Fall of Saigon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Vietnam War |
|---|
| Ap Bac – Binh Gia – Song Be – Dong Xoai – Ia Drang – Long Tan – Dak To – Tra Binh Dong –Ong Thanh – 1st Tet – Khe Sanh – 1st Saigon – Lang Vei – Hills 881 & 861 – 2nd Tet – Hamburger Hill – Binh Ba – Ripcord – FSB Mary Ann – Easter '72 – An Loc – Kontum – Phuoc Long – Ho Chi Minh – Buon Ma Thuot – Xuan Loc – 2nd Saigon – Barrell Roll – Rolling Thunder – Pony Express – Steel Tiger – Commando Hunt – Linebacker I – Linebacker II – Chenla I – Tiger Hound – Lima Site 85 – Tailwind – Chenla II – Cambodia |
The Fall 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 (NVA) on April 30, 1975. Those sympathetic to the North Vietnamese hailed the event as the "liberation" of Saigon.
The event marked the end of the Second Indochinese War and the reunification of the country under Communist rule.
Contents |
[edit] Events
A massive emergency 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 final battle for Saigon would be long and bloody, only scattered pockets of resistance remained. The only fight left was by the bridge to Saigon which South Vietnamese troops later deserted. The City was even welcomed by South Vietnamese who wanted an end to the war. The gates of the Independence Palace were destroyed by NVA 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 U.S. embassy and scaled the walls hoping to claim refugee status. Within 24 hours of the fall/liberation, the city was renamed "Hồ Chí Minh City", after the Vietnamese revolutionary leader Hồ Chí Minh. Order was slowly restored to the city, although the deserted building of the U.S. embassy, previously the site of an evacuation by helicopter, was looted along with many other businesses. At 3:30 pm, General Duong Van Minh released another radio broadcast, stating "I declare the Saigon government... completely dissolved at all levels." The Vietnam War was over.
April 30 is a public holiday in Vietnam known as Reunification Day (though the reunification of the nation actually occurred on July 2, 1976) or Liberation Day (Ngày Giải Phóng).
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- "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.
- "Video of Saigon takeover"
[edit] Further reading
- Herrington, Stuart A. Peace with Honor An American Reports on Vietnam 1973-75. Presidio Press, 1983. ISBN 0-89141-182-8 [see especially pp. 137-189].
- Snepp, Frank. Decent Interval: An Insider's Account of Saigon's Indecent End Told by the CIA's Chief Strategy Analyst in Vietnam. University Press of Kansas, 1977. ISBN 0-7006-1213-0es:Caída de Saigón
