butts, on cliffs, written on hats, on backpacks, rushing into battle with a spirit that shook the heavens and the earth. All military directions were aimed at Saigon, the last lair of the US puppets like a rising tide, a flowing waterfall.

The General affirmed that the current opportunity was favorable for us in many aspects, allowing us to quickly begin the general attack on Saigon. Realizing that the historic moment was near, on April 14, 1975, the Politburo, headed by comrade Le Duan, accepted General Vo Nguyen Giap's proposal to name the Ho Chi Minh Campaign the Saigon Liberation Campaign. On April 26, the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign, commanded by General Van Tien Dung, Secretary of the Central Office for Southern Vietnam Pham Hung as Political Commissar, and Generals Tran Van Tra and Le Trong Tan as Deputy Commanders, completed its glorious mission.

The General’s close associates recounted that the night of April 28, 1975, was a sleepless night for the General Headquarters. No comrades in the Politburo and the Central Military Commission could sleep. Those who knew the specific plan of the General Offensive and Uprising were awake with the battlefield, welcoming the “G” hour of the General Offensive on Saigon as if welcoming the New Year’s Eve of history.

With 5 armies consisting of 20 divisions commanded by strategic generals, they marched into Saigon in the face of weak and panicked enemy resistance.

At noon on April 30, 1975, President of the puppet government Duong Van Minh announced his surrender to the Revolution. The South was completely liberated, the country was reunited.

General Vo Nguyen Giap assessed, “The Vietnam People’s Army in both the North and the South, as Uncle Ho said, is a heroic army of a heroic nation, with high fighting spirit, intelligence and creativity. A general, no matter how great his achievements, is just a drop in the ocean. Only the Vietnamese people defeated the Americans.”

That modesty made the General even more famous. In the book “Famous Generals”, Townson affirmed that “Vo Nguyen Giap is one of 21 world famous generals of all time, whose achievements created a turning point in the art of war”. And American military historian Cecil Curay in his work “General Vo Nguyen Giap, the genius of Vietnam” wrote lines full of admiration “General Giap is the only general in modern history to fight against the enemy from an extremely weak position, lacking equipment and financial resources. Although he initially had no troops, he still continuously defeated the remnants of the Japanese army, the French army and the American army. Mr. Giap is the greatest rare story of people's war…, a great logistics general of all time”.

Le Thach Vinh (Synthesis)