Cần Thơ Base Camp

Cần Thơ Base Camp (also known as Cần Thơ Army Airfield) is a former U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force (USAF), Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF) and current People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) base west of Cần Thơ in the Mekong Delta in southern Vietnam.

Cần Thơ Base Camp
An aerial view of Can Tho in March 1968
Cần Thơ Base Camp
Coordinates10.052°N 105.762°E / 10.052; 105.762 (Cần Thơ Base Camp)
TypeArmy
Site information
Controlled byPeople's Army of Vietnam
Site history
Built1930s
In use1930s-present
Battles/wars
Vietnam War
Garrison information
Occupants9th Infantry Division
Mobile Riverine Force
ARVN 9th Division
Cần Thơ Army Airfield
Summary
Elevation AMSL7 ft / 2 m
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
3,900 1,189 asphalt

History

Cần Thơ airfield was originally established during the French colonial period and was later used by the Japanese during World War II.[1]

USAF/RVNAF use

In June 1962 Detachment 3, 6220th Air Base Squadron was established at Cần Thơ.[2] On 8 July 1963 a Detachment of the 33rd Tactical Group was established at Cần Thơ.[2]:272

In May 1963 Detachment 7, 8th Aerial Port Squadron was established at Cần Thơ.[2]:167 On 8 July 1963 a Detachment of the 33rd Tactical Group was established at Cần Thơ replacing Detachment 3, 6220th Air Base Squadron.[2]

The RVNAF maintained a detachment from its 122nd Liaison Squadron equipped with 5 O-1 Bird Dogs.[2]:215

In mid-1963 Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) proposed the construction of a 6,000-foot (1,800 m) runway near Cần Thơ to replace the existing 3,000-foot (910 m) runway at Sóc Trăng Airfield which was unsuitable for night and wet weather operations with a projected US$4.5 million construction cost and a 2-year construction period.[2]:177

On the night of 16 July 1963 a Viet Cong (VC) mortar attack on Cần Thơ Airfield wounded 17 ARVN and US Special Forces troops.[2]:179

In July 1963 the 19th Tactical Air Support Squadron was activated at Bien Hoa Air Base, becoming operational on 15 September, it maintained a detachment of 6 O-1s at Cần Thơ.[2]:182

In January 1964 given the need for heavier aircraft to be available for quick reaction air support in the Mekong Delta, CINCPAC approved the construction of a new airfield at Cần Thơ for a cost of US$2.5 million to be ready within one year.[2]:184

Construction of the new Binh Thuy Air Base, 7km northwest of Cần Thơ Airfield began in February 1964.[1]:5–57[3]

In April 1964, Detachment 3, 619th Tactical Control Squadron was organized at the base. In the same month the RVNAF 74th Tactical Wing was established.[2]

1966-72

The base was originally established by the 9th Infantry Division.[1]

Airfield facilities, 25 September 1967
Airfield, 25 September 1967
Airfield repairs, 28 March 1968
CH-47 destroyed in rocket attack on the Camp, 13 January 1969
Cần Thơ control tower, 29 April 1970

Other units stationed here included:

The US Air Force 619th Tactical Control Squadron Detachment 3 provided air traffic control until June 1972.

1972-5

Cần Thơ was a base for the ARVN 9th Division until April 1975.

Current use

The base remains in use by the PAVN as the headquarters of the 9th Military Region. The airfield is no longer used but still clearly visible on satellite images.

References
  1. Kelley, Michael (2002). Where we were in Vietnam. Hellgate Press. pp. 5–86. ISBN 978-1555716257.
  2. Futrell, Robert (1981). The United States Air Force in Southeast Asia: The Advisory Years to 1965 (PDF). Office of Air Force History. p. 167. ISBN 9789998843523.
  3. Tregaskis, Richard (1975). Southeast Asia:Building the Bases, The History of Construction in Southeast Asia (PDF). U.S. Navy Seabee Museum. p. 47. ISBN 9781461097235.
  4. "Recommendation for Meritorious Unit Commendation 27 June 1968". Fold3.com. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  5. "DETAILED LIST OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND TASKS PERFORMED". Fold3.com. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  6. "Recommendation for Meritorious Unit Commendation 20 June 1971". Fold3.com. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  7. "52nd Signal Battalion". GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved 14 June 2020. ... On 1 August 1966, the Battalion was reactivated in Can Tho, Republic of Vietnam ...'
  8. Stanton, Shelby (2003). Vietnam Order of Battle. Stackpole Books. ISBN 9780811700719.
  9. Dunstan, S (1988). Vietnam Choppers. Osprey Publishing Ltd. p. 33. ISBN 0-85045-572-3.
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