Nui Dat (Núi Đất) is a former
1st Australian Task Force (1 ATF) base now part of
Ba Ria city in
Ba Ria–Vung Tau province
BA, Ba, or ba may refer to:
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* Bangladesh Army
* Bibliotheca Alexandrina, an Egyptian library and cultural center
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,
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making it ...
. It is not the name of an official ward, it just means "dirt hill" (
núi đất).
History
1966–1972
In 1966, when the area was part of the then
Phước Tuy Province it was the location of a prominent 1 ATF military base in
South Vietnam during the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
. The site was chosen by Lieutenant General
John Wilton in 1966 and was built mainly by men from the
6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment. The occupation of Nui Dat in
Operation Hardihood
Operation Hardihood was a security operation conducted from 16 May to 8 June 1966 during the Vietnam War by the U.S. 503rd Infantry Regiment, the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (1RAR) and the 5th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (5 ...
required the removal of all inhabitants from within a radius of the base in order to ensure the security of the facility. Ultimately this policy—which was an unusual step among allied bases in Vietnam—required the resettlement of the villages of
Long Hải, with a population of 1000, and
Long Phuoc, with a population of 3000. Both villages were subsequently destroyed and the villagers rehomed in brand new and improved villages built by Australian engineers; a task which was complete by July 1966.
From 1966 until 1972 the Australians and New Zealanders of the
1st Australian Task Forc