(VOVWORLD) - The Buon Ma Thuot victory on March 10, 1975, the opening battle of the Central Highlands operation, was a turning point for the General Offensive and Uprising of the Spring of 1975 which led to the victory of the Ho Chi Minh Campaign, the complete liberation of South Vietnam, and national reunification. 50 years on, the historic event remains vivid in the minds of witnesses.
 Soldiers of the liberation army raise the flag of victory at Mai Hac De depot in Buon Ma Thuot on March 11, 1975. (File photo) |
On the morning of March 10, 1975, Battalion 2 of Regiment 25 was ordered to attack the Mai Hac De warehouse, the enemy’s strategic supply depot in Buon Ma Thuot.
Ho Quang Tri, the battalion’s commander, recalled, “The battle was scheduled to start at 3 a.m. But because a reconnaissance unit at the airport got captured, we had to open artillery fire at 1:20 a.m. At 5 a.m. the enemy surrendered.”
The iconic image of the Buon Ma Thuot victory is Liberation Army tanks rumbling into town. At that time, along with the diversionary tactic, it was a skillful military art to bring tanks into Buon Ma Thuot.
 Ho Quang Tri, commander of Battalion 2 of Regiment 25. (Photo: Nam Trang/VOV) |
Colonel Le Xuan Ba, Commander of Regiment 4, Division 470, at the time, said his unit was ordered to open the way to the Southern Central Highlands from Duc Co airport on Road 19 across streams, a pass, and a river.
Approaching Buon Ma Thuot town, the tanks hid in the forest. At dawn on March 10, Colonel Ba recalled, the tank companies knocked down trees and attacked straight into the center of Buon Ma Thuot town.
“We opened the main road for the campaign from Ea Sup and Don hamlet straight to Cumgar to ensure tanks could move into the district without hindrance. After opening the road, we went down to the stream roads to avoid being discovered,” said Ba.
Before opening fire, the regiment sawed three fourths of the tree trunks in the forest to help the tanks knock down them and advance into Buon Ma Thuot. By March 9, the entire road was cleared. On March 10, the army liberated Buon Ma Thuot, said the Colonel.
 Colonel Le Xuan Ba, Commander of Regiment 4, Division 470. (Photo: Nam Trang/VOV) |
Nguyen An Vinh, a revolutionary veteran and former Secretary of the Dak Lak provincial Party Committee, said the spring of 1975 was the most vivid and meaningful time of his life.
At that time, he was one of three representatives from Dak Lak province to attend a financial preparation meeting for the liberation campaign.
“On March 5, the Vietnam People's Army blocked Road 21 and then Road 14. On March 8, the army attacked Cam Ga, now at the center of Ea H'leo district. One day later, they attacked Duc Lap, now Dak Mil district. For two consecutive days, the army cut off the roads and attacked the enemy’s bases. On March 10, they opened fire on Buon Ma Thuot,” Vinh told VOV.
Colonel Le Thanh Bai, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Military History Institute, said the Buon Ma Thuot victory was a key victory in Vietnam’s anti-US war. It was the result of long preparation building forces and organizing the campaign.
According to Bai, the Buon Ma Thuot battle was a major blow and the beginning of the General Offensive and Uprising of the Spring of 1975, which opened a new strategic opportunity to step up attacks on the enemy.
“The defeat at Buon Ma Thuot, combined with defeats in Hue and Da Nang, forced the enemy to retreat and enabled the Vietnamese army and people to carry out the Ho Chi Minh campaign to completely liberate the South,” said Colonel Bai.
The Buon Ma Thuot victory will forever be a high point of Vietnam’s glorious history. It was a victory of the courage, solidarity, and intelligence of the Vietnamese army and people, which led to the success of the historic Ho Chi Minh campaign, the liberation of the South, and the reunification of the nation.