When recovering a tank that surfaced off the coast of Quy Nhon, authorities discovered numerous guns, artillery shells, bones, and pieces of cloth on the afternoon of April 29th.
At approximately 2 PM, the Gia Lai Provincial Military Command mobilized 40 officers and soldiers along with two cranes and an excavator to salvage the sunken tank. The tank was located about 20 meters from the embankment. Two cranes were parked on Xuan Dieu Street, using cables to pull it, while an excavator dug sand around the tank’s hull from below.
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The turret of the tank (circled in red) emerged during the salvage operation on the afternoon of April 29, and the hull surfaced on April 17. Photo: Tran Hoa – Quoc Cuong
The area was cordoned off to restrict access for civilians, while militia and soldiers directed traffic. Engineers cleared mines before deployment to ensure safety.
In the sand surrounding the tank, authorities found numerous artillery shells, an AR15 rifle, bones, and other items. After nearly two hours, an excavator dug several meters deep, bringing a large amount of sand ashore, but the armored vehicle could not yet be moved.
The aforementioned tank was identified as belonging to an armored unit of the 22nd Division of the South Vietnamese Army, destroyed during a retreat on March 31, 1975, at the Quy Nhon military port. The vehicle was subsequently buried under sand, its turret missing, its hull rusted, corroded, and covered in moss, only becoming visible at low tide .
Colonel Nguyen Xuan Son, Deputy Political Commissar of the Gia Lai Provincial Military Command, said the salvage operation was carried out when the tide was low.
Prior to this, the unit surveyed, demarcated the protected area, inspected, and disposed of explosive materials before developing the plan. The estimated cost is 200-300 million VND, and the timeframe depends on the tide level.
At this beach, in 2007, authorities recovered two M41 tanks and two artillery barrels, identified as having been left behind by the 22nd Division at the end of March 1975.