At noon on April 30, 1975, the first tanks of the Liberation Army began to advance into the Independence Palace, led by tanks numbered 843 and 390.
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| At noon on April 30, 1975, leading the Liberation Army's tank formation into the Independence Palace were two tanks: a T-54B with the number "843" and a Type 59 with the number 390. Both tanks successively rammed through the side and main gates of the last remaining headquarters of the Saigon puppet regime, marking the end of the unjust war that had divided the Vietnamese nation for 20 years. (Image source: LIFE) |
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| And the first tank of the Liberation Army to enter the courtyard of the Independence Palace was tank "390" of Company 4, Battalion 1, 203rd Tank Brigade, 2nd Corps. It was one of the rapid advance units towards the center of Saigon on the historic day of April 30th. Image source: wordpress. |
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| Although tank "843" was the first to enter the main gate area of the Independence Palace, it got stuck at the side gate and could not move further. Immediately, tank "390" quickly advanced and rammed through the main gate of the palace in place of its comrade. This made it difficult to verify which tank was the first to break through the gate of the Independence Palace on April 30, 1975. It was not until later, thanks to a valuable documentary photograph by French journalist Francoise Demulder published in 1995, that the achievement of tank "390" (commanded by Lieutenant Vu Dang Toan) was recognized. Image source: Getty Images. |
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| It wasn't until 2012 that the two legendary tanks, "390" and "843," were officially recognized as National Treasures by the Government, accurately confirming the heroic achievements of these two exceptional tanks. They will forever remain a testament to the nation's resistance against the American invasion. |
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| The photo shows a replica of the "390" tank displayed at the Independence Palace alongside a replica of the "843" tank. The originals of these two tanks are currently housed at the Tank and Armored Vehicle Museum. Photo source: Nissa Rhee. |
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| The "390" tank is one of many Type 59 tanks that China supplied to Vietnam during the final stages of the war against the US. They operated alongside Soviet-made T-54/55 tanks, forming the main battle tank duo of our army at that time. (Image source: htka.hu) |
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| To this day, the T-54/55 and Type 59 remain the core of our army's armored forces, alongside several other tank types. Both of these tank types are currently being researched for upgrades to the modernized T-55M3 variant, aiming to improve their combat capabilities. (Image source: People's Army Newspaper) |
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| The Type 59 tank is essentially a domestically produced variant of the former Soviet T-54A tank, manufactured and tested by China in 1958 before being officially put into service in 1959. According to statistics, approximately 9,500 Type 59 tanks were produced between 1958 and 1980. (Image source: People's Army Newspaper) |
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| Despite being quite outdated, the Type 59 is still used in many countries around the world in various variants, including in its country of origin. The number of tanks still in active service is estimated at over 5,000. Image source: Army Recognition. |
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| The Type 59 initially used a 100mm cannon like the T-54, but some upgraded versions later adopted a 105mm cannon. Due to the effectiveness of the 105mm cannon on the Type 59, subsequent variants of this tank series were standardized with the new main gun. This can be considered the most significant upgrade to the Type 59 in the early 1980s. Image source: baidu.com. |
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| After the Cold War ended, the Type 59 was further developed into many different variants, with at least eight new variants in addition to the Type 59 II and Type 59D. During this period, the Type 59 also began to change its design, being equipped with additional defense systems, including explosive reactive armor in the most vulnerable areas of the vehicle. Image source: Wikipedia. |
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| Currently, at least 10 countries worldwide still use the Type 59, most of which are either prototype variants with a 100mm cannon or upgraded variants such as the Type 69/79 or Type 59G. The Chinese Army itself still operates the Type 59 with its 105mm cannon variants. Image source: sohu.com. |
According to Kienthuc
