President Ho Chi Minh presents rewards to officers and soldiers of air defence and naval units for their achievements in shooting down US aircraft in the first engagements. (Photo: VNA)
The opening victories on August 2 and 5, 1964 — when three small torpedo boats courageously attacked the US destroyer USS Maddox — marked a heroic prelude for the Vietnam People’s Navy. These initial engagements captured the spirit of “daring to fight, knowing how to fight, and determined to win,” becoming the guiding principle for all future actions of the Navy. In the photo: The US destroyer USS Maddox (DD-731) violates Vietnamese waters on August 2, 1964. (Photo: International archives/published by VNA)
A Vietnamese soldier stands beside the wreckage of an A-4D jet piloted by US Navy Lieutenant Everett Alvarez Jr., shot down in Cua Luc, Hon Gai town (Quang Ninh) on August 5, 1964. (Photo: VNA)
Combat vessels of the Vietnam People’s Navy fire back at US aircraft in Lach Truong, Thanh Hoa, on August 5, 1964. (Photo: Vietnam People’s Navy Archives/published by VNA)
Naval officers and sailors study the structure and movement of machinery in 1960. (Photo: VNA)
Radio Company 1 under the naval signal division maintains regular professional training. (Photo: VNA)
With vigilance and firm resolve, Squadron 111 from Coastal Region 1 of the Vietnam People’s Navy delivers heavy blows to US air forces in the first engagement of America’s large-scale air and naval warfare in the North. (Photo: VNA)
General Vo Nguyen Giap attends the ceremony marking the 20th anniversary of the Vietnam People’s Navy on August 5, 1975. (Photo: VNA)
An Bang Island soldiers train for combat readiness. (Photo: VNA)
The national flag is raised on submarine HQ-182 Hanoi in Khanh Hoa in 2014. (Photo: VNA)
DK1 platform – known as a “steel fortress” – stands firm day and night as Vietnamese soldiers guard national maritime sovereignty. In the photo: DK1/2 platform at the Phuc Tan cluster in the country’s southern waters. (Photo: VNA)
Naval soldiers patrol the waters around Phan Vinh B Island. (Photo: VNA)
Mechanised Battalion 474 under Brigade M47 of the Vietnam People’s Navy fulfils assigned tasks and carries out combat-readiness training effectively. (Photo: VNA)
Ships 356 and 357 of Brigade 170 (Naval Region 1) conduct live-fire training at sea. (Photo: Published by VNA)
Naval infantry take part in a parade marking the 70th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day on September 2, 2015. (Photo: VNA)
Vietnam People’s Navy’s first victory – a triumph of mettle and wisdom
On August 2 and 5, 1964, the Vietnam People’s Navy, in close coordination with other forces, bravely repelled powerful warships and modern aircraft of the US, establishing the proud tradition of the Navy’s “first victory in combat.” For over 60 years, the heroic spirit and invaluable lessons from this initial triumph have remained deeply significant in the national cause of building and safeguarding the Fatherland.
