Vietnam War: Ho Chi Minh Campaign: North Vietnamese troops attack Ban Mê Thuột in the South on their way to capturing Saigon in the final push for victory over South Vietnam.
1975 spring offensive
The 1975 spring offensive, officially known as the general offensive and uprising of spring 1975, was the final North Vietnamese campaign of the Vietnam War that led to the capitulation of South Vietnam. In December 1974, People's Army of Vietnam's (PAVN) forces crossed from their bases in Cambodia and captured Phước Long Province by January 1975. After this success, the North Vietnamese leadership increased the scope of the PAVN offensive and attacked the Central Highlands from Cambodia in March, capturing the city of Buôn Ma Thuột on 18 March. These operations were intended to be preparatory to launching a general offensive in 1976.
North Vietnam
North Vietnam, officially the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, was a country in Southeast Asia from 1945 to 1976, with sovereignty fully recognized in 1954. A member of the communist Eastern Bloc, it opposed the French-supported State of Vietnam and later the Western-allied Republic of Vietnam. The DRV invaded Saigon in 1975 and ceased to exist the following year when it merged with the south to become the current Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
Battle of Ban Me Thuot
The Battle of Ban Me Thuot was a decisive battle of the Vietnam War which led to the complete destruction of South Vietnam's II Corps Tactical Zone. The battle was part of a larger North Vietnamese military operation known as Campaign 275 to capture the Tay Nguyen region, known in the West as the Vietnamese Central Highlands.
Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City, also known as Saigon, is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of 14,002,598 in 2025.