History 10.03 (Winter 2025): The Dartmouth Vietnam Project: Learning Oral History in a Digital Age

Tran Ngoc Hue, a Vietnamese soldier in the ARVN, was not supposed to be very involved in Operation Lam Son 719. The unit under his command—the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Regiment (2/2) of the 1st ARVN Division—was assigned to conduct interdiction operations near the DMV, delaying and disrupting the PAVN as they attempted to advance towards the actual battleground of Lam Son. However, as Lam Son’s prospects for success grew bleak, Hue, nicknamed “Harry” by his American counterparts, and the 2/2 were ordered by President Thieu and General Lam to take Tchepone.

“While [Hue] had great hope that the attack would succeed, especially given the successes of recent days, Hue could not shake the feeling that he was walking into a trap. …The night before the battle, Hue had one last dinner with his U.S. advisers, Dave Wiseman and Gordon Greta, who expressed their frustration at not being able to accompany 2/2 into Laos. As the meal ended, Hue turned to Wiseman, his dear friend and comrade in war, and asked if he would adopt his children. …Realizing the danger that Hue would soon face and the difficulty of leaving his young family alone to their fate, Wiseman agreed.” (Wiest)

After taking Tchepone and destroying several underwhelming supply caches, Hue and his unit were ordered to withdraw. Searching for additional supply caches around Landing Zone Brown, Hue’s regiment encountered PAVN forces, who had surrounded the 3rd Battalion, 3rd regiment (3/3) to the south of the landing zone. The 2/2 broke the encirclement and helped cover the 3/3’s withdrawal. After heavy fighting, Hue and the 2/2 became surrounded by PAVN forces and desperately fought for their survival, as the PAVN slowly whittled down Hue’s regiment. The PAVN’s presence was so strong that helicopters could not reach the 2/2 for medivacs or resupply runs. Hue and the 2/2 had to drink their own urine in order to stay hydrated in battle. Hue recalls: “If I’m fighting by ourselves… I’m so lonely because [I] worry about if I’m short ammunition… chopper supply [does not] come right away, even [if] I need air support, [it does not come] right away.”

During the last stand, Hue sustained severe shrapnel wounds from mortar fire. With their capabilities dwindling, the 2/2 made a last-ditch effort to break out of the encirclement, abandoning the injured Hue. He reports: “I told my brothers to leave me behind so that my brothers could try to escape.”

Only sixty of Hue's unit made it back to South Vietnam safely. Hue was taken prisoner by the PAVN, enduring the agonizing journey up the Ho Chi Minh Trail to North Vietnam. He received treatment for his wounds, but he lost several fingers. A few weeks later, he made it to Hanoi, where he was incarcerated in the infamous Hanoi Hilton. He remained there for thirteen years before his release in 1984. He later moved to the United States in 1991.