Operation Lam Son 719 was a limited-objective offensive
campaign conducted in southeastern portion of the
Kingdom of Laos by the armed forces of the
Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) between 8 February and 25 March 1971, during the
Vietnam War. The United States provided logistical, aerial, and artillery support to the operation, but its ground forces were prohibited by law from entering Laotian territory. The objective of the campaign was the disruption of a possible future offensive by the
People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN), whose logistical system within Laos was known as the
Ho Chi Minh Trail (the Truong Son Road to
North Vietnam).