The PAVN capture of Ban Me Thuot in March 1975 shattered South Vietnam's II Corps and triggered the collapse of the Central Highlands defense.
Key Facts
- Date
- March 1975
- Operation name
- Campaign 275
- Region contested
- Central Highlands (Tay Nguyen)
- Duration to ARVN collapse
- Within ten days
- Key ARVN failure
- Ignored intelligence of multiple PAVN divisions nearby
- Withdrawal route
- Route 7 convoy destroyed by PAVN artillery
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
North Vietnam launched Campaign 275 to seize the Central Highlands as the opening phase of its 1975 spring offensive. II Corps commander Major General Phạm Văn Phú repeatedly dismissed intelligence warnings about PAVN divisions massing around Ban Me Thuot, leaving South Vietnamese forces unprepared for the scale of the assault.
In March 1975, large PAVN forces stormed Ban Me Thuot in a concentrated offensive. Within ten days they destroyed most ARVN military formations across the II Corps Tactical Zone, exposing critical weaknesses in South Vietnamese command, training, and readiness across the Central Highlands.
President Nguyễn Văn Thiệu ordered a withdrawal from the Central Highlands, but the retreat was poorly planned. PAVN artillery devastated the South Vietnamese military convoy on Route 7, killing soldiers and civilians alike. The entire II Corps Tactical Zone collapsed, accelerating the broader fall of South Vietnam.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent
Phạm Văn Phú.