[1] The battle was fought in the former Phước Tuy Province between elements of the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) 33rd Regiment and 4RAR/NZ (ANZAC) Battalion during Operation Ivanhoe.

[1] Núi Lé, a small hill within Quang Thanh commune in Chau Duc District, is today in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province.

1 ATF command had gained intelligence that PAVN 33rd Regiment headquarters and 3rd Battalion had entered Phuoc Tuy from Long Khanh.

The Australian M11s sent to investigate and relieve the outpost were ambushed and came under attack from rocket-propelled grenades (RPG) and small arms fire from what was considered to be large force.

Patrols by 11 Platoon, D Company 4 RAR/NZ on the morning of 21 September, found sawn logs near the south eastern part of the Courtenay rubber plantation which suggested that there were major fortified bunker positions nearby.

[4] 12 Platoon, D Company 4 RAR/NZ made first contact with a bunker system containing the security elements of 33rd Regiment's headquarters, suffering one dead from an RPG and four wounded.

[5] Unknown to the Australians at that time was that the bunker system was manned by the 33rd Regiment's 2nd Battalion and they had not in fact fled after the previous fight as aerial intelligence had reported.

The PAVN let the Australians advance some 50 metres (55 yd) into the bunker complex before opening fire, killing three soldiers and wounding two from 11 Platoon.

Just as the sun was setting the ANZAC forces ran into the second PAVN battalion, with the commander of 11 Platoon, Gary McKay being hit twice by a sniper's bullet in the shoulder.

[6] After a number of hours of fighting the elements of the PAVN 33rd Regiment pulled out of the bunker system and moved north after recovering the dead and wounded they could carry.