In late February 1971 Trí was ordered north to take command of beleaguered I Corps forces after Operation Lam Son 719, a 1971 incursion into Laos, had gone astray due to the incompetent leadership of Lieutenant General Hoàng Xuân Lãm. On 23 February 1971 Trí's command helicopter crashed shortly after takeoff from Bien Hoa Air Base, killing all onboard (other than photojournalist François Sully who died of his wounds several days later) and he was interred at Biên Hoa Military Cemetery.