NVA and 'Operational Art'

Vietnam was a total operational failure in the view of the American people and the armed forces. The perception is that the fall of South Vietnam in April 1975 was due to a growing insurgency. Historical documents, interviews, and studies reveal that a conventional approach was used in seizing Saigon and the South Vietnamese Democratic government. In order to dispel myths for South Vietnam’s demise, it is important to determine the cause of South Vietnam’s capitulation and understand the strategic, operational, and tactical environments that existed during this period. Upon analysis, does the evidence to support the use of operational art by the North Vietnamese Army in the fall of Saigon? A determination can be made on whether these plans coincided with the withdrawal of American forces in 1974.