Vietnam / Cambodia Border Region - Châu Đốc, Kiến Phong and An Giang Provinces – September 1970

This map reflects the military situation along the Vietnam / Cambodia border in September 1970, several months after the United States and South Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia. The region covered Châu Đốc, Kiến Phong and An Giang provinces, together with the extensive river systems of the Mekong Delta and the international frontier between South Vietnam and Cambodia.

The dominant military event of 1970 was the Cambodian Incursion, launched in late April by United States and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) forces. The operation was intended to attack North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong headquarters, logistics bases, supply depots and infiltration routes established inside eastern Cambodia. Large quantities of weapons, ammunition, food, communications equipment and engineering stores were captured or destroyed, while major communist base areas close to the border were temporarily disrupted.

Although the international boundary remained marked on military maps, operations on both sides of the frontier demonstrated that the border was not an effective military barrier. North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces had long used Cambodian territory for movement, supply and sanctuary, while Allied forces were now conducting large-scale cross-border operations against those same bases.

Châu Đốc Province occupied the western edge of South Vietnam adjoining Cambodia and was one of the principal border provinces affected by the 1970 operations. The provincial capital of Châu Đốc served as an administrative centre, military headquarters and logistics base for operations along the frontier and surrounding waterways. A nearby Special Forces camp formed part of the border surveillance network established to monitor infiltration and support reconnaissance operations.

The region was dominated by the Mekong River system. The Bassac River (Hậu Giang), one of the two principal branches of the Mekong after it entered Vietnam, flowed south through Châu Đốc Province. The Tonlé Bassac connected the Cambodian and Vietnamese river systems and was used extensively for civilian transport as well as military movement. To the north, the Tiền River (Cửu Long) flowed through Kiến Phong Province, with important river towns including Hồng Ngự and Tân Châu controlling crossings, ferry points and communications.

These waterways formed the principal transport network of the western Mekong Delta. Military patrol boats, supply barges, civilian craft and fishing vessels operated continuously throughout the region. Viet Cong and North Vietnamese forces also used canals, rivers and flooded terrain to move personnel and supplies while avoiding major roads.

That Sơn Military Post and its associated airstrip occupied a strategic position overlooking approaches to the Cambodian frontier. The short runway supported liaison aircraft, light transport operations, resupply flights, casualty evacuation and communications. Military posts of this type provided observation, reconnaissance and local security for the surrounding border region.

Further east, locations including Chợ Mới, Vĩnh Tế, Quán An Phú, Hồng Ngự, Tân Châu and An Long formed part of the network of towns, canals, roads and military positions controlling movement through the upper Mekong Delta. Small military airfields and landing grounds supported liaison aircraft, helicopters and logistical operations throughout the area.

Tri Tôn, located near the Seven Mountains (Thất Sơn), occupied an important position close to the Cambodian border. The surrounding hills provided observation over the otherwise flat delta landscape and were used by both Allied and communist forces during operations along the frontier. Military activity in the area included reconnaissance patrols, border surveillance, Special Forces operations and the movement of irregular units.

By September 1970, military activity throughout the region remained closely linked to the Cambodian campaign. United States, ARVN and South Vietnamese riverine forces continued to patrol border waterways, support operations near the frontier and interdict communist movement. North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong forces responded by relocating headquarters, reopening supply routes and re-establishing logistics networks deeper inside Cambodia while continuing infiltration into South Vietnam.

The map records a border region shaped by military operations on both sides of the international boundary. Rivers, canals, military posts, Special Forces camps, airstrips and border crossings were all significant features in a campaign that extended beyond South Vietnam into neighbouring Cambodia, reflecting the expansion of the war during 1970.

Command Control, North, South, Central, MACV, Special Forces, SOG, Special Op’s, Special Operations Group, 5 th Special Forces, Army Security Agency, Military Intelligence, Psy-Ops, US Army, De Oppresso Liber, Airborne, 1 st Special Forces, CIDG, Mike Force, Mobile Guerrilla Force, Mobile Strike Force, Operations Detachment, Provincial Recon Unit, Recon Teams, RT, USMC, United States Marine Corps, Vietnam War, WWII, WWI, French Indochine War, French Foreign Legion, Legion Etrange, Project Omega, Recondo School, Rapid Fire, Project Delta, Special Missions Advisory Force, Project Gamma, Project Sigma, Indigenous Troops, MACV-SOG, CCC, CCS, CCN, USARV, SMAG, TAG, Field Training Command, Recon Team Leader, US Navy, Air Force, AATTV, Long Tan, Nui Dat, AAFV, ATF, New Zealand V Force, Big Red One, 1st Infantry Division, 1st Cavalry Division, Tropic Lightning, 25th Infantry Division, Subdued, Patch, Patches, Uniform, Helmet, Flash, Beret, Arc, Tab, 101 st Airborne Division, 82nd Airborne, 173rd Airborne, Combat, Militaria, Medal, Badge, Map, 199th Infantry Brigade, Old Ironsides, 5th Infantry Division, MAAG, USARPAC, XXIV Corps, 23rd Infantry Division, Americal, 38th Infantry Division, Black Op’s, Clandestine, Non-Conventional Warfare, 11th Infantry Brigade, 11th Armored, 196th , 1st Aviation, 18th Engineers, Medic, Medical, Viet Cong, VC, Viet Minh, Dien Bien Phu, Saigon, Tiger Force Rangers, Ranger, Logistical Command, Khe Sanh, POW, RVN, ARVN, South Vietnam, North Vietnam, NVA, Hanoi, Siagon, Phan Rang, LLDB, Bright Light, Free World Forces, Company, Platoon, Patrol, Long Range, Special Forces, ARVN, Green Berets, Elite, Recon, Reconnaissance, CCN, CCC, CCS, MACV SOG, SOA, Paratrooper, Parachutist, Vietnam War, Special Operations, Military, Tiger, Ranger, Route, Team, VC, NVA, Viet Cong, Command Control, Republic of Vietnam, Assault Helicopter Company, Gunship, Spooky, US Air