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Vietnam War - QLVNCH Military Map
Printed - 1970 - RVNAF
South Vietnam MILITARY MAP - Very Rare
- Measures - 22 x 17.5 inches (56 x 45 cms)
- Rare 1970 Map - One Only Available
- Quân Lực Việt Nam Cộng Hòa – QLVNCH - Repbulic of Vietnam Armed Force
- Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF),Không Lực Việt Nam Cộng Hòa
Tinh Chuong Thien
In 1970, Tỉnh Chương Thiện (formed in 1961 from parts of Cần Thơ and Ba Xuyên provinces; now largely part of Hậu Giang and southern Cần Thơ) was one of the most contested and strategically sensitive provinces in IV Corps Tactical Zone.
It was located in the heart of the Mekong Delta, bordered by Kiến Tường, Kiến Phong, Vĩnh Long, Cần Thơ, Ba Xuyên, and An Xuyên. The terrain was low-lying, heavily canalized, and thick with vegetation, ideal for guerrilla warfare.
Chương Thiện was under the responsibility of the ARVN 21st Infantry Division, supported by Regional Forces, Popular Forces, and National Police Field Forces.
Due to its strategic vulnerability and history of strong communist activity, the province received significant attention from CORDS (Civil Operations and Revolutionary Development Support), Phoenix Program units, and ARVN psychological warfare teams. GVN efforts focused on securing key population centers such as Vị Thanh (the provincial capital), Phụng Hiệp, and Long Mỹ.
U.S. involvement included advisory teams, limited MACV elements, and some support from U.S. Army aviation units stationed at nearby bases like Cần Thơ.
American helicopter units provided air mobility, medevac, and reconnaissance but were gradually reducing presence in line with the Vietnamization policy. Some U.S. Navy PBR units and SEALs also operated on the nearby canals during targeted operations.
Chương Thiện was a high-priority operational area for the VC, due to its position along infiltration corridors and the network of waterways linking it to U Minh, Cà Mau, and border areas.
The province was part of the VC Military Region 9, and units such as the D1 Battalion, 95th Provincial Mobile Battalion, and local militia operated here. The VC maintained strong political infrastructure in rural hamlets, often operating in daylight in contested zones.
The area was used for logistics transfer, staging ambushes, and launching attacks into neighboring provinces.
The Hoàng Cầm Trail, an extensive southern infiltration network named after its logistical methods (not to be confused with the northern trail of the same name), ran through this area.
The VC used swamp trails, footpaths, and disguised sampans to move troops and weapons into deeper areas of the Delta.
By 1970, Chương Thiện was one of the most insecure provinces in the Delta. Despite control over district capitals and some main roads, much of the countryside was contested or VC-dominated at night.
The Phoenix Program had limited success in dismantling the entrenched VC infrastructure, and ARVN units were stretched thin. Civilian pacification efforts were frequently undermined by VC assassinations and propaganda.
Chương Thiện in 1970 was a key battleground for control of the Delta interior, with ARVN forces defending isolated outposts and lines of communication, while Viet Cong forces operated freely in remote and swampy terrain, supported by a dense political network and aided by the terrain\'s natural concealment.
