Batangan Peninsula The Ba Làng An Peninsula ( Vietnamese : mũi Ba Làng An , literally " land nose of Three Villages called An " ) is a peninsula in Vietnam . Ba Làng An is located in Quảng Ngãi Province , northeast of Quảng Ngãi and 32 km south of Chu Lai . The name was often mispronounced as " Ba Tang An " and known as Batangan during the Vietnam War , although Far Eastern Economic Review and other sources continued to refer to the " Ba Lang An peninsula . " History . The " Three Villages called An " which give the name to the peninsula are Vân An , An Chuẩn , and An Hải . The term " ba làng " is native Vietnamese language for " three villages , " while the three villages themselves have the usual Sino - Vietnamese names used by Confucian tax - collectors . The Sino - Vietnamese character " An " 安 means " peace , " so the villages are sometimes called " Three Villages of Peace " . French Indochina . During the colonial period the waters off the peninsular were recognised as rich fishing grounds . In " Nos richesses coloniales 1900 - 1905 " ( 1906 ) the cape was called Cap Batangan in French . A French agricultural review ( 1935 ) commented that the land of the peninsula was relatively fertile . The Vietnam War . Since 1963 the Vietcong converted the Peninsula into a fortified stronghold . Following the conclusion of Operation Starlite , on 24 August 1965 , Marine intelligence concluded that the 1st VC Regiment had withdrawn into the Peninsula . Reconnaissance photos of the Peninsula showed a V of older field fortifications pointing inland with the open end to the sea and a new second V further inland under construction . Operation Piranha . The Marines decided to launch Operation Piranha against the Peninsula . The plan of operations was for a Battalion Landing Team ( BLT ) of the 1st Battalion , 7th Marines to land across White Beach north of the Peninsula and push south , while 3rd Battalion , 7th Marines , would be helilifted in by MAG - 16 to set up blocking positions 4 km inland . 3rd Battalion , 3rd Marines would remain available as a floating reserve . ARVN 2d Battalion , 4th Regiment and the 3rd Vietnamese Marine Battalion would be helilifted into the south of 3 / 7 Marines to clear and search the An Ky Peninsula . The operation was launched on 7 September 1965 , the amphibious landing was unopposed , while the landing of the ARVN force received some minor ground fire . On 8 September , Company B 1 / 7 Marines discovered a VC field hospital in a large cave near the center of the Peninsula . The Marines captured four prisoners , but then came under fire from other VC in the cave . The Marines returned the fire and attempted to convince the VC to surrender . Marine engineers then placed explosives in the cave . After the detonation , the Marines counted 66 VC dead inside . By the conclusion of the operation on 10 September , 178 VC had been killed and 360 enemy and suspected enemy had been captured . Allied losses were two Marines and five South Vietnamese killed , The operation however failed to wipe out the 1st VC Regiment , villagers told the Marines that Vietcong units had been in the area but had left , some less than 24 hours before Operation Piranha had commenced . Intelligence reports later indicated that the 1st VC Regiment began leaving the peninsula on 4 September , coinciding with the increased movement of the amphibious ships at Chu Lai . The Peninsula later became part of the Tactical Area of Responsibility of the Korean 2nd Marine Brigade in 1966 and then the Americal Division , however despite periodic operations the area remained a Vietcong stronghold . Operations Bold Mariner and Russell Beach . Operation Bold Mariner was launched against the Peninsula on 13 January 1969 . At this time the peninsula was believed to be supporting elements of the 38th VC Main Force Regiment , the 48th VC Local Force Battalion , P - 31st Local Force Company and C - 95th Sapper Company all of which posed a threat to Quang Ngai City and allied forces in the area . BLT 2 / 26 Marines and BLT 3 / 26 assaulted the north of the peninsula by helicopter and landing craft while the Americal Division ’ s Task Force Cooksey , composed of elements of the 46th Infantry Regiment and 1st Cavalry and the ARVN 2nd Division launched Operation Russell Beach to seal off the southern boundary . Once ashore the Marines linked up with the Army force and then pushed east forcing the VC towards the sea . The Marines encountered extensive networks of mines , booby - traps and fortifications . On 19 January 2 / 26 Marines captured 56 Vietnamese of military age , under interrogation they were found to be members of the C - 95th Sapper Company . The Marines evacuated numerous civilians for screening , eventually totaling some 11 , 900 people . Following the conclusion of the assault phase , Operation Russell Beach continued with Marine combined action teams , the 46th Infantry Regiment and the ARVN 6th Regiment operating to cleanse the peninsula of VC / NVA . The population was largely removed from the peninsula during the assault phase and a clear and search operation was followed by the construction of new roads and hamlets . The population was allowed to return in April 1969 together with South Vietnamese government institutions In March 1970 , a patrol from the 1st Battalion , 6th Infantry Regiment walked into a minefield on the Peninsula . The battalion commander , LT COL Norman Schwarzkopf , Jr . flew in in his command helicopter and walked into the minefield to rescue a wounded soldier . Allegations . North Vietnamese sources ( 1969 ) made allegations of American use of gas against civilians during mopping up operations . These were discussed in the French Senate in 1969 . The village of My Lai , scene of the My Lai Massacre is situated to the southwest of the Peninsula . Agriculture and Tourism . The Ba Làng An Peninsula is a rich and productive agricultural region encompassing approximately 48 square km of flat , fertile farmland and rolling hills . Today the beaches of the cape are a centre for tourism and diving .