Battle of Dong Xoai The Battle of Dong Xoai ( ) was a major battle fought during the National Liberation Front Summer Offensive of 1965 as part of the Vietnam War . The battle took place in Phuoc Long Province , South Vietnam , between June 9 and 13 , 1965 . In 1964 , General Nguyen Khanh gained control of the South Vietnamese government after General Duong Van Minh was overthrown in a military coup . Even though General Khanh was able to gain control of the military junta , he failed to garner support from the civilian population when he implemented various laws which limited the freedoms of the South Vietnamese people . He then had a falling - out with the Catholic faction within his own government , when he became increasingly reliant on the Buddhist movement to hold on to power . Consequently on February 20 , 1965 , General Khanh was ousted from power and was forced to leave South Vietnam forever . The political instability in Saigon gave North Vietnamese leaders in Hanoi an impetus to step up their military campaign in the south . They believed the South Vietnamese government was able to survive because they still had a strong military to combat the growing influence of the Viet Cong . Thus , the result was the summer campaign of 1965 , in which North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces aimed to inflict significant losses on the South Vietnamese military . In Phuoc Long Province , South Vietnam , the Communist summer offensive culminated in the Dong Xoai campaign . The fight for Dong Xoai began on the evening of June 9 , 1965 , when the Viet Cong 272nd Regiment attacked the U . S . Special Forces Camp there . In response to the sudden Viet Cong assault , the Army of the Republic of Vietnam ( ARVN ) Joint General Staff ordered the ARVN 1st Battalion , 7th Infantry Regiment , to retake Dong Xoai district . They arrived on the battlefield on June 10 , but were quickly overwhelmed by the Viet Cong 271st Regiment near Thuan Loi . Later that day , Dong Xoai was recaptured by the ARVN 52nd Ranger Battalion , who had survived an ambush whilst marching towards the district . On June 11 , further South Vietnamese reinforcements arrived in the form of the ARVN 7th Airborne Battalion . The South Vietnamese paratroopers , while searching for survivors of the ARVN 1st Battalion in the Thuan Loi rubber plantation , were defeated in a deadly ambush by the Viet Cong . On June 13 U . S . Army General William Westmoreland decided to insert elements of the 173rd Airborne Brigade into a major battle for the first time , because he feared the Viet Cong could secure a major base area in Phuoc Long Province . By that stage , however , the Viet Cong had already withdrawn from the battlefield , so the U . S . paratroopers were ordered to return to base without a fight . Background . In January 1964 , General Nguyen Khanh ousted General Duong Van Minh as the leader of South Vietnam ’ s military junta in a bloodless coup . Even though General Khanh had made considerable efforts to consolidate his power , opposition to his rule began to grow as he tightened censorship laws , banned protests and allowed police arbitrary search and imprisonment powers . Khanh also drafted a new constitution , which would have expanded his power within the military junta . In response to General Khanh ’ s political manoeuvres the South Vietnamese people , predominately Buddhists , held large demonstrations in the cities calling for an end to the draconian laws which had limited the people ’ s political freedom . Fearing that his power could be weakened by those demonstrations , General Khanh immediately repealed his constitution and new police powers . Furthermore , he also promised to reinstate civilian rule and remove members of the Catholic - based Can Lao Party from power . Internally , the concessions made by General Khanh had the effect of unsettling Catholic officers such as Nguyen Van Thieu and Tran Thien Khiem , because they were concerned by what they perceived to be the handing of power to Buddhist leaders . Subsequently , General Khiem fell out with General Khanh over policy issues along religious lines , even though an alliance between both men had enabled Khanh to remove General Minh from power . As military support for his regime diminished , Nguyen Khanh had to rely upon civilian Buddhist activists to maintain power . For the Americans , Khanh ’ s increased reliance on the Buddhists was a cause for concern , because the Buddhists favoured a political resolution to the conflict with the Communists . Thus , by the end of 1964 the Americans looked for someone to overthrow Nguyen Khanh , in order to continue the military effort against the Communists . On February 20 , 1965 , Nguyen Khanh was finally removed from power , and he was forced to leave South Vietnam . From the Communist perspective , even though South Vietnam was plagued by political instability , it still had a strong army to resist the Viet Cong . So shortly after the Binh Gia campaign , North Vietnamese leaders reached a resolution to launch a summer offensive , to destroy the regular units of the South Vietnamese military . During the early stages of the Communist summer campaign , Viet Cong forces in Quang Ngai Province successfully destroyed a South Vietnamese task force , led by the ARVN 51st Infantry Regiment , in the village of Ba Gia . Following their victory at Ba Gia , the National Liberation Front ( known in America as Viet Cong ) turned its attention to the Mekong Delta region . To prepare for their next offensive , Major - General Le Trong Tan was given the task of directing Viet Cong military operations in the provinces of Phuoc Long and Binh Long . For the first time , the newly created Viet Cong 273rd and 274th Regiments was ordered to join the 271st and 272nd Regiments on the battlefield ; their objective was to destroy the regular units of the South Vietnamese military , and eliminate the strategic hamlets to enlarge what North Vietnam viewed as ' liberated zones ' . Prelude . Since May 1965 , the Viet Cong offensive in Phuoc Long Province had been in full - swing . Beginning on May 10 , the Viet Cong 271st Regiment , supported by the 840th Battalion and local sapper units , attacked the district town of Phuoc Long , capital of Phuoc Long Province . Simultaneously , the Viet Cong 272nd Regiment overran South Vietnamese government positions in the sub - sector of Phuoc Binh . During their brief occupation of Phuoc Long district , the Viet Cong destroyed several major strategic hamlets in the surrounding areas , such as Ba Ra , Thuan Kiem , Thuan Loi , Phu Rieng , Da Kia , Bu Dop , Duc Bon and Song Be . In response to the Viet Cong occupation of Phuoc Long district , the ARVN 36th Ranger Battalion was ordered by the ARVN Joint General Staff to recapture government positions there . On May 11 , two companies from the battalion sustained heavy casualties in battles with Viet Cong units positioned along Inter - Provincial Road 13 and National Highway 14 . On May 12 , the Viet Cong 271st Regiment and other support units withdrew from Phuoc Long district . In Phuoc Binh sub - sector , the Viet Cong 272nd Regiment were able to overrun South Vietnamese government positions within 25 minutes , and they claimed to have killed 115 South Vietnamese soldiers in the process At 9 am on May 11 , the ARVN 34th Ranger Battalion was airlifted into Hieu Phong , a small town located about 14 kilometres away from Phuoc Binh in the south - east . As the ARVN 34th Ranger Battalion marched upward towards Phuoc Binh , the Viet Cong 272nd and 273rd Regiment was ordered to destroy the South Vietnamese Rangers . However , by the time the 272nd Regiment arrived at the South Vietnamese staging area , the Rangers had already pulled out and successfully recaptured Phuoc Binh . Meanwhile , on May 15 , the Viet Cong 274th Regiment defeated two South Vietnamese Regional Force companies along Route 20 , and destroyed 20 vehicles in the process . After those operations in Phuoc Long district and Phuoc Binh sub - sector , the Viet Cong 9th Division was ordered to attack Dong Xoai . In 1965 , Dong Xoai was a district town situation at a road junction which connected Inter - Inter - Provisional Road 13 , National Highway 1 and Highway 14 . The district was defended by 200 local Vietnamese soldiers drawn from the 327th and 328th Militia Companies , and the 111th Regional Force Company . They were supported by one armoured squadron ( 6 armoured vehicles ) and two 105mm howitzers . There were also 200 Cambodian soldiers of a Civilian Irregular Defense Group , 11 U . S . Special Forces personnel , and nine U . S . Navy Seabees . Prior to the battle , the U . S Special Forces had assumed control of Dong Xoai ’ s defences ; they stepped up guard and patrol activities , and ordered the construction of new defensive fortifications around the district headquarters , the Special Forces Camp , and the armoured and artillery positions on the eastern side of the district . Battle . On the evening of June 9 , 1965 , the Viet Cong made final preparations for their assault on Dong Xoai . While the Viet Cong assembled their formations , U . S . - led forces inside the Special Forces Camp were suddenly placed on alert , forcing the Viet Cong to commence their attack 70 minutes earlier than scheduled . At 11 : 30 pm Viet Cong heavy mortar rounds began to fall on South Vietnamese and American positions around Dong Xoai , soon followed by an infantry assault led by the 272nd Regiment . During the initial assault , the Viet Cong sustained heavy casualties as they tried to navigate through the surrounding minefields and barb wire fences , which they had failed to pick up during previous reconnaissance missions . At about 1 : 30 am , two helicopter gunships from the U . S . Army 118th Aviation Company were dispatched to support the Special Forces Camp , they fired on Viet Congs around the compound , and returned to base only after their weapons load was emptied . At around 2 : 30 am , the Americans and a few of the Cambodian soldiers retreated to the district headquarters , where other local troops were holding out . Meanwhile , at Bien Hoa Air Base , all flight crews of the 118th Aviation Company were on the flightline preparing for combat assault at first light . By that time , however , the Viet Cong had captured the Special Forces compound , and they began massing for an attack on the district headquarters . While fighting raged inside the district , all flyable aircraft from the 118th Aviation Company flew out from Bien Hoa to Phuoc Vinh , a small town about 30 kilometres from Dong Xoai . From Phuoc Vinh the first contingent of the ARVN 1st Battalion , 7th Infantry Regiment , was airlifted into the battlefield . At around 8 am , the UH - 1 formations of the 118th Aviation Company descend on the landing zone near the Thuan Loi rubber plantation , about 4 kilometres north of Dong Xoai ; they immediately began to receive fire from bunkers and foxholes surrounding the area . The South Vietnamese command believed the landing zone near Thuan Loi would be ideal to land their troops , because it was distant enough that the Viet Cong would not find and engage them immediately . However , the Viet Cong had anticipated the South Vietnamese would land troops in the area , and had prepared for an ambush . As a result , after U . S . helicopters had departed from the landing zone , soldiers of the Viet Cong 271st Regiment immediately turned their attention on the South Vietnamese . Within 15 minutes the main body of the ARVN 1st Battalion was completely destroyed . At around 11 : 55 am the last remaining soldiers of the ARVN 1st Battalion were discharged near the original landing zone in Thuan Loi , and they too were put out of action within three minutes of touching down on the field . During the afternoon , the Viet Cong had managed to destroy parts of the district headquarters building using their 57mm recoilless rifle . Second Lieutenant Williams then ordered 14 Americans inside the building , along with an equal number of Vietnamese women and children , to retreat to the artillery position located east of the town where they continued their resistance . Late in the afternoon on June 10 , the U . S . 118th Aviation Company was joined by other elements of the 145th Combat Aviation Battalion in their final sorties for the day ; airlifting the ARVN 52nd Ranger Battalion from Phuoc Vinh into Dong Xoai , with the objective of recapturing the road junction and the Special Forces Camp . Following their last mission , the 118th Aviation Company immediately returned to Bien Hoa . During the first day of heavy fighting , every helicopter in the unit had sustained damage , including the loss of one helicopter and its entire crew . At 3 : 20 pm the ARVN 52nd Ranger Battalion were discharged on a landing zone about 3 kilometres south of Dong Xoai . As the South Vietnamese Rangers marched towards the town centre , their lead company was decimated in an ambush mounted by elements of the Viet Cong 271st Regiment . Undeterred by the strength of the Viet Cong , they continued their march towards the district . On the night of June 10 , the battalion began attacking Viet Cong positions around the Special Forces Camp , and they gradually recaptured the compound and much of the town . The Viet Cong eventually launched a counter - attack in an attempt to win back the loss ground , but they failed to dislodge the soldiers of the ARVN 52nd Ranger Battalion . The next morning , on June 11 , the 118th Aviation Company was back at full strength in Phuoc Vinh . Like the previous day , they flew air - support and airlifted further reinforcements from the ARVN 7th Airborne Battalion . After the South Vietnamese paratroopers were dropped off on a soccer field , the 118th Aviation Company started large - scale evacuation of South Vietnamese casualties . In contrast to the previous day , the 118th Aviation Company encountered few hostilities , which was characterised by isolated rear guard actions . Just before the ARVN 7th Airborne Battalion landed on the battlefield , the Viet Cong had intercepted a radio conversation between the aforementioned unit and the 52nd Ranger Battalion in the district centre ; several months earlier the 7th Airborne Battalion was involved in the battle at Binh Gia , so they vowed to avenge the loss of their comrades . Thus , from the soccer field , the ARVN 7th Airborne Battalion marched up to Thuan Loi , against only light opposition . The South Vietnamese paratroopers arrived at the area where the first group of the ARVN 1st Battalion , 7th Infantry Regiment , was dropped off and they collected seven survivors and 55 bodies . In the afternoon , as elements of the 7th Airborne Battalion moved through the Thuan Loi rubber plantation to search for remnants of the second group of the ARVN 1st Battalion , the Viet Cong 271st Regiment started attacking the South Vietnamese paratroopers in a manner which had characterised earlier ambushes . Taking advantage of the poor weather conditions that had limited U . S . air strikes , as well as their numerical superiority , the Viet Cong broke the South Vietnamese formation into small groups and destroyed many of them . On the next day , the strength of the ARVN 7th Airborne Battalion was reduced from 470 to just 159 soldiers . After the defeat of the ARVN 7th Airborne Battalion , U . S . General William Westmoreland concluded that the Viet Cong still had the strength to continue the attacks on Dong Xoai . In contrast , South Vietnamese forces within the vicinity of Dong Xoai were severely depleted , and did not have sufficient strength to defeat the Viet Cong . Furthermore , there was only one remaining battalion in South Vietnam ’ s strategic reserve , and it may not be enough to drive the Communist out from the area if it was committed . However , General Westmoreland was unwilling to leave the Viet Cong with a position from which they could dominate Phuoc Long Province . So on June 13 , General Westmoreland finally made the decision to insert U . S . combat forces . Subsequently , 738 men of the 1 / 503rd Infantry Regiment , 173rd Airborne Brigade , was flown out to the staging area in Phuoc Vinh . Elements of the 3rd Battalion , U . S . Army 319th Field Artillery Regiment also followed later in the day . Upon arrival at Phuoc Vinh , the U . S . Army task force waited for five days , but it soon became apparent that the Viet Cong had withdrawn from the area and had no intention of holding territory . On June 18 , the 1 / 503rd Infantry Regiment was ordered to return to base . Aftermath . In this battle both sides of the conflict had paid a heavy price to achieve their objectives . In their efforts to recapture the district town of Dong Xoai , the South Vietnamese military lost 416 soldiers killed in action , 174 wounded and 233 missing . In addition , over one hundred South Vietnamese civilians were believed to have been massacred by the Viet Cong during their brief occupation of the area . Total casualties sustained by U . S . military personnel included 20 soldiers killed or wounded , and 13 missing . According to Vietnam ’ s official account of the Dong Xoai campaign , the Communists claimed to have put 4 , 459 enemy soldiers ( including 73 Americans ) out of action . Furthermore , 1 , 652 weapons of various kinds were captured , 390 weapons and 60 vehicles were destroyed , 34 aircraft and 3 helicopters were shot down . Even though the Viet Cong had won a clear victory over the regular units of the South Vietnamese army , they did not get away with light casualties . After the battle , a combined total of 126 Viet Cong bodies were recovered within the Special Forces compound and the district headquarters , and several hundred more were strewn all over the battlefield . Indeed , individual Viet Cong soldiers usually spare no efforts to evacuate their dead or wounded comrades ; but as military operations were conducted during the rainy season , the Viet Cong struggled to evacuate all their casualties from the battlefield as conditions on the main roads deteriorated . Despite the minor setbacks , the Dong Xoai campaign marked the rapid maturity of the Viet Cong 9th Division as a fighting force . For their efforts during the battle , the Viet Cong 272nd Regiment received the title of ‘ Dong Xoai Regiment ’ , which served to mark their achievements . Six days after large - scale fighting in Dong Xoai had concluded there was another change of government in Saigon . South Vietnamese Air Marshal Nguyen Cao Ky was appointed prime minister and executive chairman of the government by the military junta , and General Nguyen Van Thieu became a figurehead president . Unlike previous leaders , Air - Marshal Ky and General Thieu were more interested in fighting the Communists , and they intended to stop the Buddhist factions from interfering with their decision - making processes . However , due to Air Marshal Ky ’ s lack of experience in civil government , the Americans were not entirely pleased with the formation of a new government with him as the leader . In contrast , General Thieu ’ s appointment to the office of president was considered to be a positive development by the American Embassy and military command , because he possessed the political skills required by Saigon ’ s political establishment . Nonetheless , Nguyen Cao Ky ’ s ascension to the position of prime minister had effectively ended the cycle of military coups which had plagued Saigon since the downfall of Ngo Dinh Diem . In a significant contrast to the political scene in South Vietnam , the North Vietnamese government in Hanoi were far more occupied with their military effort . The North Vietnamese Transportation Group 559 , then under the leadership of Major - General Phan Trong Tue , was ordered to open a new transportation and communication lines through southern Laos and South Vietnam . The purpose was to facilitate the movement of troops and material through the Pathet Lao - occupied section of the Ho Chi Minh Trail . They were supported by 1 , 500 workers from the Ministry of Transportation and 7 , 600 volunteers . By the end of 1965 , the strength of Group 559 had grown to 24 , 400 personnel organised in six battalions of motor vehicles , one battalion of boats , 18 battalions of combat engineers , four battalions of anti - aircraft artillery and guard units . In addition to the expansion of their logistical abilities , the North Vietnamese also decided to establish five infantry divisions and one artillery in South Vietnam . Thus , the stage was set for a major military struggle with American and other allied forces .