By mid-April the lead elements of 3rd Corps were located at Dầu Tiếng Base Camp ready to attack the northern approaches to Saigon. On 29 April the division advanced down Highway 1 and attacked ARVN forces at the Quang Trung Training Center. By midnight on 29/30 April the division's advanced elements had reached the Ba Queo intersection and began attacking Tan Son Nhut Air Base. At 07:15 on 30 April the 24th Regiment supported by tanks approached the Bay Hien intersection () 1.5 km from the base's main gate. The lead T-54 was hit by M67 recoilless rifle and then the next T-54 was hit by a shell from an M48 tank. The PAVN infantry moved forward and engaged the ARVN in house to house fighting forcing them to withdraw to the base by 08:45. The division then sent 3 tanks and an infantry battalion to assault the main gate and they were met by intensive anti-tank and machine gun fire knocking out the three tanks and killing at least 20 PAVN soldiers. The PAVN tried to bring forward an 85mm antiaircraft gun but the ARVN knocked it out before it could start firing. The division ordered 8 more tanks and another infantry battalion to join the attack, but as they approached the Bay Hien intersection they were hit by an airstrike from RVNAF jets operating from Binh Thuy Air Base which destroyed two T-54s. The six surviving tanks arrived at the main gate at 10:00 and began their attack, with two being knocked out by antitank fire in front of the gate and another destroyed as it attempted a flanking manoeuvre.
