In December 1950, pursuant to the Mutual Defense Assistance Act and Program, the US delivered B-26 Invaders to the French and these were used to form the Bombardment Group I/19 Gascogne based at Tourane.

[2]: 17  On 19 March the USAF deployed the 1808th Airways and Air Communications Service Squadron to Indochina with 60 enlisted men and one civilian at Tourane.

[6]: 71 Following the French defeat at Dien Bien Phu and in anticipation of the Indochina peace treaty, on 23 May the USAF C-119 detachment at Cat Bi Air Base moved to Tourane.

[5]: 149 On 14 June 1954 Viet Minh troops captured five USAF airmen of the 315th Air Division stationed at Tourane while they were on an unauthorized beach outing.

[5]: 156 On 19 July 1954 the USAF 6424th Air Depot Wing detachment that had supported French B–26 operations at Tourane completed its closeout and was inactivated.

[2]: 36  In January 1955, MAAG Vietnam decided that the RVNAF would comprise one fighter, two liaison and two transport squadrons and that training would be undertaken by the French.

[2]: 273 In mid-1962, the RVNAF 2nd Fighter Squadron equipped with T-28s became operational at Nha Trang Air Base and began detaching 6 aircraft to Da Nang AB.

[2]: 274 On 8 February 1965, RVNAF commander Nguyễn Cao Kỳ led VNAF A-1s from the base on a retaliatory raid against North Vietnamese targets.

[12] In January 1962, the USAF 5th Tactical Control Group was deployed to Da Nang AB to provide air support operations in I Corps.

[2]: 230–2 Commencing in December 1964, Da Nang AB was used to support Operation Barrel Roll, the covert air war in neighbouring Laos.

[7]: Appendix 1 On the early morning of 1 July 1965, the PAVN and Vietcong launched a mortar and sapper attack on the base, destroying one F-102 and two C-130s and damaging a further two F-102s and one C-130.

[16] On 1 January 1966, the 4503rd Tactical Fighter Squadron equipped with the F-5A Skoshi Tiger moved to the base for trial operations over North Vietnam and Laos.

[7]: Appendix 1 In April/May 1966, following civil unrest in Da Nang, all USAF personnel were moved from off-base housing into barracks on the base.

[7]: 175 In May 1966, the base supported Operation Carolina Moon an unsuccessful attempt to destroy the Thanh Hóa Bridge with mines dropped from C-130s.

[20] In late May, the 366th TFW began moving from Da Nang AB to Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base, with the personnel of the 390th TFS returning to the US while their aircraft were transferred to other squadrons in Thailand.

[6]: 117 On 11 January 1963, HMM-162 replaced HMM-163 at Da Nang AB and in April a reconnaissance platoon from the 3rd Marine Division was deployed to provide base security.

[25]: 97  On 7 October as part of Operation Keystone Cardinal, a farewell ceremony took place at the base to mark the departure of the 3rd Marine Division from South Vietnam.

[26] In late January 1970 as part of Operation Keystone Bluejay VMFA-542 departed Vietnam and VMO-2 moved to the base from Marble Mountain Air Facility.

[26]: 271  During 1970 Marine engineers constructed 170 "Wonderarch" concrete and steel aircraft protection shelters at Da Nang AB and Marble Mountain Air Facility.

[26]: 326–7 Beginning in January 1971, as part of Operation Keystone Robin Charlie the 1st MAW headquarters and VMFA-115 departed Da Nang AB for MCAS Iwakuni while VMO-2 returned to the US, leaving MAG-11 with two squadrons, VMF (AW)-225 and VMA-311 and other assorted assets, by 22 June 1971 all USMC aviation units had left South Vietnam.

[26]: 213 On 6 April 1972, USMC squadrons returned to Da Nang AB to confront the PAVN Easter Offensive, with VMFA-115 and VMFA-232 redeploying to the base under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 15 (MAG-15).

[27]: 158–9  From 16 June, MAG-15 began moving to Royal Thai Air Base Nam Phong, while USMC operations at Da Nang AB were reduced to rearming and refueling.

[29] On 26 January 1973, the date before the Paris Peace Accords were to come into effect, two MAG-15 F-4s were damaged by PAVN rocket fire as they rearmed at Danang AB.

[30]: 176  On 19 March Trưởng presented Thieu with alternative plans for the simultaneous withdrawal by road from Huế, Chu Lai and Qui Nhơn to Da Nang or if the road was cut by the PAVN for withdrawal of forces into enclaves at Huế, Chu Lai and Qui Nhơn and then their evacuation by sea.

On the night of 28 March, Trưởng received intelligence that an all-out PAVN assault against the city would commence the next morning; he decided to abandon Da Nang, and ordered his forces to move to beaches for evacuation by sea.

[30]: 327–8 On the morning of 29 March, two World Airways Boeing 727s flew from Saigon to Da Nang to attempt to pick up more refugees.

A number of ARVN soldiers hung onto the undercarriage and in the wheel wells, preventing the retraction of the landing gear; four of them survived the flight back to Saigon.

[30]: 328  At Da Nang AB the PAVN captured 10,000 tons of air munitions worth $18 million, various ground radar equipment and 176 aircraft, including an F-5E, 5 F-5As, 24 A-37s and 80 UH-ls.

[33] On 7 April the first VPAF transport aircraft began landing at Da Nang AB to support PAVN operations further south.

[30]: 366  In mid-April the VPAF formed the Quyet Thang ("Determined to Win") Squadron at Da Nang AB and began preliminary training of pilots on captured RVNAF A-37s.