Battle of Ap Bac

On January 2, 1963, the Army of the Republic of Viet Nam (ARVN) (Or "North Vietnamese Army") and the National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam (NLF/Viet Cong) fought near the village of Ap Bac in Dinh Tuong province, approximately 50 miles southwest of Saigon. The Battle of Ap Bac was believed to be the very first major battle during The Vietnam War. After discovering that a large group of the North Vietnamese Army was near the Village of Ap Bac, The Army of the Republic of South Vietnam was ordered to destroy them.

Despite consisting of 2,500 troops of South Vietnam’s 7th Infantry Division, who with American assistance in weapons and planning and much better equipped, The Army of the Republic of South Vietnam was destroyed by a group of 350 guerrillas from the Army of the Republic of Viet Nam. Five American helicopters were destroyed, and more had to be brought in to rescue the surviving soldiers.

With this major victory at The Battle of Ap Bac, the Army of the Republic of Viet Nam went a step ahead in the Vietnam War. The outcome of the battle also had the US realized that it had to get more involved in the next battles to come.

• Date: January 2, 1963
• Location: Ap Bac, Dinh Tuong, Vietnam
• Result: North Vietnam victory