South Vietnamese President Thieu Decides to Withdraw All Forces South

Facing military pressure from the North Vietnamese and ebbing U.S. support, South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu orders his troops to retreat south to a defensive line running west from Tuy Hoa on the coast, in II Corps. He also orders South Vietnamese forces to recapture areas south of that line that have been lost to the Communist forces. Enemy roadblocks and ambushes, roads choked with refugees, and poor execution of the retreat lead to the disintegration of many units in II Corps and the failure to retake Ban Me Thuot. Elements of three North Vietnamese divisions advance across II Corps and press their advantage against the badly outnumbered South Vietnamese forces.1