The battle began on June 28, 1972 and lasted 81 days until September 16, 1972. The South Vietnamese Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), with the support of the United States Armed Forces, defeated the North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) at the ancient citadel of Quang Tri.

Built by Emperor Gia Long of Vietnam in 1809, the Quang Tri Citadel was later renamed Dinh Cong Trang Citadel in 1955 after the famous 19th century resistance leader against the French. The Citadel was a square structure, with the circumference of 2,000 meters, the height of 4 meters, and thickness of 12 meters. It was surrounded by a wide moat and had a protruding fortress at each corner.

Quang Tri City was part of the Military Region I and under the operation of the Army of Republic of Vietnam 15 Corps in 1972. On March 30, the
North Vietnamese Communists attacked South Vietnam with an overwhelming force of 14 infantry divisions. By May 2, the North had captured Quang Tri, and the South withdrew to form a defensive line at My Chanh River.

On May 3, South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu ordered
Lieutenant General Ngo Quang Truong to take over as the new 1st Corps Commander. General Truong quickly restructured command and control, stabilized the situation at Hue, and planned for the counterattack to retake Quang Tri. He implemented a program to concentrate all United States and South Vietnamese air, naval, and land firepower for the upcoming battle.

Operation Lam Son 72 - The ARVN Airborne Division under Lieutenant General Du Quoc Dong would make the main effort, attacking from the southwest side toward La Vang. In the lead was the Airborne 2nd Brigade, commanded by Colonel Tran Quoc Lich. The Airborne 1st Brigade,
commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Le Van Ngoc also made a helicopter assault south of the city. The ARVN Marine Division launched the other attack from the southeast toward Trieu Phong. Other branches involved in the overall campaign were the South Vietnamese Air Force and Navy, ARVN Ranger Groups and 81st Airborne Ranger Group, 15th, and 3rd Infantry Divisions, 1st Armored Brigade and Regional Forces.

As a diversion, both United States and South Vietnamese Marines feinted amphibious assaults at Cua Viet to flank the enemy and then withdrew. Superior American air power carried out 7,515 air combat missions. United States Air Force B-52 strikes and tactical sorties, United States Navy 7th Fleet gunfire along with United States Army and US Marine helicopter squadrons, and ground advisors contributed to the battle.

The Airborne 5th Battalion reached the Quang Tri Citadel and attempted twice to raise the South Vietnamese flag. The first attempt was on July 18th but was thwarted by fierce North Vietnamese artillery fire. The second attempt was on July 25th, this time it was foiled by "friendly fire" from bombs from jets.

On July 27th, facing more North Vietnamese reinforcement joining the battle, General Truong handed the task to retake Quang Tri to the ARVN Marine Division. The ARVN Airborne Division would move west to block the enemy.

Marine Brigadier General Bui The Lan ordered Colonel Ngo Van Dinh's 258th Brigade to attack from the southwest, and Colonel Nguyen Nang Bao's 147th Brigade to attack from the southeast side of the city. The PAVN had the advantage in number and artillery, but the ARVN used their advantage in tactical air and naval firepower.

After seven more weeks of fierce fighting, the ARVN Marine 3rd and 6th Battalions regained control of the Quang Tri Citadel and triumphantly raised their flags on the night of September 15th. The official flag ceremony was at noon on September 16, 1972. The flag of the Republic of Vietnam once again flew over the beloved Quang Tri City.

"The final credit for our victory should go to the individual South Vietnamese soldier, regardless of branch or service. His gallantry, courage and determination were of the highest standard. No less admirable were the sacrifices and hardships endured by the common South Vietnamese people during this long ordeal. While modern weapons might help turn the tide of a battle, they could never replace the individual soldier on the battlefield." - Lieutenant General Ngo Quang Truong, Commander of the ARVN 1st Corps.