The Fall of Saigon, on April 29, 1975, is 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 is usually marked as the end of the Vietnam War.
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." 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 North Vietnamese tanks, and the Viet Cong flag was raised over the Palace at 12:15 PM.
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 3:30 PM, 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.
South Vietnamese civilians scramble to board the last US helicopter leaving the country at the end of the Vietnam War
External links
Last updated: 10-10-2005 04:33:22
