Bombing of Tan Son Nhut Air Base The bombing of Tan Son Nhut Air Base occurred on April 28 , 1975 , just two days before the Fall of Saigon . The bombing operation was carried out by the Vietnam People ' s Air Force ( VPAF ) Quyet Thang Squadron , using captured Republic of Vietnam Air Force ( RVNAF ) A - 37 aircraft flown by VPAF pilots and RVNAF defectors led by Nguyen Thanh Trung who had bombed the Presidential Palace in Saigon , less than one month earlier . In 1973 , by the time the Paris Peace Accord was concluded , South Vietnam possessed the fourth largest air force in the world . Despite their size , however , South Vietnamese Air Force operations were severely curtailed due to cutbacks in U . S . military aid . Furthermore , the South Vietnamese Air Force were prevented from undertaking reconnaissance and ground support missions due to the threat posed by formidable anti - aircraft weapons deployed by North Vietnam . When the North Vietnamese military renewed their offensive early in 1975 , the South Vietnamese Air Force was virtually handicapped and many of their aircraft were either lost or captured as formations of the Vietnam People ' s Army swept through the Central Highlands of South Vietnam . By April 1975 , morale in the South Vietnamese Air Force had sunk so low that some of their personnel simply defected to the Communist side . In a well - known incident , South Vietnamese pilot Nguyen Thanh Trung used his F - 5E fighter - bomber to attack the Presidential Palace in Saigon instead of North Vietnamese troops . Shortly afterwards , Trung joined the Communist forces and he was ordered to train a group of North Vietnamese pilots to operate the U . S . - made A - 37 Dragonfly fighter - bomber , in order to support the Ho Chi Minh Campaign . On the afternoon of April 28 , 1975 , Trung led a flight of five A - 37 fighter - bombers against Tan Son Nhut Air Base , which temporarily stopped U . S . and South Vietnamese evacuation efforts . Background . Strategic situation . Although the Paris Peace Accords of 1973 were supposed to end the war in Vietnam , fighting continued between South Vietnam and North Vietnam and the Viet Cong . Despite a pledge of support from U . S . President Richard Nixon , military aid to South Vietnam was sharply reduced . By the end of 1972 the RVNAF was the fourth largest air force in the world , with 2 , 075 aircraft and over 61 , 000 personnel . However , RVNAF operations were severely affected by cutbacks in military aid , flying hours had to be reduced by 51 % and bomb loads on fighter aircraft halved from four to two pieces of ordnance . North Vietnam continued to build - up its combat units in South Vietnam . With the threat of U . S . airpower removed , the North Vietnamese military moved anti - aircraft units into South Vietnam , and deployed a sophisticated air - defence network that included the long - range SA - 2 surface - to - air missile system , radar - guided anti - aircraft guns and the SA - 7 Grail shoulder - launched missile The strong presence of North Vietnamese anti - aircraft units , which covered much of the northern provinces of South Vietnam , forced RVNAF reconnaissance and fighter aircraft to fly at higher altitudes to avoid being hit by surface - to - air missiles . Consequently , when North Vietnam went on the offensive again in 1975 , the RVNAF was severely handicapped . Ho Chi Minh Campaign . The Ho Chi Minh Campaign commenced on March 9 , 1975 and by mid - March the Army of the Republic of Vietnam ( ARVN ) had withdrawn from the Central Highlands . The RVNAF 6th Air Force Division had been given only 48 hours to evacuate its aircraft and personnel from Pleiku Air Base leaving 64 aircraft intact , including 36 aircraft in flyable storage , and no attempt were made to put those aircraft into commission . On March 27 with South Vietnamese forces of I Corps facing imminent defeat , RVNAF Brigadier - General Nguyen Duc Khanh , commander of the RVNAF 1st Air Force Division , was ordered to evacuate all flyable aircraft from Huế and Da Nang . On March 28 North Vietnamese forces closed in on Da Nang , and they subjected Da Nang Air Base to heavy artillery bombardment . Under adverse conditions , the RVNAF was able to fly about 130 aircraft out of the city , but they had to abandon 180 aircraft , including 33 A - 37 Dragonflys , due to chaos , confusion , poor discipline and the breakdown of airfield security . On March 29 , the North Vietnamese captured Da Nang , followed by Quy Nhon on April 1 and Tuy Hòa and Nha Trang on April 2 . At Phan Rang Air Base , remnants of the RVNAF continued to battle North Vietnamese troops for two days after ground units of the ARVN had given up the fight . Elements of the ARVN Airborne Division were also committed into the fight , but they were overwhelmed by the North Vietnamese and Phan Rang was captured on April 16 . Attack on the Presidential Palace . On April 8 , a formation of three RVNAF F - 5E Tiger fighter - bombers lined up at Bien Hoa Air Base , each armed with four 250 - pound bombs , for an attack on North Vietnamese positions in Bình Thuận Province . Before the second aircraft took off , First Lieutenant Nguyen Thanh Trung , who piloted the third F - 5 , reported his aircraft was experiencing afterburner problems . When the second aircraft departed , Trung also took off , but flew towards Saigon instead of joining the formation . At around 8 . 30am Trung dived on the Presidential Palace and dropped two bombs ; the first bomb landed on the Palace grounds and caused some damage , but the second bomb failed to explode . Trung climbed to over before making a second pass , this time both bombs exploded , causing minor structural damage but no casualties . After the attack , Trung flew out of Saigon and landed at the petroleum storage facility at Nha Be on the outskirts of the city , where he removed the ammunition for the 20mm cannon . Shortly afterwards Trung took off again and flew out to Phước Long Province , which was occupied by the Provisional Revolutionary Government since North Vietnamese troops had captured it earlier in the year , and he was warmly received by North Vietnamese soldiers . The North Vietnamese claimed that Trung had been a Viet Cong agent since 1969 , and was infiltrated into the RVNAF where he served with the RVNAF 540th Fighter Squadron of the 3rd Air Force Division . Trung later revealed that he was originally from Bến Tre Province in the Mekong region , where his father had served as the district secretary of the People ' s Revolutionary Party . In 1963 Trung ' s father was killed and his body was mutilated by the South Vietnamese police . Angered by the death of his father , Trung vowed to take revenge on the South Vietnamese Government , so in 1969 he secretly joined the Viet Cong after he had been accepted into the RVNAF . Battle . Preparation for the mission . Prior to the bombing of the Presidential Palace , North Vietnamese General Van Tien Dung and his field commanders had been discussing the possibility of deploying units of the Vietnam People ' s Air Force ( VPAF ) , to attack high - value South Vietnamese targets in support of North Vietnamese ground troops . Use of the Soviet MiG - 17 fighter was considered , North Vietnamese pilots already had significant combat experience with the type . However , moving MiGs from their bases in North Vietnam was problematic ; South Vietnamese defenses were falling much faster than anticipated , there was simply little time in which to deploy the MiGs in support of North Vietnamese units encircling Saigon . As the North Vietnamese had captured a large number of U . S . - made aircraft from the RVNAF at Pleiku and Da Nang Air Bases , so it was decided to use captured aircraft instead . The decision to use the captured aircraft presented a challenge for the VPAF , because they lacked experience in flying U . S . - made aircraft . Furthermore , VPAF pilots were not proficient in the English language , most had trained on Soviet equipment using the Russian language . Upon receiving news of Trung ' s actions on April 8 , General Dung decided that Trung would provide conversion training so that a group of North Vietnamese pilots would be able to fly the A - 37 Dragonfly , the type selected for an upcoming operation . Trung was sent out to Da Nang Air Base where he was joined by Lieutenants Tran Van On and Tran Van Xanh , both former RVNAF fighter pilots , captured when Da Nang capitulated on March 29 . Trung , Xanh and On were tasked with translating manuals from English to the Vietnamese language , as well as translating instructions on board the A - 37 to Vietnamese . On April 19 , the VPAF Command was ordered to prepare for an operation in South Vietnam , so a group of pilots from the 4th Squadron of the VPAF 923rd Fighter Regiment was selected to undertake conversion training in Da Nang and form a new squadron for the operation . The selected group was led by Upper Captain Nguyen Van Luc along with Tu De , Tran Cao Thang , Han Van Quang and Hoang Mai Vuong . Together with former RVNAF pilots Trung and On , the group would form the Quyet Thang ( " Determined to Win " ) Squadron . On April 22 the VPAF pilots arrived at Da Nang Air Base and they began training on two A - 37 aircraft that were restored to flying condition with support from Trung , On , Xanh and a few captured South Vietnamese technicians . In just five days , the VPAF pilots were able to independently fly the A - 37 without support from the former RVNAF pilots . As the VPAF pilots were completing the final phases of their conversion training , the VPAF Command chose to attack Tan Son Nhut Air Base in Saigon . On the afternoon of April 27 , the pilots were flown out to Phu Cat Air Base in Bình Định Province where Major - General Le Van Tri , commander of the VPAF , briefed them on the upcoming operation . Tri also instructed the pilots to ensure that their bombs should not hit civilian areas in Saigon . From the original group of trainees , Luc , De , Quang , Vuong , Trung and On were selected to take part in the attack . Meanwhile , On and Xanh were also instructed to test - fly five captured A - 37 bombers , which would be the mainstay of the Quyet Thang Squadron . On the morning of April 28 , the Quyet Thang Squadron became operational with Luc as the squadron ' s commander , when it was transferred to Thanh Son airfield in Ninh Thuận Province . The attack . At Thanh Son airfield , Luc submitted the squadron ' s plan of attack to the VPAF Command , Trung would lead the formation in the first aircraft because he was familiar with the skies over Saigon , De would be positioned behind Trung in the second aircraft , followed by Luc in the third , Vuong and On together in the fourth and Quang would pilot the last aircraft in the formation . At around 16 : 05 on April 28 , the five A - 37 bombers of the Quyet Thang Squadron , each armed with four 250 - pound bombs , took off from Thanh Son airfield and each aircraft flew between and apart from each other . To save fuel over the distance between Thanh Son and Saigon , the five - aircraft formation had to fly at a height of just . Their first navigation point was Vũng Tàu , from where the formation would turn towards Tan Son Nhut . When the squadron flew over Bien Hoa Air Base , two RVNAF AD - 6 Skyraiders were sighted conducting bombing sorties near the area , but they were not allowed to engage . Shortly after 17 : 00 the formation was able to approach Tan Son Nhut Air Base unchallenged as they were still wearing South Vietnamese code numbers . From about above the target Trung dived down on the target , but the bombs could not be released from the pylons , so Trung was forced to pull his aircraft up again . Next in line was De , who was able to drop his entire bomb load on the target . Luc dived on the target , but he too experienced problems with the weapons release system , so only two bombs were dropped . After the last two aircraft piloted by Vuong , Quang and On had successfully hit their targets , they strafed aircraft on the ground with gunfire . Trung and Luc made another pass , but again their bombs could not be released from the pylon . By that stage the South Vietnamese had already responded by firing their anti - aircraft guns , so Luc ordered the squadron to withdraw as Trung made one final attempt at dropping his load using emergency mode . Several RVNAF F - 5s were scrambled to pursue the attackers , but they escaped without any damage . On the return trip Quang led the formation , followed by Luc , De and Vuong and On . Trung , who had flown back for the third bombing attempt , was trailing the rest of the group . As they flew over Phan Thiết , they had to fly at a lower attitude to avoid mistakenly being hit by North Vietnamese anti - aircraft weapons . When the formation came within of Thanh Son airfield , De was granted permission to land first because he only had about of fuel left . Squadron commander Luc was next to land , followed by Vuong and On , then Quang . Trung , who had led the attack during the mission , was the last aircraft to arrive back at base . By 18 : 00 on 28 April all the pilots of the VPAF Quyet Thang Squadron had landed at Thanh Son airfield , after completing North Vietnam ' s first successful air attack against Saigon during the entire Vietnam War . Aftermath . The attack on Tan Son Nhut temporarily closed the airport but it was soon returned to operation . The true extent of the damage is unknown , the North Vietnamese claimed that 24 aircraft had been destroyed and about 200 South Vietnamese personnel were killed , but U . S . sources state that only 3 AC - 119s and several C - 47s were destroyed with no mention of casualties . By the night of 28 April North Vietnamese artillery and rockets were hitting Tan Son Nhut . At dawn on 29 April the RVNAF began to haphazardly depart Tan Son Nhut Air Base as A - 37s , F - 5s , C - 7 s , C - 119s and C - 130 s departed for Thailand while UH - 1 helicopters took off in search of the evacuation fleet of Task Force 76 . Some VNAF aircraft did stay to continue to fight the advancing North Vietnamese however . One AC - 119 gunship had spent the night of 28 / 29 April dropping flares and firing on the approaching North Vietnamese . At dawn on 29 April two A - 1 Skyraiders began patrolling the perimeter of Tan Son Nhut at until one was shot down , presumably by an SA - 7 . At 07 : 00 the AC - 119 was firing on North Vietnamese formations to the east of Tan Son Nhut when it too was hit by an SA - 7 and fell in flames to the ground . Due to the deteriorating situation at Tan Son Nhut , the fixed wing evacuation of Saigon was cancelled and Operation Frequent Wind was commenced .