Key Facts
- Start date
- 7 March 1968
- End date
- August 1968
- Duration
- Approximately 5 months
- US units involved
- 1st and 2nd Brigades, 9th Infantry Division
- ARVN units involved
- 7th Division and South Vietnamese Regional Forces
- Also known as
- Operation People's Road
Strategic Narrative Overview
US 9th Infantry Division brigades and the ARVN 7th Division, supported by South Vietnamese Regional Forces, conducted joint security operations across the northern Mekong Delta. An American artillery battalion established a fire support base on the north bank of the Mỹ Tho River. The Mobile Riverine Force carried out riverine and airmobile operations to pursue and dislodge Viet Cong fighters from the waterways and surrounding terrain.
01 / The Origins
The Tet Offensive of early 1968 severely disrupted South Vietnamese government control across the country, including the northern Mekong Delta. Viet Cong forces exploited the chaos to entrench themselves in the region and threaten traffic along Highway 4, a critical supply and communication artery. Operation Truong Cong Dinh was launched on 7 March 1968 to reassert South Vietnamese authority and neutralize the VC presence in this strategically important area.
03 / The Outcome
The operation concluded in August 1968 after approximately five months of combined US and ARVN activity. It aimed to restore governmental authority in the northern Mekong Delta and secure Highway 4 against Viet Cong interdiction. The source does not record specific casualty figures, territorial changes, or a definitive assessment of the operation's long-term success in suppressing Viet Cong activity in the region.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
3 belligerents
Side B
1 belligerent