At exactly 5:00 PM on April 26, 1975, the Vietnamese army launched a major assault on Saigon, marking the beginning of the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign. After more than three days and nights of fierce fighting, the Vietnamese army captured numerous key positions, crushed the enemy's outer defensive lines, and decimated most of their divisions. At 11:30 AM on April 30, the revolutionary flag rose atop the presidential palace of the Saigon regime – the Independence Palace. The Ho Chi Minh Campaign ended in total victory.