Fall of Saigon
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This iconic image shows South Vietnamese civilians scrambling to board a CIA Air America helicopter during the U.S. evacuation of Saigon. |
The
Fall/Liberation of Saigon (in
Vietnamese:
30 tháng tư, or
April 30th), was the capture of the
South Vietnamese
capital of
Saigon by the
Vietnam People's Army on
April 30,
1975.
The event marked the end of the
Second Indochinese War and the
reunification of the country under
communist rule.
A massive evacuation of American diplomats and support personnel, foreign nationals, and Vietnamese
refugees, including two thousand Vietnamese orphans during "
Operation Babylift," occurred beforehand. In the morning of that day, General
Duong Van Minh, who had been president of South Vietnam for only three days after the resignation of
Tran Van Huong, made a radio declaration stating "we are here to hand over to you the power in order to avoid bloodshed." North Vietnamese forces accompanied by some
Vietnamese National Liberation Front (NLF) forces fought their way into the city the same day.
Despite some previous predictions that the fall/liberation of Saigon would be long and bloody, only scattered pockets of resistance remained. The gates of the
Independence Palace were destroyed by North Vietnamese tanks as they entered. The NLF flag was raised over the Palace at 12:15 pm. Late in the morning of
April 29,
Armed Forces Radio played the song "
White Christmas" as a signal to begin the
noncombatant evacuation
Operation Frequent Wind.
Vietnamese civilians gathered outside the US embassy and scaled the walls hoping to claim
refugee status. Within 24 hours of the fall/liberation, the city was renamed "
Há»" Chà Minh City", after the Vietnamese revolutionary leader
Há»" Chà Minh. Order was slowly restored to the city, although the
US Embassy, previously the site of an evacuation by helicopter, was looted along with many other businesses. At 15:30, General Duong Van Minh released another radio broadcast, stating "I declare the Saigon government... completely dissolved at all levels." The war in Vietnam was over.
April 30 is a
public holiday in Vietnam known as
Reunification Day (though the reunification of the nation actually occured on July 2, 1976) or
Liberation Day (Ngà y Giải Phóng).
*
Operation Frequent Wind*
"Saigon's Finale" -
The New York Times.
*
"1975: Saigon surrenders" -
BBC News.
*
Vietnam Babylift web site*
Fall of Saigon Marine Association*
"White Christmas: The Fall of Saigon" - Dirck Halstead,
The Digital Journalist.
*Herrington, Stuart A.
Peace with Honor An American Reports on Vietnam 1973-75. Presidio Press, 1983. ISBN 0891411828 [see especially pp. 137-189].
