The Ho Chi Minh Campaign: Operational Art in the Fall of Saigon

Abstract

The fall of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, in 1975, completed over a decade of constant turmoil within Vietnam. The unification of Vietnam under the North Vietnamese government marked a significant change in strategic posture and the spread of communism. Much of the literature concerning the Vietnam War focuses on the counter insurgent fight before the 1973 United States withdrawal. The purpose of this study is to show that the NVA employed operational art in their efforts to capture Saigon from 1973 to 1975. This study analyzes if the NVA used tempo, depth, and simultaneity in seizing Saigon. In exploring the tenets of operational art, this work strives to highlight how the NVA leveraged operational art, and provide an in-depth analysis of the drive south: the Ho Chi Minh Campaign.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 22, 2014
Accession Number
ADA612185

Entities

People

  • Charles V. Slider Iii

Organizations

  • United States Army Command and General Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • C4I
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Engineered Resilient Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Combat Operations
  • Doctrine
  • Governments
  • Military Education
  • Military History
  • Military Organizations
  • Military Science
  • Political Science
  • Social Sciences
  • South Vietnam
  • Southeast Asia
  • Students
  • United States
  • United States Military Academy
  • Vietnam War
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • East Asian Political and Security Studies within the Soviet Union
  • Library and Information Science/ Studies, Southeast Asia Studies, Bibliography of Vietnam and Lao Studies.
  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies