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Cam Ranh Bay is a deep-water seaport in Vietnam in the province of Khanh Hoa . It is located at an inlet of the South China Sea situated on the southeastern coast of Vietnam, between Phan Rang and Nha Trang, approximately 290 Kilometers / 180 Miles northeast of Ho Chi Minh City / Saigon.
Cam Rahn is often considered one of the finest such seaports in the world. The continental shelf of Southeast Asia is relatively narrow at Cam Ranh Bay, bringing deep water close to land.
Historically, the bay has been significant from a military standpoint. The French used it as a naval base for their forces in Indochina. It was also used as a staging area for the Imperial Russian fleet prior to the Battle of Tsushima in 1905, and by the Japanese navy in preparation for the invasion of Malaysia in 1942.
During the Vietnam War, it was the site of an important American military complex. The United States Air Force operated a large cargo/airlift facility called Cam Ranh Air Base and it was also used as a tactical fighter base. It was one of three aerial ports where United States military personnel entered or departed South Vietnam for their 12 month tour of duty.
The United States Navy operated a major port facility at Cam Ranh, as well as the United States Army having a major presence there. The Navy flew various aircraft from Cam Rhan and other bases conducting aerial surveillance of South Vietnam's coastal waters.
During the mid/late 1960s, five to seven P-2 Neptunes stationed at Tan Son Nhut Air Base near Saigon ranged up and down the South Vietnamese littoral along designated patrol tracks.
In addition, from May 1965 to April 1967, Martin P-5 Marlin seaplanes operated from seaplane tenders Currituck (AV-7) and Salisbury Sound (AV-13), periodically anchored at Condore and Cham islands and at Cam Ranh Bay.
To compensate for withdrawal of the older seaplanes in early 1967, the Navy stationed a squadron of twelve P-2s ashore at Cam Ranh Bay and a detachment of P-3s at Utapao RTAFB in Thailand. The P-3s patroled the Gulf of Siam.
The 483rd Tactical Airlift Wing provided caro and logistical support from 1966 to 1972.
The 483rd Troop Carrier Wing was activated at Cam Ranh Bay on 15 October 1966 as a troop carrier wing and assumed control of all C-7 aircraft in the Republic of Vietnam. Composed of six flying squadrons, the 483rd supported U.S. Army and allied ground forces throughout the Republic.
It was redesignated a tactical airlift wing in August 1967 and became the host wing at Cam Ranh Bay on 31 March 1970. During their five years' flying for the 483rd, the C-7 Caribous carried more than 4.7 million passengers, averaging more than one million a year during 1967, 68 and 69. At the same time the wing averaged more than 100,000 tons of cargo each year.
The unique capabilities of the C-7 for short landing and takeoff made Caribou transports absolutely vital to the war effort. On many occasions the C-7s flew emergency airlift missions to airstrips and combat areas that no other aircraft could reach. Most notable were those in support of special forces camps in the central highlands.
In June 1968 the wing flew a record 2,420 combat troops in three days between Dak Pek, Ben Het and Dak To.
In August 1968 pinpoint night airdrops were accomplished at Duc Lap, Ha Thanh and Tonle Cham Special Forces camps. Ammunition and medical supplies were parachuted into 75-foot-square drop zones while the camps were under attack.
In June 1969 during the siege of Ben Het more than 200 tons of ammunition, POL, rations, water and medical supplies were airdropped into a 100 x 200-foot zone with every load on target and 100 per cent recovered.
Again in April 1970, the 483rd helped break the siege of Dak Seang. The wing flew 100 air-drop sorties under heavy hostile fire in ten days delivering some 400,000 pounds of vital supplies.
The 483rd Composite Wing was inactivated on 15 May 1972. For its service in Vietnam, the 483rd was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation and an Air Force Outstanding Unit Award.
The 12th Tactical Fighter Wing was transferred from MacDill Air Force Base Florida on 8 November 1965 to Cam Ranh Air Base. It's squadrons were:
The 12th TFW wsa deactivated in March 1970, being reassigned to Phu Cat Air Base, South Vietnam.
After the fall of Saigon and the unification of Vietnam, Cam Ranh Bay became an important cold war naval base for the Soviet Pacific Fleet.
In 1979, the Soviet government signed an agreement with Vietnam for a 25-year lease of the base. Cam Ranh Bay was the largest Soviet naval base outside the Soviet Union, allowing the Soviet Union to project increased power in the South China Sea. The Russian government continued this arrangement in a 1993 agreement that allowed for the continued use of the base for signal intelligence, primarily on Chinese communications in the South China Sea. By this time, most combat troops and naval vessels had been withdrawn, with only support personnel for the listening station remaining. As the original 25-year lease was nearing its end, Vietnam demanded $200 million in annual rent for the continued operation of the base. Russia balked at this, and decided to withdraw all personnel.
On May 2, 2002, the Russian flag was lowered for the last time. Currently, Vietnamese officials are considering turning the base into a civilian facility, similar to what the Philippine government did with the American Clark Air Base.
With the Russian withdrawl, the United States in recent years has been negotiating with the Vietnamese government to declare Cam Ranh Bay to be open to port calls by foreign warships, as it already has done with the ports of Haiphong in northern Vietnam, and Ho Chi Minh City in the south.
Such an arrangement would not be exclusive to the United States but would allow warships to use the port.
On May 19, 2004, after major reconstruction, Cam Ranh Airport (IATA: CXR, ICAO: VVCR) received its first commercial flight from Hanoi. Today, the facility operates as an interal airport, taking over all air traffic which previously headed to Nha Trang Airport.
Currently, only Vietnam Airlines serves Cam Rahn Airport with flights to:
In the near future, Cam Ranh Airport will be upgraded into an international airport which will service tourists heading to Nha Trang and nearby areas which are famous for pristine beaches.
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