On April 4, 1975, the Central Military Commission directed the 5th Military Region Party Committee and Command, and the Naval Command to research and direct the urgent implementation to take advantage of the most favourable opportunity to capture the islands occupied by the South Vietnamese troops in the Truong Sa Archipelago. This was a vital mission.
On the same day, following orders from the General Command, the 2nd Corps was reinforced with the 571st Transport Division from the 559th Ho Chi Minh Trail Command to organise a southward march for combat.
During the first two months of 1975, alongside mobilising the comprehensive strength of the North for the General Offensive in the South, the North-South strategic transport network was rapidly expanded and upgraded, connecting six longitudinal axes spanning 6,810km and the branch road system extending to battlefields totalling 4,980km.
A 5,000km fuel pipeline was built from the northern rear area to Bu Gia Map (Loc Ninh) to ensure fuel supplies for the fighting units’ mobility and combat operations.
On April 4, 1975, the 3rd Corps was ordered to march to the Southeast region. More than 3,000 vehicles from the 471st Division of the Truong Son Command and the Corps were mobilised for this march.
Meanwhile, on the same day, the Saigon regime’s President Thieu sent an urgent telegram to the III Corps of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, directing that they must organise a defensive stand at all costs from Ninh Thuan onwards, and if necessary, would bring all forces there for a decisive battle.
Thieu decided to merge the last two provinces of the 2nd Military Region, Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan, into the 3rd Military Region, organising the Forward Command of the 3rd Military Region led by Lieutenant General Nguyen Vinh Nghi - Deputy Commander of the 3rd Military Region stationed in Phan Rang.
