The Fall of Saigon
By: Darby H.
'There is in the Vietnamese language, which is given much to poetry and irony, a saying that "only when the house burns, do you see the faces of the rats."'- John Pilger
The fall of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, occurred on April 30th, 1975. The capital city was taken by the People’s Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and the National Liberation Front (NLF), more commonly known as the Viet Cong, which is short for “Vietnamese communists”.The fall of the city took place not long after The United States began to pull out its troops from Vietnam. A full-on invasion of South Vietnam by the PAVN and the National Liberation Front, was anticipated and people were urged to leave the city. From March throughout April, the amount of people evacuating increased. The Government of South Vietnam asked the U.S. for troop support, but Gerald Ford stated in a speech that the U.S. would not give troops or weapons. He knew they were going to lose the war to the Vietnamese Communists and wanted no more American casualties. They did, however provide some financial aid. Americans attempted to help increase the number of people able to evacuate Saigon through “Operation Babylift” and “Operation New Life”. Both operations aimed to save over 112,000 people. When the attacks began, people sought shelter in the U.S. embassy. Buses and helicopters departed with passengers from the embassy to safer locations. The remaining Vietnamese attempted to get onto the grounds of the U.S. embassy in hopes of claiming the status of “refugee”. These unintended evacuations continued until 3:45 a.m. on April 30th when the American ambassador, Ambassador Martin, was ordered by the president to from now on, only evacuate Americans. He, himself, departed at 5 a.m. If Ambassador Martin had refused to leave, the marines would have been ordered to arrest him and take him away, in order to ensure he would be safe. South Vietnamese from there on out, continued their own evacuations.
The Northern Vietnamese troops bombarded the city of Saigon later that day. Attacks were launched on people in the streets. In order to prevent unnecessary bloodshed, the South Vietnamese leader Duong Van Minh stated he would transfer all power over peacefully in an unconditional surrender. The Northern Vietnamese entered the Independence Palace. Saigon had fallen. This marked the end of the Vietnam War and American involvement. North Vietnam and South Vietnam became one, communist country. It was only further evidence supporting the Domino theory.
The Northern Vietnamese troops bombarded the city of Saigon later that day. Attacks were launched on people in the streets. In order to prevent unnecessary bloodshed, the South Vietnamese leader Duong Van Minh stated he would transfer all power over peacefully in an unconditional surrender. The Northern Vietnamese entered the Independence Palace. Saigon had fallen. This marked the end of the Vietnam War and American involvement. North Vietnam and South Vietnam became one, communist country. It was only further evidence supporting the Domino theory.
Pictured: Vietnamese attempting to scale the walls of The U.S. Embassy in Saigon.
Photo: AP Photo/Neal Ulevich
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/worldnews/7652593/The-Vietnam-War-in-pictures-the-35th-anniversary-of-the-fall-of-Saigon.html?image=26
Pictured: Vietnamese attempting to scale the walls of The U.S. Embassy in Saigon.
Photo: AP Photo/Neal Ulevich
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/worldnews/7652593/The-Vietnam-War-in-pictures-the-35th-anniversary-of-the-fall-of-Saigon.html?image=26