During the period Lieutenant General Tran Van Don was 1st Corps Commander, its Headquarters was located in Da Nang, Center of Vietnam.
At that time, Colonel Nguyen Xuan Trang, 1st Corps Chief of Staff and Major Nguyen Van Hieu, Deputy Chief of Staff, coordinated closely various offices and departments of the 1st Corps General Staff in order to give instructions to different units in the operational areas to conduct joint military operations.
In 1961, in order to interdict troops and materials infiltration from the North into the South, the 1st Corps instructed the 1st Infantry Division of Colonel Nguyen Van Thieu together with ten Local Security Forces Companies of Thua Thien Province to conduct military operations in the A Shau valley in order to establish 3 Special Forces camps: A Shau, A Luoi and Ta Bat at strategic points along the infiltration route. Camp A Shau was situated at 97 kms from Da Nang, 48 kms southwest of Hue, and two and a half kms of the Laos-Vietnam borders.
During that time, Colonel Trang and Major Hieu were both present at Lao Bao, Laos-Vietnam borders, on National Highway 9 Dong Ha- Se No - Savannakhet.
In 1962, the focus turned to the pacification of Tin-Ngai areas (Quang Tin and Quang Ngai Provinces). The 2nd Infantry Division of Colonel Lam Van Phat received orders from the 1st Corps to coordinate with the Local Security Forces to conduct military operations in the areas of Que Son - Nong Son. During that time, Colonel Trang and Major Hieu were both present in Tam Ky, Quang Ngai and Duc Pho, Quang Ngai.
When Major General Nguyen Huu Co was 2nd Corps Commander, its Headquarters was situated in Pleiku, Central Highlands.
In 1964, Brigadier General Nguyen Xuan Trang was 1st Corps Deputy Commander and Colonel Nguyen Van Hieu was its Chief of Staff.
The 22nd Infantry Division received orders from the 2nd Corps to coordinate with the Local Security Forces of Kontum Province to conduct military operations in the areas of Dakto and Plei Trap valley, in order to establish the two Special Forces of Dakto and Ben Het. These areas had strategic importance because they were close to the junction of the three Vietnam-Cambodia-Laos borders, where the Ho Chi Minh Trail cut across Bolovens highlands.
During that time, Brigadier General Trang and Colonel Hieu were both in Kontum.
- August 1947-June 1948: Ecole d'Eleves-Officiers d'Extreme Orient, Nuoc Ngot, Ba Ria, South Vietnam.
- June 1948: First Lieutenant.
- August 1948-June 1949: Ecole Speciale Militaire Inter-Armes, Coetquidan, Morbhihan, France.
- August 1949-December 1949: Ecole d'Application d'Infanterie, Auvours, Sarthe, France.
- January 1950-July 1950: Ecole d'Application d'Artillerie, Idar Oberstein, Pfalz Rheinland, Germany.
- August 1950: Returned to Vietnam.
- September 1950: Assigned to Quang Trung Training Center to form the 5e Bataillon Vietnamien (5th Vietnamese Infantry Battalion).
- October 1950: The 5th Vietnamese Infantry Battalion transferred to Soc Trang.
- October 1950: Lieutenant.
- October 1950-January 1951: Company Commander/5th Infantry Battalion.
- June 1951: Captain.
- February 1951-April 1951: Deputy Commander/5th Infantry Battalion.
- May 1951-July 1951: Company Commander/ 2nd Company.
- August 1951-October 1951: Assigned to Centre d'Etudes Militaires, Hanoi, North Vietnam, to study Tactical Command.
- November 1951: 3rd Company Commander/5th Artillery Battalion in Na San, Son La, North Vietnam.
- March 1952: the 5th Artillery Battalion transferred to Nam Dinh to operate in the Southern Area of North Vietnam: Nam Dinh, Ninh Binh, Bui Chu, Phat Diem, Thai Binh, Hung Yen.
- April 1953: Deputy Commander of 5th Artillery Battalion.
- July 1953: Major, Commander of 5th Artillery Battalion.
- March 1954: the 5th Artillery Battalion transferred to Phu Lang Thuong, Bac Ninh.
- May 1954: the 5th Artillery Battalion transferred to Hai Phong.
- September 1954: the 5th Artillery Battalion boarded Liberty Ship en route to Da Nang, Ngu Giap, Center of Vietnam.
- March 1955: Assigned to the Army Bureau of Inspection .
- July 1955: Assigned to the Joint General Staff as Deputy Chief of Staff/Logistics.
- April 1956: Lieutenant Colonel.
- May 1956: Director of Military Equipment.
- August 1956: Commander of ARVN Artillery.
- September 1959: Attended Modern Weapons training at US Missile Center, Fort Bliss, Texas.
- October 1959: Colonel.
- July 1960: Attended Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
- January 1961: Attended Preventive Maintenance training at US Army Armor School, fort Knox, Kentucky.
- March 1961: I Corps Chief of Staff, Danang, Center of Vietnam.
- January 1963: Commander of ARVN Artillery.
- November 1963: Director of Military Equipment.
- Mrch 1964: IV Corps Chief of Staff, Can Tho.
- April 1964: Brigadier General.
- October 1964: Deputy Commander of II Corps, Pleiku.
- April 1965: Commander of ARVN Artillery.
- July 1965: Head of ARVN officers delegation visiting US Army schools: US Army Infantry Scholl, Fort Benning, Georgia, US Army Artillery School, Fort Sill, Oklahoma, US Army Armor School, Fort Knox, Kentucky.
- January 1966: Head of ARVN officers delegation visiting Japan, South Korea, Taiwan.
- March 1968: Deputy Chief of Staff/Personnel/Joint General Staff.
- July 1968: Major General.
- September 1969: Head of ARVN officers' delegation visiting US agencies: Ordnance Depot, Letter Kenny, Pennsylvania, US Adjutant General School, Indianapolis, Indiana, FBI Shooting Range, Maryland.
- July 1970: Attended Seminar on International Defense Management, Monterey, California.
- December 1971: Accompanied Foreign Minister Tran Van Lam to SEATO (South East Asia Treaty Organization), in Canberra, Australia.
- December 1971: Accompanied Foreign Minister Tran Van Lam to SEATO (South East Asia Treaty Organization), in London, England.
- April 1973: Head of ARVN officers' delegation visiting military institutions in Taiwan.
- April 29, 1975: Moved address from the Joint General Staff to 305/6 Nguyen Minh Chieu, Phu Nhuan, Saigon.
- June 14, 1975: Moved to Dai Hoc Xa Minh Mang.
- June 16, 1975: Moved to Quang Trung Center, re-education camp.
- April 1976: Transferred to Yen Bai re-education camp, North Vietnam.
- May 1978: Transferred to Ha Tay re-education camp, Ha Son Binh, North Vietnam.
- March 1983: Transferred to Nam Ha re-education camp, Ha Nam Ninh, North Vietnam.
- September 9, 1987: Released and transferred to Nam Dinh Train Station to take the train en route to Saigon.
- September 12, 1987: Arrived in Saigon Train Station at 4:00 pm after 12 years, 3 months in Communists' prisons.
- October 19, 1993: Left Tan Son Nhut Airport with wife and two children Khoi and Khang for the United States under HO political asylum status (HO 19 - 1118).
courtesy of Nguyen Xuan Loan