Major General Nguyễn Văn Hiếu (23 June 1929, Tianjin, China – 8 April 1975, Biên Hòa, Vietnam) was a general in the South Vietnamese Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN). As a child he lived in Shanghai. He later emigrated with his Vietnamese parents to Saigon when the Chinese Communist Party took over China in 1949. He attended Aurore University in Shanghai, China. In 1950, he attended the Vietnamese Military Academy, graduating second in his class in 1951. In 1963, he graduated from Command and General Staff College, at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
His assignments included G3/Joint General Staff, G3/I Corps, Chief of Staff of 1st Division, Chief of Staff of I Corps, Chief of Staff of II Corps, Commander of 22nd Division, Chief of Staff of II Corps, Commander of 5th Division, Deputy Commander of I Corps, Minister of Anti-Corruption under Vice-president Trần Văn Hương, Deputy Commander of III Corps, Commander of Forward HQ III Corps and MG Deputy Commander of III Corps. He was found dead on 8 April 1975 at III Corps Headquarters, Biên Hòa, and theories that he had been assassinated emerged. Two days later, he was posthumously promoted to lieutenant general.
Military career
1964
Hiếu, II Corps Chief of Staff, designed and executed Operation Quyết Thắng (Sure Win) 202 aiming directly at the Viet Cong (VC) stronghold at Đỗ Xá (), deep in the Annamite Mountains, at the junction of Kon Tum, Quảng Ngãi and Quảng Tin provinces, from 27 April to 27 May 1964. Units of 50th Regiment, 25th Division participated under the command of Major Phan Trong Trinh, four Ranger battalions under the command of Major Son Thuong and one Airborne battalion under the command of Captain Ngô Quang Trưởng.
Troops were ferried to two landing zones by three helicopters squadrons: USMC HMM-364 Squadron, 117th and 119th squadron of US Army 52nd Aviation Battalion. The VC attacked the helicopters at the landing zones during the two first days, and then vanished into the mountains, avoiding contacts with the invading troops. Operation Đỗ Xá achieved the following results: a communication network of the VC command composed of five stations was destroyed, one of which was used to communicate with North Vietnam, and the other four to link with provincial VC units; the VC lost 62 killed, 17 captured, two 0.51 caliber machine guns, one 0.30 caliber machine gun, 69 individual weapons, and a large quantity of mines and grenades, engineer equipment, explosives, medicine, and documents; in addition, 185 structures, 17 tons of food and of crops were destroyed.
1965 In 1965, the VC attacked all over the Central Highlands in the II Military Region. In early July 1965, three People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) regiments (including 32nd and possibly the 33rd) completely isolated the Central Highlands. ARVN units could not use National Routes 1, 11, 14, 19 and 21, and all resupplies to the Highlands had to be performed by air. On 8 July 1965 Hiếu, II Corps Chief of Staff, was entrusted with the design and execution of a plan to reopen National Route 19.
Contrary to the general practice of a road-clearing operation by concentrating troops to progressively destroy the ambushes set up by the enemy along the highway, from D-6 to D+2, Hiếu ordered the 22nd Division and the 3rd Armored Squadron to attack from Qui Nhơn to Tuy Hòa along National Route 1; the 2nd Airborne Task Force together with Regional Forces and Civilian Irregulars Defense Group Forces to retake Lê Thành District; VNMC Alpha Task Force and the 42nd Regiment to attack from Pleiku up north to Đak Sut on National Route 14; and the 20th Engineer Group to attack from Phú Bổn to Tuy Hòa to repair Interprovincial Route 7.
After sowing confusion among the enemy, Hiếu "press[ed] the Viet Cong from three directions with movements launched from Pleiku and Qui Nhơn and a vertical envelopment from north of An Khê. These maneuvers were executed by a task force of the Pleiku sector departing from Pleiku, two task forces of the 22nd Infantry Division departing from Qui Nhơn, and a task force of two airborne battalions heliborne into northern An Khê and attacking south with Task Force Alpha of the marines brigade conducting the linkup." These actions resulted in the free flow of cargo convoys during 5 days from D+3 to D+7, "allowing an initial buildup of 5,365 tons of supplies in Pleiku". Later, operational units withdrew to their camps during D+8 and D+9. As a result of Operation Thần Phong, "the convoys transfused new life into the Highlands. Along with an immediate drop of 25 to 30 percent in the price of food and commodities, the population regained their feelings of security, confidence, and hope. Schoolboys in Pleiku voluntarily helped the troops in unloading the cargoes, and people who had started to evacuate now returned to their homesteads." Major General Vinh Loc, Road Clearing Operation, Military Review, April 1966
Pleime
After the unsuccessful attempt to overcome the Đức Cơ Special Forces camp in August 1965, General Võ Nguyên Giáp launched the Winter Spring Campaign aiming at cutting South Vietnam in two, from Pleiku in the Central Highlands to Qui Nhơn in the coastal regions. The plan of General Chu Huy Man, VC Field Commander was as follows: PAVN 33rd Regiment feigns to attack Plei Me Camp to entice II Corps to dispatch relief column from Pleiku; PAVN 32nd Regiment sets an ambush to destroy the relief column (an easy target without artillery support nearby); after destroying the relief column, 32nd Regiment joins up with 33rd Regiment in overcoming Plei Me Camp; in the meantime, with the defense of Pleiku weakened by the troops sent out to rescue Plei Me, PAVN 66th Regiment initiates a preliminary attack against II Corps HQ, awaiting 32nd and 33rd Regiments to overcome Plei Me and to join forces to attack and occupy Pleiku.
Hiếu consulted with the US 1st Cavalry Division and came up with the following plan: II Corps feigns biting the bait by reinforcing Plei Me with a unit of ARVN Airborne Rangers and dispatches a task force from Pleiku to relieve Plei Me; 1st Cavalry Division lends a brigade to reinforce the defense of Pleiku and heli-lifts artillery batteries to several locations near the ambush site to support the relief column when under attacked.
This plan neutralized the PAVN 66th Regiment, which remained inactive in the Chư Prông area, destroyed the PAVN 33rd Regiment at the ambush site and the PAVN 32nd Regiment abandoned the siege of Plei Me and withdrew into the surrounding jungle.Intelligence Aspects of Pleime/Chupong Campaign, US Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, Assistant Chief of Staff, J2
1966 42nd Regiment, 22nd Division, reinforced by 3rd Airborne Task Force established a blocking position on the mountain side, joined force with an armored squadron of M113s in sweeping the enemy from National Route 1 into the mountains at Phù Cũ Pass in Bình Định Province. Infantrymen following the M113s launched fierce assaults, after an initial salvo of artillery. Airborne Task Force Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyễn Khoa Nam observing the battle from the mountainside with binocular stated: "Colonel Hiếu conducts his troops like a seasoned 'armor officer', and combatants of 22nd Division fought as elegantly as our paratroopers."Phan Nhật Nam ̣(2005), South Vietnam Did Not Lack Heroes, Speech delivered in the Book Presentation about General Nguyen Van Hieu: General Hieu took over the command of 22nd Infantry Division in June 1966, and by the end of the year (November), the newly appointed Commander scored a battle victory at Phu Cu Pass (Phu My District). At that time, we, the attached unit (3rd Airborne Task Force-Pnn) established a blockage position on the mountain side, and witnessed our friendly unit (42nd Regiment/22nd Division) joining force with the armored squadron of M113s in sweeping the enemy from National Route 1 into the mountains. The battle unfolded just like a military World War II documentary film. Infantrymen in front line formation followed M113 armored vehicles launched fierce assaults, after a salvo of artillery firing, just like Middle Age's knights charging in combat. Airborne Task Force Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyễn Khoa Nam observed the battle from the mountain side with binocular. Although he was a man parsimonious in words, he had to utter his admiration: "Colonel Hieu conducts his troops like a seasoned "armor officer", and combatants of 22nd Division fought as elegantly as our paratroopers." Those were sincere words from a combatant complimenting another combatant on the battlefield.
1967 In February 1967, Hiếu launched Operation Đại Bàng 800. For three days prior to Vietnamese operation, units of the US 1st Cavalry Division were unsuccessful in discovering the enemy in their operational areas. Hiếu lured the enemy by dispatching a reduced regiment to set up an overnight camp in Phù Mỹ, knowing that enemy spies amongst the indigenous farmers would report the status of the operational troops. Hiếu positioned a motorized infantry battalion and an armored unit 10 kilometers away. Thinking they had an easy target, the enemy attacked the camp with a regiment belonging to the PAVN 3rd Division at 2:00 a.m. Alerted by the regiment's commander, Hiếu sent in the reserve forces to cut off the enemy's retreat and join forces with the defenders. After a three-hour fierce battle, the enemy reportedly left behind more than 300 dead and numerous weapons.Colonel Trinh Tieu, G2/23ID: "At 5:00 a.m. the Communists had to leak their wounds, disperse and withdraw into the jungle, leaving behind 300 KIA lying all over the place, numerous weapons and ammunition scattered all over the operational area." Operation Eagles Claw 800
1968-9 Whenever Hiếu wished to organize mobile operations with his 40th Infantry Regiment or his 41st Infantry Regiment, he had to negotiate with the powerful Binh Dinh Province chief, Lt. Col. Phan Minh Tho, who used those same units to support the pacification program. The relationship between the two officers, I Field Force, Vietnam commander General William R. Peers called it a "vendetta", had been simmering for years, and to make matters worse, both of Hiếu's regimental commanders enjoyed a close relationship with Tho. The result was a pair of regiments that rarely sought the enemy. In August 1968 Peers warned the Corps' commander, General Lữ Mộng Lan, that security in northern Binh Dinh Province was "regressing" because Hiếu refused to challenge his long-serving regimental commanders, "who are acting like small time warlords."
In August 1969 General Le Ngoc Trien replaced Hiếu as commander of the 22nd Division and Hiếu replaced the inept, but politically connected General Phạm Quốc Thuần as commander of the 5th Division, however US officials had major reservations about this replacement, not regarding Hiếu as a dynamic leader.
1970