Operation Bribie ( 17–18 February 1967 ) , also known as the Battle of Ap My An , was fought Hostile_encounter during the Vietnam War in Phuoc Tuy province between Australian forces from the 6th Battalion , Royal Australian Regiment ( 6 RAR ) and two companies of Viet Cong from D445 Battalion , likely reinforced by North Vietnamese regulars .

During the night of 16 February the Viet Cong attacked Attack a South Vietnamese Regional Force compound at Lang Phuoc Hai , before withdrawing the following morning after heavy fighting with South Vietnamese forces .

Two hours later , a Viet Cong company was reported Reporting to have formed Creating a tight perimeter in the rainforest north of Lang Phuoc Hai , near the abandoned hamlet of Ap My An .

American and South Vietnamese intelligence reports Reporting had indicated Statement that an imminent communist offensive during the Tet New Year festival was likely , and in response Response the Australians and New Zealanders were deployed Arranging away from their base in Phuoc Tuy Province to bolster American and South Vietnamese forces defending the Long Binh–Bien Hoa complex north-east of Saigon .

The operation was also significant as it was the first deployment Arranging of 1 ATF outside its Tactical Area of Responsibility ( TAOR ) in Phuoc Tuy , and in this it set Placing a precedent for later operations outside the province .

Meanwhile , the remaining Australian forces in Phuoc Tuy Province also successfully repelled Defending repeated Viet Cong attacks Attack against Ba Ria and Long Dien , as part of the Tet Offensive that had engulfed population centres across South Vietnam .