Page 420 - The Viet-Cong Tet_Offensive_1968

Only sniper fire was reported in the evenlng while
governrnent trooPs took positions to check further enerny advances.
Du::ing the night developrnents, brought the enerny to other areas of
the city narnely the Du Sinh hill, the Public Works Service, the Pasteur
Institute, The Ma Thanh area, the civilian hospital, the Trai Harn
street, the Hill 1506, the Chinese Pagoda. The enerny also was able
to inJiltrate into the cityrs shopping center' The rnilitary schools area
r ernained quiet.
At this point it was noticed that the nurnber of enerny
troops was not considerable with only rnore or less of a platoon at
each of the occupied positions'

On the 5th day of Tet governrnent forces were divided
into two colurnns. The first colurnn, cornposed of the 306th RF Cornpa-
ny, the Da Nhirn platoon and the V-100 tank, and cornrnanded by Major
Dao Mong Xuan, Deputy Province Chief for Security, was to clear
the Public office buiLding, the Pasteur Institute and the Special
Resj.dence was recaptured by the governrnent forces aJter several
as saults.

The second colurnn was corrrposed of the 302th RF Corn-
pany which had just reached the city frorn Thai Phien vi11age. Operating
under the cornrnand of Maj. Nguyen Phuc Nghiep it quickly dislodged
the enerny frorn the Ma Thanh area.

The two colur.,ns then joined in c ounte r attacking the
enerny at the ciwilian hospital. Heavy enerny fire frorn the city
cernetery prevented the troops frorn advancing and an air strike
failed to help the operational {orce reach their objective. Therefore,
they had to withdraw into the city at 1700h.to take up defensive positions
for the night.

As soon as the troops left the area, the enemy re-
occupied the Public Works Service cornpound' The Special Residence
was at that tirne under control of the 490th RF C ornpany but this unit
was rernowed for another operation the next rnorning.
The Sector C ornrnand requested new reinforcernents
frorn the 23rd Tactical Zone, On the 6th day of Tet a CIDG c orrlpany
arrived frorn An Lac and irnrnediately joined the other forces in their
drive to disloge the enerny frorn the Public Works - Pasteur Institute
area. The operation this tirne was successful. Twenty-two C ornrnunist
soldier s were kiLled in the Pasteur Institute itseU' However' the

-4?Z-