Ace NGUYEN VAN BAY
Colonel, MiG-17 Pilot – Vietnam People’s Armed Forces Hero
Aside from shooting down seven American aircraft, he held significant positions in the military, such as Squadron Commander of the 937th Air Force Regiment, Deputy Commander of the 372nd Division, and Deputy Chief of Staff of the Air Defense – Air Force. Following the liberation of the South in 1975, he was assigned to manage Can Tho Airport, participated in the operation of Tan Son Nhat, Bien Hoa Airports, and commanded missions in Cambodia
Hero of the People’s Armed Forces Nguyen Van Bay with his comrades from Regiment 923—Hero of the People’s Armed Forces, pilot Lam Van Lich, who was the first to fly a night combat mission with the MiG-17, shooting down two American AD-6 aircraft in less than two minutes.
F-4C pilot Hubert Buchanan of the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing (TFW), 555th Tactical Fighter Squadron (TFS 555), was shot down by MiG-17 pilot Nguyen Van Bay on September 16, 1966, near Kep Airfield. He ejected and was captured. More than half a century later, when he heard Ace Nguyen Van Bay describe the event with remarkable accuracy: “I saw my rounds engulf the left wing, debris scattering everywhere. I even saw the wing break off, along with the left landing gear, but only one parachute deployed,” Buchanan was overwhelmed with emotion. He embraced the Vietnamese ace, tears streaming down his face, and exclaimed: “It was you! It really was you!” Although Buchanan had returned to Vietnam several times to visit the village and the farming family who had temporarily held and cared for him after his parachute landing, it was not until 2017 that he finally had the chance to meet the man who had shot him down more than 50 years earlier. The two elderly men were overcome with emotion, reuniting like long-lost friends after decades apart.
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