British tourist John Brown, 57, and his wife visit the Saigon Special Forces Museum in Ho Chi Minh City. Brown said he was moved by the force’s wartime exploits and the way its fighters organized and carried out operations. Photo: Tri Duc / Tuoi Tre
Biet Dong Sai Gon (Saigon Special Forces) was a special forces unit of the Vietnam People's Army that operated during wartime, carrying out clandestine missions in the heart of the city.
Spanning over 100 square meters in Tan Dinh Ward, the Saigon - Gia Dinh Special Forces Museum now displays hundreds of original items that tell the extraordinary story of the unit's secret networks and audacious urban strikes.
The Saigon - Gia Dinh Special Forces Museum is home to hundreds of historic artifacts once used or kept by the unit’s fighters. Photo: Huu Duy / Tuoi Tre
According to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Phan Xuan Bien, former Vice President of the Vietnam Association of Historical Sciences, the Saigon Special Forces were a locally based armed force that operated behind enemy lines.
Unlike conventional commando units, which operated as fully detached military formations, the Saigon Special Forces drew their members from all walks of life, including women, teenagers, and senior citizens.
While ordinary special forces units typically operated under the cover of night, the Saigon Special Forces were capable of striking day and night, with a primary focus on daytime operations.
Members of the Saigon Special Forces blended seamlessly into the civilian population, carried out swift and decisive attacks, and quickly dissolved into the city.
Inside the hidden world of Saigon Special Forces
Behind each artifact lies a story of fighters who lived, fought, and operated under tight enemy surveillance.
The objects offer tangible proof of how these fighters organized their clandestine operations, maintained absolute secrecy, and navigated life-or-death situations.
The Saigon Special Forces Museum in Ho Chi Minh City displays records and artifacts related to secret weapons caches, vehicles used by the fighters and their personal belongings. Photo: Le Phan / Tuoi Tre
Portraits of Saigon Special Forces fighters are displayed inside the museum. Photo: Tri Duc
Weapons used by the Saigon Special Forces are displayed at the museum. Photo: Tri Duc
An 82mm mortar used by the Saigon Special Forces to shell the headquarters of Gen. William Westmoreland on February 13, 1967. Photo: Tri Duc
Hollowed-out logs used to conceal and store weapons for the organization. Photo: Tri Duc
A French-made VeloSolex motorized bicycle from the 1950s, once used by Saigon Special Forces courier Nguyen Ngoc Hue, known by her codename Thu Ba, to transport personnel, secret documents, money, medicine and other supplies between the city and the Cu Chi resistance base. Photo: Le Phan
A Lambretta scooter used for transportation and covert operations during wartime. Photo: Tri Duc
An Olympia typewriter used by Nguyen Thi Phuong to prepare documents, directives and orders at the office of Major General Tran Hai Phung, former commander of the Saigon-Gia Dinh Military Region. Photo: Tri Duc
Chemicals once used by former Saigon Special Forces operative Nguyen Thi Phuong to write secret messages. The materials allowed her to write invisible messages that left no visible trace, along with a solution used to reveal the writing when read. Photo: Tri Duc
A kit used by Lam Quoc Dung to forge identification documents, creating “perfect covers” that allowed hundreds of personnel to operate safely and openly in enemy-controlled areas. Photo: Tri Duc
Everyday items used by Saigon Special Forces fighters. At right is a Guigoz milk can that fighters used to conceal letters, documents, money, gold and medicine during the war. Photo: Tri Duc
The Saigon Special Forces played a key role in the 1968 Tet Offensive, notably in attacks on the Independence Palace, the U.S. Embassy, the headquarters of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, the Saigon Radio Station and the Naval Command. Photo: Le Phan
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