Đồng Tâm Base Camp (also known as Đồng Tâm Army Airfield) is a former U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, and

Army of the Republic of Vietnam The Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN; ; ) composed the ground forces of the Republic of Vietnam Military Forces, South Vietnamese military from its inception in 1955 to the Fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. Its predecessor was the ground forc ...

(ARVN) base west of

Mỹ Tho Mỹ Tho () is a city in the Tiền Giang province in the Mekong Delta region of South Vietnam. It has a population of approximately 169,000 in 2006 and 220,000 in 2012. It is the regional center of economics, education and technology. The majori ...

in the

Mekong Delta The Mekong Delta ( or simply ), also known as the Western Region () or South-western region (), is the list of regions of Vietnam, region in southwestern Vietnam where the Mekong, Mekong River River delta, approaches and empties into the sea th ...

, southern

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 of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

History

1966–9

Đồng Tâm Base Camp was established on the northern bank of the

Mekong River The Mekong or Mekong River ( , ) is a transboundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's List of rivers by length, twelfth-longest river and List of longest rivers of Asia, the third-longest in Asia with an estimated l ...

7 km west of Mỹ Tho upon COMUSMACV General

William Westmoreland William Childs Westmoreland (26 March 1914 – 18 July 2005) was a United States Army general, most notably the commander of United States forces during the Vietnam War from 1964 to 1968. He served as Chief of Staff of the United States Army f ...

's decision to gain full control over the upper

region. General Westmoreland personally took part in site selection. General Westmoreland chose the name Đồng Tâm meaning "united hearts and minds" or "singleness of mind, in thoughts, and actions" in Vietnamese. The total construction price for the Army and Navy ran close to $8,000,000. Due to lack of available dry land, the base was created by dredging from the river. Dredging work to create the base commenced in August 1966 and involved the reclamation of 600 acres of swampland. The

Vietcong The Viet Cong (VC) was an epithet and umbrella term to refer to the Communism, communist-driven armed movement and united front organization in South Vietnam. It was formally organized as and led by the National Liberation Front of South Vi ...

attempted to sabotage the base construction sinking the dredgeship ''Jamaica Bay'' on 9 January 1967 with the loss of 3 crewmembers. In January 1967 the 3rd Battalion, 60th Infantry was deployed to Đồng Tâm to provide base and construction security followed in March by Headquarters, 2nd Brigade, 9th Infantry Division which moved from Bearcat Base. In April the US Navy River Assault Squadron 9 was deployed to Đồng Tâm to support operations. On 1 June 1967, the Mobile Riverine Force (MRF) comprising the 2nd Brigade, 9th Infantry Division and the US Navy River Assault Squadrons 9 and 11 was established at Đồng Tâm. By this time the base occupied 12 square kilometres and included a 500m runway and a loading basin for boats. From June–December 1967 base facilities grew providing improved support and rest and recreation for the MRF. The Vietcong regularly harassed the base with mortar fire. Other units stationed at Đồng Tâm included: * 1st Battalion, 11th Artillery (1968 – August 1969) * 3rd Surgical Hospital (May 1967 – September 1969)

1969–75

On 1 September 1969 Đồng Tâm was turned over to the ARVN 7th Division which moved its headquarters there from Mỹ Tho. When President

Dương Văn Minh Dương Văn Minh (; 16 February 19166 August 2001), popularly known as Big Minh, was a South Vietnamese politician and a senior general in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) and a politician during the presidency of Ngô Đình Diệm. ...

announced the unconditional surrender of South Vietnam on 30 April 1975, ARVN Brigadier General Trần Văn Hai committed suicide at the base.

Current use

The base was abandoned and turned over to farmland and housing while the harbour area is used for fishing and transport vessels. As of 2018 the harbor is government controlled and leases facilities for civilian marine construction purposes. Access to the area requires government approval.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dong Tam Base Camp Installations of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam United States Navy installations Riverine warfare Installations of the United States Army in South Vietnam Buildings and structures in Tiền Giang province 1966 establishments in South Vietnam