Fall of Saigon
Part of Vietnam War
This well-known photo taken by Hubert van Es shows South Vietnamese civilians scrambling to board a CIA Air America helicopter during the U. The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia Hubert van Es is the Dutch Photographer who took the well-known photo of the Fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975, which shows South Air America was an American passenger and cargo airline covertly owned and operated by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA from 1950 to 1976 S. evacuation of Saigon.
Date 30 April 1975 Location Saigon, Republic of Vietnam Result Capitulation of the South Vietnamese government and military, Mass exodus of Vietnamese refugees, Establishment of the Republic of South Vietnam under the Provisional Revolutionary Government. Events 313 - Roman emperor Licinius unifies the entire Eastern Roman Empire under his rule Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. "RVN" redirects here RVN is also the former callsign of a TV station in Wagga Wagga New South Wales Australia The Republic of South Vietnam (Cộng Hòa Miền Nam Việt Nam was the provisional government of South Vietnam following the final military defeat of the Army of the
Belligerents
Democratic Republic of Vietnam National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam	Republic of Vietnam
Commanders
Van Tien Dung Tran Van Tra Hoang Cam Le Duc Anh	Nguyen Van Toan Nguyen Hop Doan
Strength
100,000 [1]	30,000 [1]
Casualties and losses
Unknown	Unknown

The Fall of Saigon (in Vietnamese: Sự kiện 30 tháng 4 - April 30 Incident; Giải phóng miền Nam - The Liberation of the South by supporters of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam; Ngày mất nước - The Day of losing the nation by supporters of the former Republic of Vietnam) was the capture of Saigon, the capital of the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) by the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN), the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam), on 30 April 1975. The Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRVN or less commonly Vietnamese Democratic Republic (Việt Nam Dân Chủ Cộng Hòa was a Country on the northern half of Vietnam "RVN" redirects here RVN is also the former callsign of a TV station in Wagga Wagga New South Wales Australia General Văn Tiến Dũng ( 2 May 1917 &ndash 17 March 2002) was a Vietnamese general in the People's Army of Vietnam Hoàng Cầm (born 1922 is a Vietnamese Poet and Novelist. He was known to be one of the active participators in the Nhân Văn affair Lê Đức Anh (born 1 December 1920) is a former president of Vietnam. Nguyễn Văn Toàn ( 6 October 1932 - was a general in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN Nguyen Hop Doan (1928-2002 was to be the last Mayor of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam and Governor of Gia Dinh Province before the Fall Vietnamese ( tiếng Việt, or less commonly Việt ngữ) formerly known under French colonization as Annamese ( see Annam) The Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRVN or less commonly Vietnamese Democratic Republic (Việt Nam Dân Chủ Cộng Hòa was a Country on the northern half of Vietnam "RVN" redirects here RVN is also the former callsign of a TV station in Wagga Wagga New South Wales Australia The Vietnam People's Army ( VPA) (Quân Đội Nhân Dân Việt Nam is the official name of the Armed forces of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Events 313 - Roman emperor Licinius unifies the entire Eastern Roman Empire under his rule Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The event marked the end of the Vietnam War and the start of a transition period leading to the formal reunification of Vietnam under Communist rule. The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia Communism is a Socioeconomic structure that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless Society based

PAVN forces under the command of the Senior General Van Tien Dung began their final attack on Saigon, which was commanded by General Nguyen Van Toan on 29 April, with a heavy artillery bombardment. General Văn Tiến Dũng ( 2 May 1917 &ndash 17 March 2002) was a Vietnamese general in the People's Army of Vietnam Nguyễn Văn Toàn ( 6 October 1932 - was a general in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN Events 1429 - Joan of Arc arrives to relieve the Siege of Orleans. By the afternoon of the 30th, North Vietnamese troops had occupied the important points within the city and raised their flag over the Independence Palace. South Vietnam capitulated shortly after. The city was renamed Ho Chi Minh City.

The fall of the city was preceded by the evacuation of almost all the American civilian and military personnel in Saigon, along with tens of thousands of South Vietnamese civilians. The evacuation culminated in Operation Frequent Wind, which was the largest helicopter evacuation in history. Operation Frequent Wind was the Emergency evacuation by Helicopter from Saigon, South Vietnam, in April 1975 during the last days ^[2] In addition to the flight of refugees, the end of the war, and institution of new rules by the Communists contributed to a decline in the population of the city.

North Vietnamese advance

See also: Ho Chi Minh campaign

The rapidity with which the South Vietnamese position collapsed in 1975 was surprising to most American and South Vietnamese observers, and probably to the North Vietnamese and their allies as well. The Ho Chi Minh Campaign (Chiến dịch Hồ Chí Minh was the final title applied to a series of increasingly large-scale and ambitious Offensive operations by the For instance, a memo prepared by the CIA and Army Intelligence and published on 5 March indicated that South Vietnam could hold through the current dry season—i. near as long as it used to be several months ago It has been actively summarized and split into sub-articles and there is a dynamic talk page discussion of all Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian moves from Antioch with an army of 90000 to attack the Sassanid Empire, in a e. at least until 1976. ^[3] These predictions proved to be grievously in error. Even as that memo was being released, General Dung was preparing a major offensive in the Central Highlands of Vietnam, which began on 10 March and led to the capture of Ban Me Thuot. Tây Nguyên, translated as Western Highlands and sometimes also called Central Highlands, is one of the regions of Vietnam. Events 241 BC - First Punic War: Battle of the Aegates Islands - The Romans sink the Carthaginian fleet bringing The ARVN began a disorderly and costly retreat, hoping to redeploy its forces and hold the southern part of South Vietnam, perhaps an enclave south of the 13th parallel. ^[4]

Supported by artillery and armor, the North Vietnamese continued to march towards Saigon, capturing the major cities of northern South Vietnam at the end of March—Huế on the 25th and Da Nang on the 28th. ( 化 in Chữ Nôm) is the capital city of Thừa Thiên - Huế province, Vietnam. This article is about the city of Đà Nẵng For the Vietnam War era air base see Da Nang Air Base or Đà Nẵng International Airport. Along the way, disorderly South Vietnamese retreats and the flight of refugees—there were more than 300,000 in Da Nang^[5]—damaged South Vietnamese prospects for a turnaround. After the loss of Da Nang, those prospects had already been dismissed as nonexistent by American Central Intelligence Agency officers in Vietnam, who believed nothing short of B-52 strikes against Hanoi could possibly stop the North Vietnamese. near as long as it used to be several months ago It has been actively summarized and split into sub-articles and there is a dynamic talk page discussion of all Hanoi ( Vietnamese: Hà Nội Hán Tự: 河[[wikt 内|内]], estimated population 3398889 (2007, is the Capital of Vietnam ^[6]

By 8 April, the North Vietnamese Politburo, which in March had recommended caution to Dung, cabled him to demand "unremitting vigor in the attack all the way to the heart of Saigon. Events 217 - Roman Emperor Caracalla is Assassinated (and succeeded by his Praetorian Politburo, short for Political Bureau, Russian Politicheskoye Buro, is the executive organization for a number of Political parties, most notably "^[7] On 14 April, they renamed the campaign the "Ho Chi Minh campaign," after revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh, in the hopes of wrapping it up before his birthday on 19 May. Events 43 BC - Battle of Forum Gallorum: Mark Antony, besieging Julius Caesar 's assassin Decimus Junius Brutus in For the city named after him see Ho Chi Minh City. Hồ Chí Minh (name Events 1535 - French explorer Jacques Cartier sets sail on his second voyage to North America with three ships 110 men and ^[8] Meanwhile, South Vietnam failed to garner any significant increase in military aid from the United States, killing President Nguyen Van Thieu's hopes for renewed American support. Nguyễn Văn Thiệu, ( April 5, 1923 &ndash September 29, 2001) was a former General and President of South Vietnam.

PAVN forces reached Xuan Loc, a strategic gateway situated on the highway into Saigon, on 9 April. Events 193 - Septimius Severus is proclaimed Roman Emperor by the army in Illyricum (in the Balkans) The battle of Xuan Loc lasted until 20 April, and though the ARVN fought with extreme tenacity, the communists captured the town. Events 1303 - The University of Rome La Sapienza is instituted by Pope Boniface VIII. The 18th Division was an Infantry division in the III Corps of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN The North Vietnamese front line was now just 26 miles (42 km) from downtown Saigon. ^[9] The victory at Xuan Loc, which had drawn many South Vietnamese troops away from the Mekong Delta area,^[10] opened the way for PAVN to encircle Saigon, and they soon did so, moving 100,000 troops in position around the city by 27 April. The Mekong Delta (đồng bằng sông Cửu Long “Nine Dragon river delta” is the region in southwestern Vietnam where the Mekong River approaches and empties Events 1124 - David I becomes King of Scotland. 1296 - Battle of Dunbar: The Scots are defeated With the ARVN having many fewer defenders, the fate of the city was effectively sealed.

Evacuation

The rapid North Vietnamese advances of March and early April led to increased concern in Saigon that the city, which had been fairly peaceful throughout the war and whose people had endured relatively little suffering, was soon to come under direct attack. ^[11] Many feared that once Communists took control of the city, a bloodbath of reprisals would take place. In 1968, PAVN and National Liberation Front (NLF) forces had occupied Hue for close to a month. The Massacre at Huế ( Thảm sát tại Huế Tết Mậu Thân) is the name given to describe the Summary executions and Mass killings conducted by After the Communists were repelled, American and ARVN forces had found mass graves. A study prepared for the U. S. mission in Vietnam indicated that the communists had targeted ARVN officers, Catholics, intellectuals and businessmen, and other suspected counterrevolutionaries. ^[12] More recently, eight Americans captured in Ban Me Thout had vanished and reports of beheadings and other executions were filtering through from Hue and Da Nang, mostly spurred on by government propaganda. ^[13] Most Americans and other Westerners wanted to evacuate the city before it fell, and many South Vietnamese wanted to leave as well.

As early as the end of March, some Americans were leaving the city. For instance, ten families departed on March 31. ^[14] Flights out of Saigon, lightly booked under ordinary circumstances, were full. ^[15] Throughout April the speed of the evacuation increased, as the Defense Attaché's Office (DAO) began to fly out nonessential personnel. Many Americans attached to the DAO refused to leave without their Vietnamese friends and dependents, who included common-law wives and children. It was illegal for the DAO to move these people to American soil, and this initially slowed down the rate of departure, but eventually the DAO began illegally flying undocumented Vietnamese to Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines. Clark Air Base is a former United States Air Force base on Luzon Island in the Philippines, located 3 miles west of Angeles City, about 40 miles ^[16]

On 3 April, President Gerald R. Ford announced "Operation Babylift", which would evacuate about 2000 orphans from the country. Events 1043 - Edward the Confessor is crowned King of England. Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr (July 14 1913 December 26 2006 was the thirty-eighth President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977 and the fortieth Vice President Operation Babylift was the name given to the mass evacuation of Children from South Vietnam to the United States and other countries (including for example One of the C-5A Galaxy planes involved in the operation crashed, killing 138 passengers and seriously reducing the morale of the American staff. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout ^[17] In addition to the 2000 orphans evacuated by Babylift, Operation New Life resulted in the evacuation of over 110,000 Vietnamese refugees. Operation New Life (April 1975 &ndash September 1975 was the U

Administration plans for final evacuation

By this time the Ford administration had also begun planning a complete evacuation of the American presence. Planning was complicated by practical, legal, and strategic concerns. The administration was divided on how swift the evacuations should be. The Pentagon sought to evacuate as fast as possible, to avoid the risk of casualties or other accidents. The Pentagon is the Headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. The U. S Ambassador to South Vietnam, Graham Martin, was technically the field commander for any evacuation, since evacuations are in the purview of the State Department. Graham A Martin (1912 - 1990 succeeded Ellsworth Bunker as US Martin drew the ire of many in the Pentagon by wishing to keep the evacuation process as quiet and orderly as possible. His desire for this was to prevent total chaos and to deflect the real possibility of South Vietnamese turning against Americans, and to keep all-out bloodshed from occurring.

Ford approved a plan between the extremes in which all but 1,250 Americans—few enough to be removed in a single day's helicopter airlift—would be evacuated quickly; the remaining 1,250 would leave only when the airport was threatened. In between, as many Vietnamese refugees as possible would be flown out. ^[18]

Meanwhile, Martin began (in his words) "playing fast and loose with exit visas" to allow any and all who wished to leave Saigon to depart by any means available in the early days. Without the Pentagon's knowledge, Martin and Deputy Chief of Mission Wolfgang Lehmann had already begun allowing thousands of South Vietnamese nationals to depart.

American evacuation planning was set against other administration policies. Ford still hoped to gain additional military aid for South Vietnam. Throughout April, he attempted to get Congress behind a proposed appropriation of $722 million, which might allow for the reconstitution of some of the South Vietnamese forces that had been destroyed. Kissinger was opposed to a full-scale evacuation as long as the aid option remained on the table, because the removal of American forces would signal a loss of faith in Thieu and severely weaken him. ^[19]

There was also concern in the administration over whether the use of military forces to support and carry out the evacuation was permitted under the newly-passed War Powers Act. The War Powers Act of 1973 ( also referred to as the War Powers Resolution is a resolution of the Congress of The United States of America that stated that the President of Eventually White House lawyers determined that the use of American forces to rescue citizens in an emergency was unlikely to run afoul of the law, but the legality of using military assets to withdraw refugees was unknown. See also Executive Office of the President of the United States The White House, formerly known as the Executive Mansion, is the Official residence ^[20] The evacuation of Saigon also had to compete for resources with the imminent evacuation of Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, which fell on 17 April. Phnom Penh ( Khmer: ភ្នំពេញ official Romanization Phnum Pénh; pʰnum pɯɲ is the Capital The Kingdom of Cambodia ( formerly known as Kampuchea (, transliterated: Preăh Réachéanachâkr Kâmpŭchea) is a country in South East Events 69 - After the First Battle of Bedriacum, Vitellius becomes Roman Emperor.

Refugees

While American citizens were generally assured of a simple way to leave the country just by showing up to an evacuation point, South Vietnamese who wanted to leave Saigon before it fell often resorted to independent arrangements. The under-the-table payments required to gain a passport and exit visa jumped sixfold, and the price of seagoing vessels tripled. ^[21] Those who owned property in the city were often forced to sell it at a substantial loss or abandon it altogether; the asking price of one particularly impressive house was cut 75 percent within a two-week period. ^[22] American visas were of enormous value, and Vietnamese seeking American sponsors posted advertisements in newspapers. One such ad read: "Seeking adoptive parents. Poor diligent students:" followed by names, birthdates, and identity card numbers. ^[23]

Political movements and attempts at a negotiated solution

As the North Vietnamese chipped away more and more of South Vietnam, internal opposition to President Thieu continued to accumulate. For instance, in early April, the Senate unanimously voted through a call for new leadership, and some top military commanders were pressing for a coup. In response to this pressure, Thieu made some changes to his cabinet, and Prime Minister Tran Thien Khiem resigned. Trần Thiện Khiêm (born 1925 was a prominent ARVN General during the Vietnam War. ^[24] This did little to reduce the opposition to Thieu. On 8 April a South Vietnamese pilot bombed the presidential palace and then flew to a PAVN-controlled airstrip; Thieu was not hurt. Events 217 - Roman Emperor Caracalla is Assassinated (and succeeded by his Praetorian ^[25]

Many in the American mission—Martin in particular—along with some key figures in Washington believed that negotiations with the Communists were possible, especially if Saigon could stabilize the military situation. Ambassador Martin's hope was that North Vietnam's leaders would be willing to allow a "phased withdrawal" whereby a gradual departure might be achieved in order to allow helpful locals and all Americans to leave (along with full military withdrawal) over a period of months.

Opinions were divided on whether any government headed by Thieu could effect such a political solution. ^[26] The Provisional Revolutionary Government's foreign minister had on 2 April indicated that the PRG might negotiate with a Saigon government that did not include Thieu. The Republic of South Vietnam (Cộng Hòa Miền Nam Việt Nam was the provisional government of South Vietnam following the final military defeat of the Army of the Events 68 - Galba, Governor of Hispania, names himself legatus senatus populique Romani, breaking the line of Thus, even among Thieu's supporters, pressure was growing for his ouster. ^[27]

President Thieu resigned on 21 April. Events 753 BC - Romulus and Remus found Rome ( traditional date) His remarks were particularly hard on the Americans, first for forcing South Vietnam to accede to the Paris Peace Accords, second for failing to support South Vietnam afterwards, and all the while asking South Vietnam "to do an impossible thing, like filling up the oceans with stones. The Paris Peace Accords (or Paris Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Vietnam) were signed on January 27, 1973 by the governments of the "^[28] The presidency was turned over to Vice President Tran Van Huong. Trần Văn Hương (1902&ndash1982 was a South Vietnamese politician The Communist line, broadcast by Radio Hanoi, was that the new regime was merely "another puppet regime. "^[29]

Last days

All times given are Saigon time.

On 27 April, Saigon was hit by three NVA rockets – the first in more than 40 months. Events 1124 - David I becomes King of Scotland. 1296 - Battle of Dunbar: The Scots are defeated ^[30]

Operation Frequent Wind

See also: Operation Frequent Wind

A Marine provides security as helicopters land at the DAO compound. Operation Frequent Wind was the Emergency evacuation by Helicopter from Saigon, South Vietnam, in April 1975 during the last days

Before daybreak on 29 April, Tan Son Nhut airport was hit by rockets and heavy artillery. Events 1429 - Joan of Arc arrives to relieve the Siege of Orleans. Tan Son Nhat International Airport (Cảng Hàng không Quốc tế Tân Sơn Nhất is Vietnam 's largest international airport in terms of area ( compared with of In the initial shelling, a C-130 taxiing to pick up evacuees and flown by an aircrew stationed at Clark Airbase, Philippines was struck. The crew evacuated the burning aircraft on the taxiway and departed the airfield on another C-130 that had previously landed. The continuing rocket fire and debris on the runways caused General Homer D. Smith, the U. S. defense attaché in Saigon, to advise Ambassador Martin that the runways were unfit for use and that the emergency evacuation of Saigon would need to be completed by helicopter. ^[31]

Originally, Ambassador Martin had fully intended to effect the evacuation by use of fixed-wing aircraft from the base. This plan was altered at a critical time when a South Vietnamese pilot decided to defect, and jettisoned his ordnance along the only runways still in use (which had not yet been destroyed by shelling).

Under pressure from Kissinger, Martin forced Marine guards to take him to the air base in the midst of continued shelling, so he might personally ascertain the situation. After seeing that fixed-wing departures were not an option (a mammoth decision Martin did not want to make without firsthand responsibility in case the helicopter lift failed), Martin gave the green light for the helicopter flights to the embassy to begin in earnest.

Reports came in from the outskirts of the city that the North Vietnamese were moving. ^[32] At 10:48 a. m. , Martin relayed to Kissinger his desire to activate "the FREQUENT WIND" evacuation plan; Kissinger gave the order three minutes later. The American radio station began regular play of Irving Berlin's "White Christmas," the signal for American personnel to move immediately to the evacuation points. Irving Berlin (11 May 1888 &ndash 22 September 1989 was a Russian-born American Composer and Lyricist, and one of the most prolific American songwriters " White Christmas " is an Irving Berlin song whose lyrics reminisce about White Christmases. ^[33]

Under this plan, CH-53 and CH-46 helicopters were used to evacuate Americans and friendly Vietnamese to ships, including the Seventh Fleet, in the South China Sea. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The Seventh Fleet is the United States Navy's permanent forward projection force based in Yokosuka, Japan, with units positioned near South Korea ^[34] The main evacuation point was the DAO compound at Tan Son Nhut; buses moved through the city picking up passengers and driving them out to the airport, with the first buses arriving at Tan Son Nhut shortly after noon. The first CH-53 landed at the DAO compound in the afternoon, and by the evening, 395 Americans and more than 4,000 Vietnamese had been evacuated. By 23:00 the U. S. Marines who were providing security were withdrawing and arranging the demolition of the DAO office, American equipment, files, and cash.

The original evacuation plans had not called for a large-scale helicopter operation at the U. S. embassy. Helicopters and buses were to shuttle people from the embassy to the DAO compound. However, in the course of the evacuation it turned out that a few thousand people were stranded at the embassy, including many Vietnamese. Additional Vietnamese civilians gathered outside the embassy and scaled the walls, hoping to claim refugee status. Thunderstorms increased the difficulty of helicopter operations. Nevertheless, the evacuation from the embassy continued more or less unbroken throughout the evening and night.

Vietnamese refugees arriving on a U. S. Navy vessel.

At 03:45 on the morning of 30 April, the refugee evacuation was halted. Events 313 - Roman emperor Licinius unifies the entire Eastern Roman Empire under his rule Ambassador Martin had been ordering that South Vietnamese be flown out with Americans up to that point. Kissinger and Ford, livid with Martin's regard for the lives of the Vietnamese being equal to those of the Americans, quickly ordered Martin to evacuate only Americans from that point forward.

Reluctantly, Martin announced that only Americans were to be flown out, due to worries that the North Vietnamese would soon take the city and the Ford administration's desire to announce the completion of the American evacuation. ^[35] Ambassador Martin was ordered by President Ford to board the evacuation helicopter.

The call sign of that helicopter was "Lady Ace 09", and the pilot carried direct orders from President Ford for Ambassador Martin to be on board. The pilot, Gerry Berry, had the orders written in grease-pencil on his kneepads. Ambassador Martin's wife, Dorothy, had already been evacuated by previous flights, and left behind her personal suitcase so a South Vietnamese woman might be able to squeeze on board with her.

Model of US embassy in Saigon. The rooftop staircase that can be seen in the model is on permanent display at the Gerald R. Ford Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The Gerald R Ford Presidential Museum is located in Grand Rapids Michigan, which Gerald R

"Lady Ace 09" from HMM-165 and piloted by Berry, took off around 05:00 - had Martin refused to leave, the Marines had a reserve order to arrest him and carry him away to ensure his safety. Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 165 ( HMM-165) is a United States Marine Corps Helicopter squadron consisting of CH-46E Sea Knight transport ^[36] The embassy evacuation had flown out 978 Americans and about 1,100 Vietnamese. The Marines who had been securing the embassy followed at dawn, with the last aircraft leaving at 07:53. A few hundred Vietnamese were left behind in the embassy compound,^[37] with an additional crowd gathered outside the walls.

The Americans and the refugees they flew out were generally allowed to leave without molestation from either the North or South Vietnamese. Pilots of helicopters heading to Tan Son Nhut were aware that PAVN anti-aircraft guns were tracking them, but they refrained from firing. The Hanoi leadership, reckoning that completion of the evacuation would lessen the risk of American intervention, had instructed Dung not to target the airlift itself. ^[38] Meanwhile, members of the police in Saigon had been promised evacuation in exchange for protecting the American evacuation buses and control of the crowds in the city during the evacuation. ^[39]

Although this was the end of the American military operation, Vietnamese continued to leave the country by boat and, where possible, by aircraft. South Vietnamese pilots who had access to helicopters flew them offshore to the American fleet, where they were able to land; those who left South Vietnam this way include at least General Nguyen Cao Ky. Nguyễn Cao Kỳ (born 8 September 1930) is a Vietnamese politician who served as Prime Minister of South Most of the South Vietnamese helicopters were dumped into the ocean to make room on the decks for more aircraft. ^[40] South Vietnamese fighters and other small planes also landed on American carriers. ^[41]

Ambassador Martin was flown out to the USS Blue Ridge, where he pleaded for helicopters to return to the embassy compound to pick up the few hundred remaining hopefuls waiting to be evacuated. Although his pleas were overruled by President Ford, Martin was able to convince the Seventh Fleet to remain on station for several days so any locals who could make their way to sea via boat or aircraft may be rescued by the waiting Americans. The Seventh Fleet is the United States Navy's permanent forward projection force based in Yokosuka, Japan, with units positioned near South Korea

Decades later, when the U. S. reestablished diplomatic relations with Vietnam, the old U. S. Embassy property was returned to the U. S. The historic staircase that led to the rooftop helicopter was salvaged and is on permanent display at the Gerald R. Ford Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The Gerald R Ford Presidential Museum is located in Grand Rapids Michigan, which Gerald R

Capitulation of South Vietnam

An PAVN tank crashes through the gates of the Independence Palace. Reunification Palace (Dinh Thống Nhất formerly known as Independence Palace ( Dinh Độc Lập) built on the site of the former Norodom Palace

At 06:00 on 29 April, General Dung was ordered by the Politburo to "strike with the greatest determination straight into the enemy's final lair. Events 1429 - Joan of Arc arrives to relieve the Siege of Orleans. "^[42]

After one day of bombardment and general offensive, the North Vietnamese were ready to make their final push into the city. In the early hours of 30 April, Dung received orders from the Politburo to attack. Events 313 - Roman emperor Licinius unifies the entire Eastern Roman Empire under his rule He then ordered his field commanders to advance directly to key facilities and strategic points in the city. ^[43] The first PAVN unit to enter the city was the 324th Division. ^[44] Duong Van Minh, who had been president of South Vietnam for only three days, at 10:24 announced a surrender and asked South Vietnamese forces "to cease hostilities in calm and to stay where they are," while inviting the Provisional Revolutionary Government to engage in "a ceremony of orderly transfer of power so as to avoid any unnecessary bloodshed in the population. ( February 16 1916 &ndash August 6 2001) known popularly as “Big Minh” was a Vietnamese general and politician "^[45]

However, the North Vietnamese were uninterested in a handover and simply took the city, arresting Minh. The gates of the Independence Palace were destroyed by PAVN tanks as they entered, and the NLF flag was raised over the Palace at 11:30. Reunification Palace (Dinh Thống Nhất formerly known as Independence Palace ( Dinh Độc Lập) built on the site of the former Norodom Palace At 15:30, Minh broadcast over the radio, stating "I declare the Saigon government. . . completely dissolved at all levels. " The dissolution of the South Vietnamese government effectively ended the Vietnam War.

Aftermath

Turnover of Saigon

The Communists renamed the city after Ho Chi Minh, former President of North Vietnam, although this name was not frequently used outside of official business. ^[46] Order was slowly restored, although the by-then-deserted U. S. embassy was looted, along with many other businesses. Communications between the outside world and Saigon were cut. The Communist party machinery in South Vietnam was weakened, owing in part to the Phoenix program, so the North Vietnamese army was responsible for maintaining order and General Tran Van Tra, Dung's administrative deputy, was placed in charge of the city. The Phoenix Program ( Vietnamese: Chiến dịch Phượng Hoàng, a word related to Fenghuang, the Chinese phoenix) was a military ^[47] The new authorities held a victory rally on 7 May. Events 558 - In Constantinople, the dome of the Hagia Sophia collapses ^[48]

According to the Hanoi government, more than 200,000 South Vietnamese government officials, military officers, and soldiers were sent to "reeducation camps", where torture, disease and malnutrition were widespread. Reeducation camp (trại học tập cải tạo is the official name given to the Prison camps operated by the Government of Vietnam following ^[49]

One objective of the Communist government was to reduce the population of Saigon, which had become swollen with an influx of people during the war and was now overcrowded with high unemployment. "Reeducation classes" for former soldiers in the South Vietnamese armed forces indicated that in order to regain full standing in society they would need to move from the city and take up farming. Handouts of rice to the poor, while forthcoming, were tied to pledges to leave Saigon for the countryside. According to the Vietnamese government, within two years of the capture of the city one million people had left Saigon, and the state had a target of 500,000 further departures. ^[50]

30 April is a public holiday in Vietnam, known as Reunification Day (though the reunification of the nation actually occurred on 2 July 1976) or Liberation Day (Ngày Giải Phóng). Events 313 - Roman emperor Licinius unifies the entire Eastern Roman Empire under his rule Victory Day ( Ngày Chiến thắng) Reunification Day ( Ngày Thống nhất) or Liberation Day ( Ngày Giải phóng) is a public Events 310 - Pope Miltiades is elected 626 - In fear of assassination Li Shimin ambushes and kills his rival Year 1976 ( MCMLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Evaluation of the evacuation

Whether the evacuation had been successful was questioned following the end of the war. Operation Frequent Wind was generally assessed as an impressive achievement — Van Tien Dung conceded this in his memoirs, and the New York Times described it as being carried out with "efficiency and bravery"^[51] But the airlift was also criticized for being too slow and hesitant and that it was inadequate in removing Vietnamese connected with the American presence.

Ambassador Martin shouldered much of the blame, and did so without feeling the need to explain his motives to the media. Martin's actions had either allowed thousands of South Vietnamese to escape who otherwise would have been trapped, or doomed thousands of others who could not escape. The evacuations might have caused a rash of panic resulting in loss of American lives, or they might not. Meanwhile, from the onset of the evacuation, President Ford and Henry Kissinger were only concerned about the evacuation of crucial American personnel.

However, many in the United States Congress (with no first-hand knowledge of the massive operation) blamed Martin for proceeding too slowly. The United States Congress is the bicameral Legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses This was in direct contradiction to the realities of the situation, since Martin had been the one who had allowed many to leave the country days before the final evacuation with little or no official reason.

The U. S. State Department estimated that the Vietnamese employees of the American Embassy in Vietnam, past and present, and their families totaled 90,000 people. In his testimony to Congress, Martin asserted that 22,294 such people were evacuated by the end of April. ^[52] Of the tens of thousands of former South Vietnamese employees of the State Department, CIA, U. S military, and countless armed forces officers and personnel at risk of communist reprisal in the northern two-thirds of the country abandoned to the communists, nothing is known.

Commemoration

April 30 is celebrated as a public holiday in Vietnam as Liberation Day or Reunification Day. Public holidays in Vietnam are days when workers get the day off work Victory Day ( Ngày Chiến thắng) Reunification Day ( Ngày Thống nhất) or Liberation Day ( Ngày Giải phóng) is a public Workers get the day off, as well as May 1, and the holiday is filled with much public pageantry. International Workers' Day (a name used interchangeably with May Day) is a celebration of the social and economic achievements of the international Labour

In overseas Vietnamese communities, the week of April 30th is referred to as Black April and is used as a time of commemoration of the fall of Saigon. ^[53]. The event is approached from different perspectives, with arguments that the date was a sign of American abandonment ^[54], or as a memorial of the war and mass exodus as a whole. The term, "Black April", is the namesake for a rock band which includes two Vietnamese-American musicians ^[55].

References

Notes

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.