Anyone know About Fall Of Saigon?

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MojaveDan

Ong Jon - Thanks for the moral support.

I have so many Viet relatives that my family has experienced just about every aspect of the Fall of Saigon.

At least two of my uncles tried to defend Saigon until they were overrun and captured by the NVA. One spent seven years in a re-education camp. The other spent eleven years. Both had all their arms and legs broken. One had his eye ripped out of his head. The other was beaten so badly over many years that he suffers permanent brain damage. They left the re-education camp weighing less than 80 lbs.

One aunt and uncle escaped by helicopter from the roof of the U.S. Embassy under Operation Frequent Wind. The reason for Operation Frequent Wind was to evacuate what was left of U.S. personnel in Saigon as well as South Vietnamese personnel and family who would be in grave mortal danger when the communists took over the country. My uncle was a major in ARVN who planned bombing missions over North Vietnam for many years. He would have been killed if the communists were to catch him and that was his ticket for him and my aunt to take a helicopter ride from the embassy rooftop.

Many of my relatives escaped Vietnam right after Saigon fell. My grandfather had a pagoda in Vung Tau and led thousands to boats to escape the country. Several of these boats were overloaded and sunk just offshore taking many lives with them. The lucky ones made it to International waters where the U.S. Seventh Fleet and other vessels were waiting to pick them up. They eventually arrived at Camp Pendleton, California with only the clothes they were wearing and started their lives in America.

I have relatives who had fought for the NVA. One of my uncles was a major at the time. His company was stationed just north of the former DMZ and remained on alert for several months after Saigon fell in expectation of U.S. retaliation. North Vietnam didnâ€™t have it much better economically. The difference was the North Vietnamese were already poor and they were not retaliated upon as like those in South Vietnam.

Many of my relatives remained in South Vietnam after the Fall of Saigon. Some escaped the country over the years after the War ended and some remained to this day. Life was not easy for them during the years after the War ended. The communists retaliated against Southern Viets for years. Even speaking English was illegal. My cousins were taught in school to tell on their parents if the heard their parents speak English or say anything against the communists. Quite often, communist officials would show up at a house and tell everyone to leave immediately. Soldiers would clear the house with guns drawn if necessary. This was so commonplace that my relatives hid their belongings in the jungles to keep from loosing things to the communists and soldiers during such raids.

For many years, I had relatives who attempted to escape Vietnam by boat or land. Either means was extremely risky and very likely meant death. Most refugees did not survive, yet millions of Vietnamese would rather take the risk than remain under communist control. My family is blessed that many of our relatives made it out of Vietnam and eventually to America. What they went through has made extremely resilient people who have prospered well in America.

The most tragic news that I received was what happened to the Con Lai. The half-breed American-Vietnamese children left behind had it the roughest of all. The communists killed many thousands of Con Lai because they represented a reminder of an enemy of Vietnam. The rest along with their mothers were treated as sub-humans. Most werenâ€™t allowed to go to school and their mothers werenâ€™t allowed to work, which forced them to be beggars in a country that is already incredibly poor. This made many of the Con Lai to be orphaned.

Vietnam soon became the third poorest country in the world. The communists destroyed every bit of South Vietnamâ€™s economic machinery, which could have allowed Vietnam to save itself and even prosper. This was partly due to retaliation and partly out of ignorance, as most communists have no knowledge of fundamental macroeconomics. The country as a whole was in terrible shape just a couple years after the Vietnam War ended and then Hanoi decided to invade and control Cambodia as well as extend control over Laos. This turned Vietnam into an aggressor nation and caused a worldwide ban on economic and diplomatic relationships with exception of the Soviet Union.

The fall of the Soviet Union slit the throat of what was left of Vietnamâ€™s central (communist) controlled economy and forced their government to make a dramatic move towards a market economy starting in 1986. Twenty years later, Vietnam was the second fastest growing economy in the world. Also, Vietnamâ€™s government has evolved to be little like it was twenty years ago.

tpk_april1

You can get a good idea from this article, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_of_saigon

ong jon

great question , i'm sure "mohave dan" can give you the responce you need...

nam_miles

There is a good recent book on the fall of Saigon called "Good Night, Saigon." An earlier book that covered the end is "Decent Interval" by Snepp.

nguyenthanhtungtinbk

No one became slave :))
What really happened is Vietnam got completely freedom from the U.S. after that day and there was no longer 2 parts of Vietnam; 2 became 1.

In the history, Vietnamese people have never fought the smaller countries for resources or because Vietnam was stronger. The Vietnamese mind is always wishing for the peace. Basically, all the wars in Vietnam in the past from thounsand years ago were about fighting for freedom and liberty.

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