Fall of Saigon
From Freepedia
The Fall of Saigon, (known also as the Liberation of Saigon) on April 30, 1975, saw the capture of the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon, by the North Vietnamese Army. A massive evacuation of diplomats, foreign nationals, and Vietnamese refugees occurred before the city fell. It marked the end of the Vietnam War.
Overview
In the morning of that day, General Duong Van Minh, who had been president 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." NLF and North Vietnamese forces entered the city soon after, mostly peacefully, despite previous predictions that the fall of Saigon would be long and bloody. The gates of the Independence Palace were destroyed by NLF tanks, and the National Liberation Front flag was raised over the Palace at 12:15.
Within 24 hours of the fall, the city was renamed Ho Chi Minh City, after the Vietnamese revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh. Order was quickly restored to the city, although the US Embassy, previously the site of an evacuation by helicopter, was looted.
At 15:30, General Duong Van Minh released another radio broadcast, stating "I declare the Saigon government is completely dissolved at all levels." After twenty-nine years, the war in Indochina was over.
Commemoration
April 30 is a public holiday in Vietnam, known as Reunification Day or Liberation Day (Ngày Giải Phóng).
External links
- Saigon's Finale by New York Times
- 1975: Saigon surrenders
- The Fall of Saigon
- Welcome to the Vietnam Babylift web site
- The Fall of Saigon Marine Association
- White Christmas: The Fall of Saigon (A Photographer's Diary)
