23rd Division
An infantry division of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam responsible for operations principally in South Vietnam’s Central Highlands and adjacent provinces.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
The 23rd Division, also known as the 23rd Infantry Division or Sư đoàn 23, was a formation of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), the armed forces of South Vietnam. It belonged to II Corps, whose area of responsibility included the Central Highlands and several strategically important provinces in the southern and central interior. The division was established in 1960 from the former 15th Light Division and elements of the 16th Light Division. Its principal operating environment included difficult highland terrain, dispersed settlements, important roads, border areas, and bases used by Viet Cong and People’s Army of Vietnam (PAVN) forces. During the mid-1960s the division conducted counterinsurgency and territorial-security operations in Phú Yên, Quảng Ngãi, Darlac, and neighboring areas. These actions ranged from clearing operations and patrols to cooperation with Regional Forces, Popular Forces, Rangers, armored cavalry, artillery, air support, and Civilian Irregular Defense Group units. Results were mixed. Some operations inflicted substantial losses on opposing forces or recovered territory, while contemporary assessments also criticized the quality and aggressiveness of certain subordinate commanders and units. The division’s remote location contributed to its reputation as a less prestigious assignment, and its performance varied considerably between regiments and battalions. The division expanded from two infantry regiments to three in 1966. It participated in operations conducted with United States forces, including Operation Byrd in Bình Thuận Province and Operation Francis Marion in the western Central Highlands. From 1968 onward, American advisers and commanders attempted to improve its effectiveness through paired or coordinated operations with U.S. formations. Cooperation was more successful in some coastal areas than in the interior, where U.S. units remained focused on large-scale anti-guerrilla operations rather than fully integrated combined activity. The division’s most prominent wartime role came during the 1972 Battle of Kontum. In late April, its headquarters moved roughly 160 kilometers from Ban Me Thuot to Kontum to coordinate the city’s defense. Its 53rd, 44th, and 45th Regiments, supported at different stages by Rangers, armor, artillery, tactical aircraft, B-52 strikes, and helicopters armed with TOW missiles, helped hold the city against a major PAVN offensive. The defenders used artillery, air power, M72 anti-tank weapons, M41 tanks, and helicopter-based anti-armor fire to disrupt tank-infantry assaults. Although the perimeter was repeatedly penetrated or pressured, the division and supporting forces eventually expelled the attacking units. Kontum was declared secure on 9 June 1972, and remained the last major city in the western highlands under South Vietnamese control at the end of that year. The 23rd Division ceased to exist with the collapse of South Vietnam in 1975. It was a military formation rather than a commercial brand; the dossier therefore treats its products, campaigns, and decisions as organizational capabilities, combat operations, and command decisions rather than consumer offerings.
History
The 23rd Division was created in 1960 by reorganizing the 15th Light Division and incorporating elements of the 16th Light Division. It served in ARVN’s II Corps, the command responsible for much of the Central Highlands. This assignment placed the division in a strategically important but operationally demanding region marked by rugged terrain, ethnic minority communities, cross-border infiltration routes, and contested roads and settlements. In 1964 the division carried out a series of operations in Phú Yên. Operation Vi Dan 103, conducted from 3 to 20 March, combined three infantry battalions, two Ranger battalions, artillery, Civil Guard companies, and mechanized units. The plan involved encirclement, penetration, patrols, ambushes, destruction of supplies, and evacuation of Montagnard civilians. Other operations later that year included Vi Dan 109 and sweeps of the Giang River Valley. The division also conducted an extended operation in Phú Yên late in the year with the 23rd Ranger Battalion, elements of the 44th Infantry, and territorial forces. The division continued offensive and clearing actions in 1965. At Phu Lac, southeast of Tuy Hòa, ARVN forces attacked a Viet Cong position with infantry, reconnaissance, M113 armored personnel carriers, territorial troops, artillery, aircraft, and chemical agents. In Quảng Ngãi, the division responded to Viet Cong occupation of several hamlets, although the attack was slowed by exposed ground and organized resistance. The division also became involved in unrest involving FULRO in the highlands. After FULRO seized a CIDG border camp at Buon Brieng, government forces reoccupied it; coordinated FULRO attacks later in 1965 were suppressed with assistance from other ARVN formations. In 1966 the division gained a third infantry regiment. Its 44th Regiment participated in Operation Byrd in Bình Thuận Province with the U.S. 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry. From April through October 1967, division forces took part in Operation Francis Marion alongside the U.S. 4th Infantry Division and 173rd Airborne Brigade in the western highlands. The division was also used in attempts to improve cooperation between ARVN and U.S. formations through paired operations. These arrangements achieved uneven results: coordination was stronger in some coastal sectors than in the interior, where U.S. units often remained oriented toward their own large anti-guerrilla operations. An early-1968 assessment described the division as a relatively neglected formation whose remote location made it difficult to attract strong officers. General Vo Vanh Canh assumed command after the death of his predecessor. In August, division forces defended a firebase north of Pleiku and helped relieve Duc Lap Camp, where PAVN forces were attacking CIDG defenders. On 8 September, Brigadier General Trương Quang Ân died in a helicopter crash near Duc Lap along with several other occupants. The division’s decisive episode was the Battle of Kontum in 1972. On 28 April its headquarters moved from Ban Me Thuot to Kontum to coordinate the defense. The 53rd Regiment held key positions, while Ranger groups and later the 45th and 46th Regiments covered approaches north of the city. The 44th Regiment defended positions northwest of Kontum. PAVN attacks beginning on 14 May used tanks and infantry, but ARVN artillery, M72 anti-tank teams, tactical air support, B-52 strikes, M41 tanks, and TOW-equipped helicopters repeatedly disrupted the assaults. The 53rd Regiment was forced from some positions, and PAVN troops penetrated parts of the defensive perimeter, but the defenders restored their lines and prevented the city from falling. The division counterattacked at the end of May and cleared remaining PAVN positions by early June. Kontum was declared secure on 9 June. The division continued operations around Route 14 and nearby bases, though South Vietnamese control beyond the immediate road network remained limited. The formation disappeared with South Vietnam’s defeat in 1975.
- 1975
End of the formation
[1]The division ceased to exist following the collapse of South Vietnam.
- 1972
Defense of Kontum
[1]The division headquarters relocated to Kontum and coordinated the successful South Vietnamese defense against a major PAVN offensive.
- 1968
Command transition and Duc Lap operations
[1]The division received a new commander and participated in the defense of Duc Lap and other Central Highlands positions.
- 1967
Participation in Operation Francis Marion
[1]Division elements operated with U.S. forces against PAVN base areas in the western Central Highlands.
- 1966
Third infantry regiment added
[1]The division expanded from two infantry regiments to three.
- 1964
Operations in Phú Yên
[1]The division conducted several clearing and population-security operations against Viet Cong forces in Phú Yên Province.
- 1960
Formation of the division
[1]The 23rd Infantry Division was formed from the 15th Light Division and elements of the 16th Light Division.
Products and positioning
A South Vietnamese Army field division assigned to the Central Highlands and responsible for counterinsurgency, territorial defense, and conventional operations.
Marketing campaigns
- 1972Battle of Kontum
Kontum and Route 14
The division directed the defense of Kontum against a sustained PAVN tank-and-infantry offensive, using artillery, anti-tank teams, armor, tactical aviation, B-52 strikes, and TOW-equipped helicopters.
Outcome. The PAVN offensive failed to capture Kontum. The city was declared secure on 9 June 1972.
- 1967Operation Francis Marion
Pleiku · Darlac · and Kontum Provinces
The division participated with the U.S. 4th Infantry Division and 173rd Airborne Brigade in attacks on PAVN base areas.
Outcome. The cited account reports approximately 1,600 PAVN killed.
- 1966Operation Byrd
Bình Thuận Province
The division’s 44th Regiment operated with the U.S. 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment over an extended counterinsurgency campaign.
Outcome. The cited account records 41 deaths for the 44th Regiment and 913 reported Viet Cong deaths during the operation.
- 1964Operation Vi Dan 103
Southern Phú Yên Province
The division used infantry, Rangers, artillery, Civil Guard, mechanized troops, patrols, and ambushes to encircle and enter an area assessed as Viet Cong-controlled. The operation also involved destroying supplies and moving Montagnard civilians.
Outcome. The operation reported 24 Viet Cong killed and eight captured, while ARVN losses were six killed and 32 wounded.
- 1964Operation Vi Dan 109
Phú Yên Province
A division operation conducted from 23 July to 2 August against Viet Cong forces.
Outcome. The reported result was 51 Viet Cong killed and two captured, with one ARVN fatality.
Brand decisions
1972
Relocation of headquarters to KontumStrategyBackground
A major PAVN offensive threatened Kontum and required a unified ARVN command in the city.
Action taken
The division headquarters moved from Ban Me Thuot to Kontum and assumed control of the city’s ARVN defense.
Aftermath
The division coordinated the defense that prevented Kontum from being captured.
1966
Expansion to three infantry regimentsStrategyBackground
The division’s earlier organization included only two infantry regiments.
Action taken
A third infantry regiment was added to the division.
Aftermath
The enlarged formation could deploy more forces across the Central Highlands and adjacent provinces.
1960
Formation through light-division reorganizationStrategyBackground
ARVN reorganized existing light-division assets as part of the development of the 23rd Division.
Action taken
The 15th Light Division and elements of the 16th Light Division were combined to form the new division.
Aftermath
The formation became an II Corps division assigned primarily to the Central Highlands.
Sources1 sources
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