Major General Phạm Văn Phú (1927, Hà Đông,

French Indochina French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China),; vi, Đông Dương thuộc Pháp, , lit. 'East Ocean under French Control; km, ឥណ្ឌូចិនបារាំង, ; th, อินโดจีนฝรั่งเศส, ...

– 30 April 1975,

Saigon , population_density_km2 = 4,292 , population_density_metro_km2 = 697.2 , population_demonym = Saigonese , blank_name = GRP (Nominal) , blank_info = 2019 , blank1_name = – Total , blank1_ ...

South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...

) was an officer in the

Army of the Republic of Vietnam The Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN; ; french: Armée de la république du Viêt Nam) composed the ground forces of the Republic of Vietnam Military Forces, South Vietnamese military from its inception in 1955 to the Fall of Saigon in April ...

. He was a graduate of the 8th class of the Dalat Military Academy in 1954. Camp Eagle turnover ceremony, 1 February 1972

Military service

Phu was a company commanding officer in the 5th Battalion of Vietnamese Paratroopers (5th BPVN, standing for ''Bataillon de Parachutistes Vietnamiens'' in French) of the Vietnam National Army during the

battle of Dien Bien Phu The Battle of Dien Bien Phu (french: Bataille de Diên Biên Phu ; vi, Chiến dịch 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 Fr ...

. He was captured with the remainder of the French garrison when it surrendered to the Viet Minh on 7 May 1954. In the

(ARVN), Pham served as Chief of Staff of the Special Forces, commander of the 1st Division. In an interview with ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' in early February 1972 he and 3rd Infantry Division commander General

Vũ Văn Giai Brigadier general Vũ Văn Giai (12 May 193413 October 2012) was a general in the South Vietnamese Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN). Military career He served as deputy commander of the 1st Division. From 16 April to October 1971 he com ...

expressed doubts about the widely anticipated PAVN offensive in the northern provinces in mid-February stating that no major action would take place until March at the earliest due to the need for the PAVN to build up their logistics. He served as director Quang Trung Training Center, before taking the command in 1974 of the II Corps/Military Region II in Pleiku. He was the commander during the

Battle of Ban Me Thuot The Battle of Ban Me Thuot was a decisive battle of the Vietnam War which led to the complete destruction of South Vietnam's II Corps Tactical Zone. The battle was part of a larger North Vietnamese military operation known as Campaign 275 to c ...

which was part of North Vietnam's ''Campaign 275'' to capture the Central Highlands following the victory at Phước Long on 6 January 1975. His troops suffered heavy losses on the way of withdrawal to the coastal areas in April 1975. He committed suicide in Saigon on 30 April 1975, the day of the

fall of Saigon The Fall of Saigon, also known as the Liberation of Saigon by North Vietnamese or Liberation of the South by the Vietnamese government, and known as Black April by anti-communist overseas Vietnamese was the capture of Saigon, the capital of ...

when the Republic of Vietnam fell to the forces of the North Vietnamese Army.

References

*Davidson, Phillip (1988). ''Vietnam at War: The History 1946-1975''. Novato, CA: Presidio Press. ()

External links

The Twenty-five Year Century
1927 births 1975 deaths Army of the Republic of Vietnam generals Vietnamese military personnel South Vietnamese military personnel of the Vietnam War Vietnamese people of the Vietnam War Deaths by firearm in Vietnam Date of birth missing Suicides in Vietnam {{Vietnam-bio-stub