Battle of Phuoc Long

The North Vietnamese Army 7th and 3d Divisions attack Phuoc Long, a provincial capital north of Saigon in III Corps. Attacking forces include multiple regiments of infantry, armor, artillery, antiaircraft, and sapper units. Defending South Vietnamese Army forces include 1,000 Montagnard Popular Forces troops, five battalions of Regional Forces, and four Territorial Artillery units. They are later reinforced by two battalions of the South Vietnamese 7th Infantry and additional artillery, ranger, and reconnaissance units from the regular South Vietnamese armed forces.

A battle for the city rages for weeks. By January 7, however, the South Vietnamese defenders are overrun. Phuoc Long becomes the first South Vietnamese provincial capital to be permanently occupied by Communist forces. North Vietnamese troops also close in on Hue and other major population centers across Vietnam.¹