Attack from the outside, attack from the inside, creating conditions for the people to rise up, not dividing into two steps.
5:40 on April 9: The 4th Corps opened fire to attack Xuan Loc, opening the Xuan Loc-Long Khanh campaign. The artillery positions of the corps and divisions fired simultaneously. One hour later, the infantry began to charge. To the north, Regiment 266 (Division 341) quickly penetrated deep into the information area, the US advisory area, the police area.
The enemy concentrated its forces to counterattack fiercely. To the east, eight tanks leading Regiment 165 (Division 7) were nearly 200 meters from the gate of the puppet Division 18 base when three were damaged and had to stop. On the outer ring, Regiments 270 (Division 341) and 209 (Division 7) defeated two battalions, destroyed seven tanks of the two battle groups 43 and 48 from Tan Phong and Nui Thi, liberating Bao Toan Hamlet on Highway 1.
In the Dau Giay intersection area, Division 6 destroyed five enemy posts on Highway 1 from Hung Nghia to Me Bong Con Pass, captured two 105mm cannons, forcing the puppet battle group 52 to abandon Tuc Trung and retreat to hold the Dau Giay intersection. In the Southeast, the 5th Division attacked Thu Thua Town and Tan An Town, but encountered strong enemy resistance and had to switch to attacking the system of outposts north of Route 4.
The 5th Division suffered heavy losses to an infantry regiment of the 7th ARVN Division, an armoured regiment, destroyed 80 large and small outposts, liberated a large area along the banks of the Vam Co Tay River and the Bo Bo Canal, directly threatening Route 4.
On April 9, the Military Intelligence Department discovered signs of enemy withdrawal from the islands in the Truong Sa archipelago. The Central Military Commission sent a “very urgent” telegram to comrades Vo Chi Cong, Chu Huy Man, and Hoang Huu Thai, Deputy Commander of the Navy in Da Nang, instructing: There is news that the puppet army is preparing to withdraw from the islands in Truong Sa. Immediately check and instruct our forces to act promptly according to the planned plan. If we delay, foreign troops may occupy first, because currently some foreign countries are planning to invade.
Regarding the Truong Son Command, on April 9, while in the West of Truong Son, more than 1,000 vehicles of the 571st Division of the Truong Son Army were on the way to mobilise the 1st Corps to Dong Xoai, in the East, nearly 700 transport vehicles of the division belonging to 6 battalions (57, 964, 77, 54, 58, 66) and some remaining vehicles of battalions 990, 76, 69, gathered from the foot of Hai Van Pass to Da Nang Airport to mobilise the forces of the 2nd Corps, rapidly advancing along Highway 1, fighting the enemy as they went, liberating the coastal provinces of the Central region, quickly approaching Saigon from the East.
On the same day, the special forces of Military Region 6 combined with the infantry to destroy the Thien Giao sub-region, creating conditions for liberation forces to advance into Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan, and Binh Tuy.
