Battle of Ap Bac (January 2, 1962)
Battle of Ap Bac was the first major battle in the Vietnam war. It was fought between the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) and the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) at Ap Bac, a local village in the Dinh Tuong. It resulted in a large number of casualties for the South, despite having aid from the United States through weapons and planning. It showed the lack of fighting ability and moral in the South compared to the Viet Cong in the North.
Battle of Ia Drang Valley (October 26 – November 27, 1965)
The Battle of Ia Drang Valley was the first major battle between the United States and The Peoples Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and was fought in the Ia Drang Valley in the Central highlands of South Vietnam. Both sides considered the battle a victory due to the heavy casualties and the development of new strategies on both sides. The Viet Cong learned to attack at close range to limit the Americans' advantages. The Americans relied on the mobility of aircraft and artillery fire to achieve its objectives; of course, this came at a price.
Previously on June 7, General Westmoreland made recommendations to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, requesting more men: "I see no course of action open to us except to reinforce our efforts in South Vietnam with additional U.S. or third country forces as rapidly as is practical during the critical weeks ahead." This battle could have taken a much more different route if the men were not supplied. The new strategies would not have been developed and the PAVN could have exploited weakness in the U.S. Army.
Previously on June 7, General Westmoreland made recommendations to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, requesting more men: "I see no course of action open to us except to reinforce our efforts in South Vietnam with additional U.S. or third country forces as rapidly as is practical during the critical weeks ahead." This battle could have taken a much more different route if the men were not supplied. The new strategies would not have been developed and the PAVN could have exploited weakness in the U.S. Army.
Battle of Khe Sanh (January 21 – April 9, 1968)
The Battle of Khe Sanh was fought in the Quang Tri-province in northwestern South Vietnam and was one of the longest and deadliest battles of the Vietnam War. It began when PAVN soldiers began a heavy artillery attack on the U.S. Marine Garrison at Khe Sanh. Again, both sides claimed victory; the U.S. killed many PAVN soldiers, but was forced to abandon the first key combat base expecting a full-scale attack that never came. This battle seemed more of a distraction as the Viet Cong built up its forces in the South for the Tet Offensive.
The Tet Offensive (January 30 – March 28, 1968)
The North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops launched these surprise attacks against over 100 major towns throughout South Vietnam as the Americans fought the diversion Battle of Khe Sanh. Despite this, most of the Communist forces were defeated within a few days while some towns were held captive for up to a month. This was a major defeat for the North while the Southern moral elated and shocked most Americans back home with this victory.
Battle of Hamburger Hill (May 10 – 20, 1969)
This battle was fought by the United States and ARVN against the PAVN on hill 937, which later came to be known as Hamburger Hill in reference to the Battle of Pork Chop Hill in the Korean War. American efforts were shown to be controversial when commanders ordered direct assaults when it was abandoned early the next month. This battle caused many American casualties and was a turning point for the Americans as political and public pressure forced President Nixon to begin troop withdrawals.
Easter Offensive (March 30 – October 22, 1972)
PAVN conducted another attack against ARVN and the U.S. when they tried to influence the presidential election of 1972 and improve negotiations in at the Peace talks in Paris. Though the offensive turned out to be a defeat, they continued to occupy land in South Vietnam and better bargaining positions at peace-talk negotiations.
Battle of Xuan Loc (April 9 – 20, 1975)
A.K.A. the Last Stand of Xuan Loc; it was the last major battle of the Vietnam War and was fought at Xuan Loc in the Dong Nai Province of South Vietnam. PAVN soldiers surrounded the town of Xuan Loc. Although the ARVN forces initially kept Viet Cong forces outside, the army became weak and the Viet Cong entered and captured the city. This forced Vietnamese President Thieu to resign and the last major town of the South, Saigon, became vulnerable.