The Army and People of Hòa Bình in the Resistance against the First U.S. Bombing Campaign (1965–1968)

Abstract

To prevent the collapse of the Saigon regime, in March 1965, the United States deployed American troops and allied forces to southern Vietnam, launching a strategy of "Joint warfare" while
simultaneously initiating aerial and naval bombing campaigns in the North. This marked the North’s transition from peacetime to wartime conditions, balancing both production and military resistance. Hòa Bình, a mountainous province near Hanoi, held vital military, economic, and political significance, with key transportation routes and many concealed caves advantageous for military operations. Under the leadership of the Party directly guided by the Provincial Party Committee the people and armed forces of Hòa Bình both prepared facilities for the evacuation of central government agencies and actively engaged in combat, contributing to the defeat of the U.S. bombing campaign and safeguarding the socialist North.