Paradise Lost and The Fall Of Saigon

An Unfortunate Change In Circumstance

It was April the 30th and it seemed like just any other day. Then suddenly, in the early afternoon, a guest arrived with some unfortunate news. There was much discussion, some conversation on a few telephones and Diem, incredibly upset, retired to our room. I followed trying to determine what the commotion was. The only thing she could muster in her frustration was that we were leaving on the next transport out.

I had no idea what the problem was. Diem clearly was too upset to talk about it so I let it go and began packing my office up. I told her when she was ready to discuss it I would be gathering my things. Eventually she came to me and we had a discussion. The local authorities had requested that I report to a military concentration camp for a 14 day quarantine. Diem, in an effort to prevent that from happening, asked if we could leave immediately, they agreed.

Paradise Lost

We have been in An Lao for almost five days now with little trouble. The only thing I can imagine is our visit into town yesterday. There is a lot of xenophobia going around in Asia these days. With little internal transmission of the virus and most cases imported either from China or Europe, my site in town must have been unsettling for many. I can only guess that the local authorities were bombarded with calls of sightings. This is a district that rarely sees foreigners. It must have been like Bigfoot strolling out of the mountains and walking through downtown Denver.

Diem was concerned I would be upset. Yes it’s unfortunate that we must cut our visit short but It’s better than sitting in a camp. I just came off of lockdown in Da Nang for 39 days. I have no intention of adding to that number. Besides, there still was no end in sight for the shutdown of international flights. There still may be time to return. So I began packing and preparing for the 5 am wake up call.

A More Concerning Development

As Diem attempted to secure our transport something became apparent. We were not going anywhere, at least not yet. It was the second greatest state holiday behind Lunar New Year. Trieu was not running his transport. A rare time off for him and a concerning situation for me. If we could not leave, what would my fate be.

A Holiday By Many Names

This weekend was a collection of two holidays. The first in commemoration of the 45th anniversary of Reunification day. Formally known in Vietnam as The Day of Southern Liberation for National Reunification. For Vietnamese Americans who fled to America after the war it is known as “Black April” or the “National Day of Shame”. To the rest of the west it is known simply as the fall of Saigon. On this day 45 years ago, Northern Vietnamese forces completed their taking of Saigon and raised the North Vietnamese flag over the Presidential palace. Thus began a reunification phase and the beginning of modern Vietnam.

A Two Sided Coin

The North

The North, under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh, always saw any foreign presence as occupiers. The story of foreign involvement in Vietnamese affairs was an ancient one. Since 111 bc Vietnam has had at least 4 periods of Chinese domination. A period of French colonial occupation. Japanese rule again followed by another French colonial period. Finally what the north views as interference and puppeteering of southern Vietnam following the expulsion of French forces.

The North saw it’s objective of reunification as noble and honorable. Only meant to begin a process of supporting the impoverished. Lifting up the working classes abused by centuries of foreign domination. To provide education and above all teach basic skills like reading and writing to all Vietnamese. In his complete works Ho Chi Minh always held the south in his heart.

In “Ho Chi Minh’s Complete Works” He says. “Each Day, when our Motherland is not reunited, our people still suffer, that day I don’t sleep nor eat well”. In letters to aides and allies “Freedom of my fellow countrymen, independence for my Motherland, is all that I wanted. That’s all that I understand”. “In the South, each person, each family has its own anguish. All of the people’s anguishes and pains combine to make my own sorrow”.

Born in the central Highlands and raised in the Imperial city of Hue near Da Nang. Ho Chi Minh would board a steam liner for France in Saigon, a city that would later bear his name, in 1911. It would be the last time he would ever step foot in South Vietnam. His aides and close confidants would recall that even in his last days his first daily request was news from the south. Ho Chi Minh would die on September 2 1969 at the age of 79. His entire life was devoted to an independent, and unified Vietnam, though never seeing his life’s work completed.

The South

The southern story is a bit more complicated. Upon the signing of the Geneva accords in 1954, following the disastrous French defeat at Dien Bien Phu, Indochina was broken into 3 successor states. The Kingdoms of both Laos and Cambodia and the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. Vietnam was then subdivided at the 17th parallel. The DRV to the north and the state of Vietnam to the south. The division was initially only meant to be temporary. A general election to establish a permanent government for a reunified Vietnam was scheduled for 1956

The communist forces had established a government in the north under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh. In the south things were not so clear. With a stable government to the north and uncertainty in the south, French Union forces dropped below the 17th parallel but did not immediately leave. A three hundred day “free movement” operation known as “Passage to Freedom” was initiated. During the 300 days individuals were allowed to free flow across the established border.

What resulted was a mass immigration of, in some estimations, as many as 1 million peoples fleeing the onslaught of communism to the south. It is noted that up to 150,000 migrated towards the newly established communist regime. This would mark a great propaganda coup for the US. It would aid France in the “evacuation” of oppressed peoples from the north. It would later use these images of tent cities outside of Saigon filled with people fleeing communism as fuel to ramp up US involvement in Vietnam.

A Corrupt Leader Emerges

The newly elected Catholic Prime Minister of South Vietnam Ngo Dinh Diem would also use propaganda to his advantage. Using the fear of coming Catholic persecution as motivation. Over 60% of northern Catholics would flee south. In an attempt to thwart a communist takeover nationally Diem would try to fill his democratic Catholic ranks. The national election was approaching. Diem knew that Ho Chi Minh would win a national election by a landslide. He canceled the national election and through an independent election wrought with corruption declared himself the Prime Minister of Vietnam.

The Reality of the War

The north saw this as a betrayal and began incursions into the south. With a newly established democratic government in the south and communist forces building in the north it was only a matter of time before cold war America intervened. The reality of the war was that the North Vietnamese Army was a well established battle hardened force. People often assume it was due to Chinese or Russian backing. Yes, They purchased supplies and weapons from their communist allies. They had also been fighting the Japanese and French for decades. This wasn’t a thrown together at the last minute Army. It was battle hardened, well trained and skilled. The same could not be said for the south.

The south did however value their freedom and desire democracy. That part of the story is unfortunate. Though the regime has softened in the decades since the war. The Party was often brutal and destructive. Executing leaders and soldiers or American sympathizers during the war. It is claimed that when the Americans retook Hue just north of Da Nang, they found mass graves where executions of anyone that had aided the Americans while they occupied the city lay.

Evacuations Begin

It’s no wonder that when the Northern Army surrounded Saigon that everyone was on edge. Citizens began selling everything they had to purchase tickets out. Posters littered the streets expressing one’s desirability and asking any foreigner to adopt them. Democracy was quickly collapsing in the south and desperation was becoming rampant. Just as the unstoppable army began to bare down on Saigon, it stopped. Halted just 25 miles from the city and camped out for one week.

American military presence on the ground had been all but evacuated. The embassy however, was still fully staffed. In addition to thousands of American civilians that come with an American theater of war. There was also a huge American naval presence offshore. Many believe that Hanoi had stopped just short of the city to allow foreigners, in particular the US, to withdraw all civilians and personnel. Though many Vietnamese fearing the crushing retaliations of the north also fled.

The US had already begun evacuations by fixed wing aircraft, but it would not be overnight. Little resistance was given to air traffic at this time. Again it was assumed the north was concerned with drawing in the US naval air power just off the coast. The US forces had permission from President Ford to offer air support if any evacuation efforts came under direct threat. Though none was ever needed. Pilots often reported their planes being tracked by anti-aircraft installations. No missiles were ever fired.

Operation Frequent Wind

After a week of waiting the North Vietnamese finally made their move. Evacuations were still underway as the northern Army began it’s push south on April 29th. A southern Vietnamese air force pilot and defector dropped his ordinance on the remaining operational runways making them useless. There were still thousands waiting to evacuate the city.

An all points evacuation order was given and White Christmas began to play on the American radio stations and load speakers around the city. It was the signal that the last opportunity to evacuate had come and operation frequent wind went into effect. What followed was the largest evacuation in history entirely by helicopter. All day and into the night the US Ambassador to South Vietnam, Graham Martin, organized and aided in the evacuation of Vietnamese and American personnel.

Eventually it was called to shut the embassy, and only Americans would be lifted as time was running out. Thousands of Vietnamese would gather at the embassy gates hoping for asylum. but for many it would never come. at 3:45 am, April 30 defense secretary Henry Kissinger called for the evacuation of Ambassador Martin, the evacuation would come to a close. Martin was intent on getting as many that wanted out to safety. It is rumored that his wife even smuggled a Vietnamese woman she had befriended in her suitcase. The pilot was ordered directly by president Ford that Martin was to be on the flight. If he wasn’t he was to be arrested and forcibly removed. Ford was anxious to announce the successful close to the operation.

His helicopter took off at 4:58 am and the last marine was lifted from the embassy at 7:53 am. 420 south Vietnamese and South Koreans were left behind in the embassy as well as the massive crowd gathered outside. In total 978 Americans and 1,100 Vietnamese were evacuated by helicopter to US naval ships offshore. To those left behind, their fate is largely unknown.

The Fall of Saigon

At 8am on April 30, 1975, a North Vietnamese Tank column reached the Newport Bridge that entered the city. At 10:24, just 2 and a half hours after the last American evacuated, the president of South Vietnam offered his unconditional surrender. The North Vietnamese flag was raised over the presidential palace. Saigon was soon renamed Ho Chi Minh city. In honor of the beloved leader who devoted his entire life to that moment..

Why It Matters to me Today

April 30th and May 1st are national holidays in Vietnam. Liberation Day and Vietnams version of Labor day. I see the symbolism as May 1st, 1975 would have been the first day that people in Vietnam were not experiencing war or occupation and forced labor in centuries. So they are days of rest and reflection. The transports are not running and the local authorities have agreed to let me stay until Sunday when the next transport is available. I am only required to stay on the property and not move around the village.

Which is fine by me as I love hanging around the house anyway. So it would seem that the expulsion of Americans from Saigon 45 years ago today is the only reason I am allowed to stay. How’s that for poetic Irony. Though we will have to return to Da Nang earlier than scheduled, at least I was afforded a wonderful week in the countryside spending an amazing time with Diem’s family. Soon it will be back to Da Nang to find some more adventures.

Click Here for a previous post from the deck of the USS Midway used in operation Frequent Wind.

Or Click Here and Here for a post where we explore Ho Chi Minh’s museum and mausoleum in Hanoi

Click Here for a video of my first trip to Vietnam. It’s a bit rough around the edges, but it has some great shots and video