Atlas of Battles

battle, landmark, Cold War

Fall of Saigon

Fall of Saigon was a battle fought on 30 April 1975 at Ho Chi Minh City, in what is now Vietnam. It was part of the Vietnam War, which ran from 1955 to 1975. The recorded result: North Vietnamese victory. Recorded strength: 270,000 regulars; 180,000 irregulars and guerrillas against 60,000 regulars; 60,000 RF/PF militia; 5,000 police.

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Map showing NVA movements around Saigon before 30 April 1975, the day South Vietnam fell.
Map showing NVA movements around Saigon before 30 April 1975, the day South Vietnam fell.. User:Ctmt, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought30 April 1975
WhereHo Chi Minh City, Vietnam10.778N, 106.696E
OutcomeNorth Vietnamese victory
BelligerentsNorth Vietnam; Viet CongagainstSouth Vietnam
Part ofVietnam War1955 to 1975

Where it sits in the Vietnam War

Battle of Ap Bac, 1963Battle of Go Cong, 1963Battle of Nam Dong, 1964Battle of An Lao, 1964Gulf of Tonkin incident, 1964Battle of Binh Gia, 1964Operation Starlite, 1965Battle of Dong Xoai, 1965Battle of Ba Gia, 1965Battle of Song Be, 1965Battle of Dương Liễu–Nhông Pass, 1965Attack on Camp Holloway, 1965Battle of Núi Thành, 1965Siege of Plei Me, 1965Battle of Gang Toi, 1965Battle of Ap Bau Bang, 1965Battle of Ia Drang, 1965Battle of Xa Cam My, 1966Battle of A Shau, 1966Operation Crimp, 1966Battle of Bong Son, 1966Battle of Suoi Bong Trang, 1966Battle of Long Tan, 1966Battle of Tra Binh Dong, 1967Battle of Tam Quan, 1967Operation Cedar Falls, 1967Operation Bribie, 1967Battle of Hill 881, 1967Battle of Suoi Chau Pha, 1967Operation Francis Marion, 1967Battle of Ong Thanh, 1967First Battle of Loc Ninh, 1967Battle of Dak To, 1967Battle of Saigon, 1968New Year's Day Battle of 1968, 1968Battle of Khe Sanh, 1968Battle of Ban Houei Sane, 1968Battle of Quang Tri, 1968Battle of Lang Vei, 1968Tet Offensive battle of Cholon and Phu Tho Racetrack, 1968Action of 1 March 1968, 1968Battle of Hue, 1968Battle of Lima Site 85, 1968Battle of An Bao, 1968Battle of Kham Duc, 1968Battle of Coral–Balmoral, 1968Operation Speedy Express, 1968Battle of Hat Dich, 1968Operation Dewey Canyon, 1969Battle of Hamburger Hill, 1969Battle of Binh Ba, 1969Battle of Kompong Speu, 1970Battle of Prey Veng, 1970Battle of Fire Support Base Ripcord, 1970Operation Ivory Coast, 1970Operation Lam Son 719, 1971Battle of FSB Mary Ann, 1971Battle of Snuol, 1971Battle of Long Khanh, 1971Battle of Nui Le, 1971First Battle of Quảng Trị, 1972Battle of Loc Ninh, 1972Battle of Đồng Hới, 1972Battle of Kontum, 1972Second Battle of Quảng Trị, 1972Operation Linebacker II, 1972Battle of Cửa Việt, 1973Battle of the Paracel Islands, 1974Battle of Kampot, 1974Battle of Svay Rieng, 1974Battle of the Iron Triangle, 1974Battle of Phuoc Long, 1974Battle of Ban Me Thuot, 1975Battle of Xuan Loc, 1975Fall of Saigon, 197519631975Fall of Saigon, 1975
75 placed engagements of the Vietnam War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date30 April 1975
PlaceHo Chi Minh City, Vietnam
10.778N, 106.696E
KindBattle, Cold War
Strength270,000 regulars; 180,000 irregulars and guerrillas60,000 regulars; 60,000 RF/PF militia; 5,000 police
Casualties and lossesAt least 108 killed; At least 8 tanks and 1 armored vehicle destroyed or damagedMost of the troops were killed, captured, deserted or surrendered; Dozens of tanks, armored vehicles and aircraft were destroyed or captured
Commanders
  • Lê Duẩn
  • Võ Nguyên Giáp
  • Văn Tiến Dũng
  • Trần Văn Trà
  • Lê Đức Anh
  • Nguyễn Hữu An
Fall of SaigonFall of SaigonTet Offensive attack on US EmbassyBattle of Ky HoaBattle of SaigonBattle of South SaigonTet Offensive battle of Cholon and Phu Tho RacetrackBattle of Ky HoaCan ThoBiên HòaLong XuyenPhan ThietRạch GiáSóc TrăngVung TauMỹ Tho100 km10.778N, 106.696E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.
Fall of Saigon map
Fall of Saigon map. United States Navy, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Fall of Saigon
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 5 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Fall of Saigon today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2024-01-27. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2024.

The recorded site stands at about 10 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from -4 to 40 m, 45 m of relief, gently rolling country and today it is 80% built-up, 10% tree cover, 7% water.

built-up: 80%tree cover: 10%water: 7%grassland: 2%built-up 80%tree cover 10%water 7%grassland 2%
west to east, 10.0 km0 to 28 mnorth to south, 10.0 km0 to 22 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 7 times between 1861 and 1975.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1975

Fall of Saigon is one of 2,997 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas and one of 140 in present-day Vietnam.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q482456, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Fall of Saigon, revision 1385109118, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.