The 304 Division is an
infantry
Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...
division of the
People's Army of Vietnam
The People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN), officially the Vietnam People's Army (VPA; , , ), also recognized as the Vietnamese Army (), the People's Army () or colloquially the Troops ( ), is the national Military, military force of the Vietnam, S ...
(PAVN). It was established in January 1950 at
Thanh Hoa.
First Indochina War
In late December 1953 seven battalions from the Division's 66th Regiment and the 101st Regiment,
325th Infantry Division moving from
Vinh
Vinh () is the capital of Nghệ An province and an economic and cultural center of North-Central Vietnam. A key point in the East–West economic corridor linking Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam, the city is situated in the Southeast of ...
attacked isolated French outposts in the
Annamite Range in Annam and Central Laos.
[
On 5 January 1954 General ]Võ Nguyên Giáp
Võ Nguyên Giáp ( vi-hantu, , ; 25 August 1911 – 4 October 2013) was a Vietnamese general, communist revolutionary and politician. Highly regarded as a military strategist, Giáp led Vietnamese communist forces to victories in wars agains ...
ordered the Division's 57th Regiment to move from Phú Thọ
Phú Thọ () is a district-level town in Phú Thọ Province, Vietnam
Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population o ...
to Điện Biên Phủ
Điện Biên Phủ (, vi-hantu, ) is a city in the Northwest (Vietnam), northwestern region of Vietnam. It is the capital of Điện Biên Province. The city is best known for the decisive Battle of Dien Bien Phu, Battle of Điện Biên Phủ ...
and after a 10-day, march, by 23–24 January they were in position in the south of the valley.[ 57th Regiment's main role during the ]Battle of Dien Bien Phu
The Battle of Điện Biên Phủ was a climactic confrontation of the First Indochina War that took place between 13 March and 7 May 1954. It was fought between the forces of the French Union and Viet Minh.
The French began an operation to in ...
was to isolate the French garrison at Strongpoint Isabelle to the south of the main position in the valley.[ In late April following the heavy losses in the previous month's fighting, General Giáp ordered the Division's 9th Regiment to Điện Biên Phủ as reinforcements.][ Total estimated losses among the division at Điện Biên Phủ are 490 killed.
]
Vietnam War
One of its regiments took part in the November 14–18, 1965 Battle of Ia Drang
The Battle of Ia Drang (, ; in English ) was the first major battle between the United States Army and the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN), as part of the Pleiku campaign conducted early in the Vietnam War, at the eastern foot of the Chu Pong M ...
.
In December 1967, US Intelligence reported that the division had crossed over from Laos
Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...
and had taken up positions southwest of Khe Sanh Combat Base
Khe Sanh Combat Base (also known as Ta Con) was a United States Marine Corps outpost south of the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) used during the Vietnam War.
History
US Army Special Forces (Detachment A-101, Company C, 5th Special Forces Gr ...
. On 21 January 1968 a battalion of the division attacked Khe Sanh, which was defended by local militia and a Marine Combined Action unit, the division suffered at least 123 killed before the defending forces withdrew to the Combat Base.[
At dawn on 21 January the Division's 66th Regiment attacked Khe Sanh village, seat of Hướng Hóa District.] The village was defended by 160 local Bru troops, plus 15 American advisers. A platoon from Company D, 1st Battalion, 26th Marines was sent from the base but was withdrawn in the face of the superior PAVN forces. Reinforcements from the ARVN 256th Regional Force (RF) company were dispatched aboard nine UH-1
The Bell UH-1 Iroquois (nicknamed "Huey") is a utility military helicopter designed and produced by the American aerospace company Bell Helicopter. It is the first member of the prolific Bell Huey family, Huey family, as well as the first turb ...
helicopters of the 282nd Assault Helicopter Company, but they were landed near the abandoned French fort/former FOB-3 which was occupied by the PAVN who killed many of the RF troops and four Americans, including Lieutenant colonel Joseph Seymoe the deputy adviser for Quang Tri Province and forcing the remaining helicopters to abandon the mission. On the morning of 22 January the U.S./ARVN abandoned the village.
On the night of 6/7 February, the 22nd Infantry Regiment (attached to the division) and the 101st Regiment, 325th Division supported by 12 PT-76
The PT-76 is a Soviet Union, Soviet amphibious vehicle, amphibious light tank that was introduced in the early 1950s and soon became the standard reconnaissance tank of the Soviet Army and the other Warsaw Pact armed forces. It was widely exporte ...
lights tanks of the 203rd Armored Regiment overran the US special forces camp at Lang Vei killing 316 of the camp's defenders including seven Americans for the loss of 90 PAVN killed and seven tanks destroyed.[
On the night of 29 February, the 9th Regiment of the division launched 3 attacks on the eastern perimeter of the Combat Base, but were beaten back each time by US firepower.][ These attacks marked the closest use of ]B-52
The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. It has been operated by the United States Ai ...
bombers to the Combat Base perimeter with base commander Colonel David E. Lownds reporting, "this was the only time that the kids on the lines told me…that they actually saw bodies being thrown into the air." The diary of one PAVN soldier killed in the battle reflected that while moving southward under the pressure of U.S. air power to replace casualties in the division, 300 men had deserted rather than face the feared B-52. The division's official history acknowledges that one of its battalions was so devastated by a B-52 strike that subsequent desertions and self-inflicted wounds to avoid combat caused the PAVN leadership to doubt that the battalion would be of any further use at Khe Sanh.[ By March the 304th was reported to have withdrawn into North Vietnam to re-equip.][
On 4 April, the 1st Battalion 9th Marines attacked the 66th Regiment on Hill 471 south of the Combat Base, with the U.S. reporting 16 PAVN killed for the loss of 10 marines. The following morning the 66th Regiment counter-attacked, losing 140 killed and five captured while the Marines lost only one killed.][
On 14 May 1968, units of the division attacked a supply convoy on Route 9, the ]2nd Battalion 3rd Marines
2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines (2/3) was an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Marine Corps Base Hawaii consisting of approximately 1,000 Marines and sailors. The battalion fell under the command of the 3rd Marine Regi ...
pursued the attackers as they withdrew from the ambush site, killing 74 PAVN for the loss of seven Marines.[ On 17 May, a patrol from the 2nd Battalion 1st Marines was ambushed by units of the division west of Khe Sanh, the Marines called in artillery and air strikes and then overran the ambush positions suffering six dead, while the division lost 52 killed.][ On the same days units of the division engaged the 3rd Battalion 4th Marines west of Khe Sanh on Hills 552 and 689, the division were lost 50 dead and four prisoners.][ On the night of 18–19 May 2/1 Marines engaged a Battalion from the 304th on Route 9 east of Khe Sanh, with the division losing 113 killed and eight Marines were killed.][
In October 1970, the PAVN command formed the PAVN B-70 Corps comprising the division, together with the 308th and 320th Divisions based in southern Laos.][
In 1971 the B-70 Corps and ancillary units participated in repulsing ]Operation Lam Son 719
Operation Lam Son 719 or 9th Route – Southern Laos Campaign () was a limited-objective Offensive (military), offensive Military campaign, campaign conducted in the southeastern portion of the Kingdom of Laos. The campaign was carried out by the ...
. In late February a company of the ARVN 3rd Airborne Battalion operating south of Fire Support Base 31 () received a Chieu Hoi
The Chiêu Hồi program ( (also spelled "chu hoi" or "chu-hoi" in American documents; loosely translated as "Open Arms" or "Return") was an initiative by the United States and South Vietnam to encourage defection by the People's Army of Vietnam ( ...
, a sergeant from the Division's 24B Regiment. He revealed that the division had been operating the area since 9 February. At 11:00 on 25 February the PAVN deluged FSB 31 with artillery fire and then at 13:00 the 24B Regiment launched an armored/infantry assault. Airstrikes were called in and destroyed several PAVN tanks on the southern perimeter of the base. At 15:20 20 tanks supported by infantry attacked the northwest and east of the base. At this time a United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...
F-4 Phantom jet was shot down in the area and the Forward air control
Forward air control is the provision of guidance to close air support (CAS) aircraft intended to ensure that their attack hits the intended target and does not injure friendly troops. This task is carried out by a forward air controller (FAC).
...
(FAC) aircraft coordinating fire support for FSB 31 left the area of the battle to direct a rescue effort for the downed aircraft crew. Forty minutes later, despite artillery support from other firebases the PAVN captured the base capturing or killing 155 ARVN including the commanders of the 3rd Airborne Brigade, which had its headquarters at FSB, and the commander of the 3rd Artillery Battalion and six 105 mm howitzers. The 24B Regiment lost an estimated 250 killed and 11 PT-76
The PT-76 is a Soviet Union, Soviet amphibious vehicle, amphibious light tank that was introduced in the early 1950s and soon became the standard reconnaissance tank of the Soviet Army and the other Warsaw Pact armed forces. It was widely exporte ...
s and T-54s destroyed.[ By the 19 March the 24B Regiment was operating east of Ban Dong/A Luoi () in an attempt to prevent ARVN withdrawal along Route 9.][
On 30 March 1972, the division took part in the ]First Battle of Quảng Trị
First most commonly refers to:
* First, the ordinal form of the number 1
First or 1st may also refer to:
Acronyms
* Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array
* Far Infrared a ...
, the opening battle of the Easter Offensive
The Easter Offensive, also known as the 1972 spring–summer offensive (') by North Vietnam, or the Red Fiery Summer (') as romanticized in South Vietnamese literature, was a military campaign conducted by the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN, t ...
.[ On 2 April the Division's 24th Regiment forced the surrender of the entire ARVN 56th Regiment, 3rd Division at Camp Carroll.][ Also on the 2nd the Division's 66th Regiment began attacking 14th Marine Brigade at Mai Loc Camp forcing their withdrawal.][ At 06:30 on 27 April the division attacked the 147th Marine Brigade at Ái Tử Combat Base from the southwest, two attacks were repulsed but the base's ammunition dump was destroyed by artillery fire.] On 28 April the ARVN 20th Tank Battalion was withdrawn from Đông Hà to support the base at Ái Tử, the ARVN 57th Regiment, 3rd Division fearing they were being abandoned, panicked and deserted their positions, leading to the collapse of the ARVN defensive line on the Cua Viet River. The VNMC 7th Battalion was sent to Ái Tử to help defend the base. At 02:00 on 29 April the division attacked the ARVN positions north and south of the base and the ARVN defenses began to crumble, by midday on 30 April, the 3rd Division commander ordered a withdrawal from Ái Tử to a defensive line along the south of the Thạch Hãn River and the withdrawal was completed late that day.[
On 17 May 1974 PAVN 2nd Corps was formed comprising the division, the 324B and 325C Divisions, the 673rd Air Defense Division, the 164th Artillery Brigade, the 203rd tank Brigade, the 219th Engineer Brigade and the 463rd Signal Regiment under the command of Major General Hoàng Văn Thái.][
On 29 July 1974 the Division's 66th Regiment participated in the Battle of Thượng Đức. The initial assault was repulsed but on 6 August the 66th Regiment launched a renewed assault and by the next day the Ranger forces defending the area began to withdraw. The PAVN claim to have killed or captured 1,600 ARVN and shot down 13 aircraft in the fighting up to 7 August.][ However they admit that the fighting at Thượng Đức had caused the 24th and 66th Regiments to suffer "a considerable erosion of their strength."][
In 1975 as part of the Hue-Da Nang Campaign the division was moved to the southwest of ]Danang
Da Nang or DanangSee also Danang Dragons (, ) is the list of cities in Vietnam, fifth-largest city in Vietnam by municipal population. It lies on the coast of the Western Pacific Ocean of Vietnam at the mouth of the Hàn River (Vietnam), Hàn R ...
and by 26 March the Division's 9th Regiment was located northwest of Danang, while the rest of the division and the 711th Division encircled Danang from the south and the 324B and 325C Divisions which had earlier captured Huế
Huế (formerly Thừa Thiên Huế province) is the southernmost coastal Municipalities of Vietnam, city in the North Central Coast region, the Central Vietnam, Central of Vietnam, approximately in the center of the country. It borders Quảng ...
advanced from the north and west. By the afternoon of 29 March the 2nd Corps had penetrated the South Vietnamese defences and entered the city. By April 26, the 304th and 325C were attacking Route 15, the last overland link between Saigon
Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025.
The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...
and Vung Tau.[
From 27–28 April the division fought the 468th Marine Brigade supported by the 318th Armored Regiment for control of Nuoc Trong.][ The 66th Regiment, the 203rd Tank Brigade an anti-aircraft battalion and an engineer battalion formed 2nd Corps' deep penetration unit.][ On 30 April this deep penetration unit seized the ]Independence Palace
The Independence Palace (), also publicly and officially known as the Reunification Convention Hall or simply Reunification Hall (), is a landmark in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly known as Saigon), Vietnam. It was designed by architect Ngô Vi� ...
, ending the war.[
]
Present day
304th Division was a part of the PAVN 2nd Corps until it was transferred to 2nd Military Region in 2023.[{{Cite web, title=Điều chuyển Sư đoàn 304 về Quân khu 2: Nhanh chóng ổn định tổ chức, biên chế, không để xáo trộn đội ngũ cán bộ, url=https://xaydungchinhsach.chinhphu.vn/dieu-chuyen-su-doan-304-nhanh-chong-on-dinh-to-chuc-bien-che-khong-de-xao-tron-doi-ngu-can-bo-119230808095610883.htm, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231022105047/https://xaydungchinhsach.chinhphu.vn/dieu-chuyen-su-doan-304-nhanh-chong-on-dinh-to-chuc-bien-che-khong-de-xao-tron-doi-ngu-can-bo-119230808095610883.htm , archive-date=22 October 2023]
References
Divisions of the People's Army of Vietnam
Military units and formations established in 1950