What North Vietnamese port was mined by the United States in Operation Pocket Money? Haiphong.
Operation Pocket Money mined Haiphong, North Vietnam’s principal port and the main maritime gateway for imported supplies. The US Navy began the aerial mining campaign on 9 May 1972, during the Easter Offensive, to disrupt the flow of military material supporting North Vietnamese forces.
The operation marked the first US use of naval mines against North Vietnam. Aircraft dropped mines in Haiphong harbor and later targeted other coastal ports and inland waterways. Because much of North Vietnam’s imported tonnage passed through Haiphong, closing the harbor had strategic importance beyond the individual ships trapped there.
The mines created a diplomatic and operational problem as well as a military one. Foreign vessels, including Soviet and British ships, were present in the harbor, and some departed before the mines armed. After the war, Operation End Sweep cleared the mines in 1973. Pocket Money is often confused with Operation Linebacker, the broader bombing campaign launched at the same time; mining Haiphong was a distinct component of the pressure campaign.