1975 Vietnamese Manuscript Map of the End of the Vietnam War

This is a 1975 Vietnamese manuscript map of the Ho Chi Minh Campaign, the final campaign of the Vietnam War. The map depicts southern Vietnam from Tây-Ninh to Xuân-Lôc and from Tây-Ninh to Vung Tàu and and My-Tho. The red arrows illustrate all the actions that took place between April 7 and April 29, 1975, while the yellow arrows highlight the final push into Saigon itself, which fell to North Vietnamese forces on April 30, 1975, effectively ending the Vietnam War. South Vietnamese cities and bases that fell to North Vietnamese forces are illustrated by blue walls and labeled. The date that each location fell is also provided.

The Ho Chi Minh Campaign

Following the capture of Da Nang by North Vietnamese troops in late March 1975, the North Vietnamese Politburo made the decision that it was not necessary to wait until 1976 to make the final push toward Saigon and end the war; they believed the 'final offensive' could be successful at that moment and abandoned their long standing strategy of meticulous planning and methodical preparation in favor of ending the war. The offensive began with an all-out attack on Xuân-Lôc, situated here on the right side of the map.

It was a week into a bloody, 'meat-grinder' of a battle that the Politburo consented to a proposal to name the offensive after the late president of North Vietnam Ho Chi Minh. It is said that, on that day, April 14, the president of North Vietnam passed a message to the commanding general, 'You must win. Otherwise, do not return.' Not long after, North Vietnamese commanders elected to bypass Xuân-Lôc and its formidable defenses (a tried and true military tactic) and attack Biên Hòa Air Base, which held up to sixty percent of South Vietnamese ammunition supplies and acted as the base for South Vietnamese close air support, which was devastating North Vietnamese forces outside Xuân-Lôc. It would not be until April 30th, the same day that Saigon fell, that fighting around Biên Hòa would end.

The Fall of Saigon

North Vietnamese forces had advanced to the outskirts of the city by April 28th. The week before, South Vietnamese President Nguyễn Văn Thiệu, resigned and handed power to the vice president, Trần Văn Hương. After President Thiệu's resignation, the military situation in Saigon continued to deteriorate. Perhaps the most iconic image of the end of the war is the evacuation of US Embassy, which ended at 7:53 a.m. on the morning of April 30 when the last of the U.S. Marines guarding the embassy were airlifted off the roof. By 10:24 a.m., President Minh had ordered a cease fire and an unconditional surrender. By May 3, 1975, North Vietnamese forces controlled all of South Vietnam, ending a campaign that lasted only fifty-five days.

As this map is manuscript and unsigned, it is impossible to know who created this map.