Original subtitles

[Music]

a communist Armada rolls into

place spring

1975 it is 30 years since the first

shots were fired in the Vietnam War now

2 years after America's withdrawal a

final offensive is about to

begin it will take just 55 more days to

end a 10,000 day war

[Music]

oh

January

1973 the Paris peace treaty is

signed under the treaty only 50 US

military advisers remain from a one-time

force of half a

million the main compromise allows o to

keep 150,000 regular troops in the South

and allows president Chu to remain in

power although Congress forbids further

US military action President Nixon gives

two secret assurances that America will

use full force if necessary but in

August

1974 Nixon

[Music]

resigns in December 1974 the Communist

leaders meet in Han

they decide upon a 2-year program for

military

Victory their immediate plan is to force

two from

office North Vietnam's Chief strategist

is defense minister bone win

[ __ ] even in Saigon people are opposing T

and trying to overthrow him you can't

survive if you go against the people's

will the American imperialists thought

even when they withdrew their troops

from Vietnam they would still continue

to transform part of Vietnam into a new

colony of theirs even now if they deploy

their Air Force and navy they will fail

again the Vietnamese people do not fear

such things it is obvious that our

people in particular our countrymen and

soldiers fighting in the South have

beaten the American

imperialists two is still totally

dependent on American to maintain his

army but Congress wants to end us

support as American Aid declines so does

South Vietnamese morale since 73 from

the time we signed the peace agreement

until 75 our war potential has been

reduced to

60% because of the cut of the economic

and the military

aid from the United States and that I

say that the Vietnamization has uh not

been honestly done as promised by the

United States this is the main reason of

the collapse of

saet in saigan there is still hope

America will

return the capital is crowded with

refugees almost half the country's

budget is spent on defense yet War War

equipment is not being

replaced Hanoi now takes extraordinary

efforts to ensure a surprise offensive

the field commander General van Tien

zong is sent into South Vietnam but to

remain anonymous he travels part of the

way by bicycle journalist Wilfred Brett

they wented great considerable lengths

to guards keep secrecy they kept secret

the fact that that vanen zung had even

gone to the South they kept issuing

birthday message or congratulatory

messages from Hanoi signed in his name

and his car went to the staff

headquarters at the same time every

morning so at all levels they were very

conscious of the need for secrecy and I

think very effectively kept the

secret Hanoi moves three armored

infantry divisions around banut in the

western Highlands though banat is a

strategic Center only 4,000 South

Vietnamese troops are deployed there

[Music]

2 a.m. March 10th

1975 an artillery barrage opens the

[Music]

attack tanks spearhead the 25,000 man

communist Force they encircle the

City by dawn after 4 hours of intense

artillery fire North Vietnamese infantry

penetrates the

defenses

[Music]

president 2 has no time to reinforce on

the first day of battle most of the city

is

captured by next morning fighting ends

half of the South Vietnamese soldiers

surrender or desert the first big battle

of the final offensive is over now in

one of the most controversial moves of

the war president Chu abandons two

Northern provinces he also decides to

evacuate the entire Highlands region and

redeploy his troops further south we

have not to

wait before it become too late and we

cannot do anything we have to take the

risk a calculated risk you know because

of the the redeployment the withdraw

without Mobility without the great five

powers support is a risk but it's a must

for

[Applause]

us the withdrawal from the highlands

becomes a trail of blood and confusion

from the towns of pleu and Kon half a

million soldiers and civilians flee

toward the

coast military authorities choose an

almost unusable Highway believing it's

safe from communist attack they are

wrong

[Music]

the North Vietnamese fire on the retreat

it becomes known as the Convoy of

[Music]

[Applause]

Tears only

120,000 one in four reach the coast

where the Panic

renews survivors tell of babies and old

people crushed by military vehicles and

of children dying on the road from

Hunger

the withdrawal was rated one of the

worst planned and worst executed in

military

[Music]

history it has a domino effect Province

capitals begin falling at the rate of

one a

day president 2 now asks for Urgent US

military action

Washington's response is relayed by

Ambassador bu DM by the time I Rose back

home half the country was lot already

and uh I did say frankly to all my

friends that there is no more

hopes from the US side it means that if

the things comes to wor the American

wouldn't come back again so we have to

think in terms of realities

in saigan strict censorship keeps hope

in the

headlines few Saigon know the full

military disaster publicly Tu says his

troops are

holding anoi March 18th North Vietnam's

leaders savored their biggest victory

since defeating the French 21 years

earlier they decide on a daring new

strategy to cut South Vietnam in half

the main prize will be the ancient city

of whei Vietnam's old capital and

spiritual

center within 24 hours preparations for

the attack

[Music]

begin Way's Northern defenses are hit

first then heavy 130 mm guns hammer the

southern and western

approaches now way is cut off from dang

to the south on March 25th after a 3-day

Siege way Falls without resistance the

Communist flag had flown here for 28

days during the T offensive in

1968 this time it will

stay the North Vietnamese Advance

continues almost unopposed as South

Vietnamese forces break and run at the

first communist Advance on way the area

commander orders Retreat officers then

their men abandon the city and its

civilians their only Escape Route is the

sea South to

dang in the Panic many troops drown

trying to reach the

boats at dang there is a widespread

belief that a deal has been made to

abandon the city to the Communists 3

million people try to flee South

[Music]

as 35,000 North Vietnamese troops

approach Danang the South Vietnamese

Commander abandons his men other

officers remove their uniforms and

hide

[Applause]

the opening artillery barrage is enough

to end

resistance 100,000 South Vietnamese

soldiers surrender after being left

leaderless dang Falls in only 32 hours

former Premier NN Ki now for that final

debacle I have to admit that it's

our

responsibilities or to be exact I should

say it's Mr T

responsibilities B me to it when it

first started commanding officers

ran first in the AO area Danang

commanding officers R every everywhere

commanding officers run first and all

those commanding officers were appointed

by Mr

T at the first

time the morale of the army was affect

not affected because they have been just

overrun affected since two years because

everyone understand that the military

act has been

cut the economic act has been cut

there's many signs that America have

abandoned

us by early April the Communists control

the North and

Center there's new respect for the North

Vietnamese field commander General zung

he is an outstanding tactician like his

tutor General

[ __ ] of this period he wrote we

understood that time is strength and

that an opportune moment is priceless

less the US Army Chief of Staff General

wand now visits Vietnam he reports that

Saigon urgently needs $700 Million worth

of arms Replacements but politically

this is impossible South Vietnam's Army

is doomed military analyst Brian Jenkins

it was my belief that if that assistance

were

withdrawn uh that then this military

machine that we had created in South

Vietnam would indeed collapse of its own

weight uh you know you've seen in in the

museums these these suits of armor that

look very very formidable of course

there's nothing inside of them and if

you give it a good kick uh the entire

thing tumbles to the ground and in

effect that's what we were creating in

in

Vietnam behind the scenes there is

pressure on two to resign in favor of

neutralists with most of his country

gone he tries to reassure his

people so I have been very uh

calm at that

period we have been overrun but not

all oneir of the army has been overrun

but not all uh oneir of the country or

half of country has been overrun but not

all we still have many more crucial

area and we still have a

strength the only special American aid

program is called operation baby lift

the evacuation of 2,000 orphans to the

United States it begins tragically a c5a

the world's biggest transport plane

crashes outside Saigon and 140 children

die

the disasters in the field can no longer

be hidden Saigon begins to strengthen

its Highway perimeters the Communist

Advance is almost two years ahead of

hano's

expectations North Vietnam expert

Wilfred berett well right at the

beginning it was felt that for the

first uh the first season offensive

season attack it would be good enough if

they got to Danang dug in there

Consolidated and so forth and then the

next operational season went on down to

Saigon and the meong Delta but it was

the the panic in way and the the

collapse in in

Danang and uh

the the ease with which all these

provincial capitals just fell one after

another and the fact that the um the

cyclon command was unable to most

consolidate its troops they were not

able to withdraw properly and

regroup and uh everything was done in a

very slipshod and haphazard a fashion

with very very little morale the only

real battle was in fact at Swan

loock Swan L is a small provincial

capital only 38 Mi Northeast of Saigon

it blocks the main communist

Advance Zan luck is the Last Hope for

those who believe an all outand can

prevent military

collapse April 9th the North Vietnamese

open fire on Zan luak but this time

there is no easy Victory the Communists

later called the Fighting Fierce and

cruel 40,000 North Vietnamese troops

launch an assault against the city they

are repelled The Defenders

[Applause]

Counterattack

in anxious Saigon the name Zan Lu become

synonymous with hope and

[Applause]

heroism the North Vietnamese decide to

bypass Zan loock and strike at the next

city banoa closer to

zon after a week both bienen and Zan Lo

are outflanked the Defenders Retreat it

is April 16th

for the North Vietnamese generals the

way to Saigon is open they order its

capture within 2 weeks by May 1st ano

strategist Colonel haran

La the Army units that had the mission

of encircling and attacking Saigon only

took with them what was necessary for

the

fight some advanced in convoys others

Advanced on foot and ran and made 50

kilometers a

day they didn't even eat because it was

the goal The Taking of Saigon that was

their first

[Music]

preoccupation saon itself appears calm

poent mounts as supplies of gasoline and

other Commodities grow

short refugees keep crowding

[Music]

in now the elite see no way out

sincerely I do not know what's going to

happen next so I'm you know I I know

that I'm expecting something but I don't

know

what president you is now under intense

pressure to

resign his suggested replacement is

neutralist General dwan van Min known as

bigman it's believed the Communists

might negotiate a coalition government

with

him senior Cia analyst Frank snip bigman

was a self-proclaimed neutralist he'd uh

called himself a member of the third

Force he had a brother or a cousin there

was some debate over this uh who was uh

a high ranking North Vietnamese

political officer a general so uh big

men was the the last American hope T had

to be got out of the way on April 20th

US ambassador gram Martin visits T I

simply went to president T and and laid

out on the table as clearly as I could

Marshal the facts that they seemed to me

to be relevant to the situation the

military situation what the other side

had what we had the political situation

the attitude in his own Administration

among his own generals and expressed the

conviction that while I did not believe

myself that there was any possibility of

such a transition it was clear that some

of his own generals wished to attempt it

but would not do so with him in

position the next day April 21st Chu

resigns the

presidency As a caretaker government

takes over T is hurried into

Exile and it so happened that it was my

job to get t to the

airport shortly after his resignation

and what a night it was it was a a

Starlet night there were tracers out

along the perimeters of tonsen tonsen

Airbase several colleagues and myself

from the CIA as well as the CIA station

Chief collected uh limousines I was

armed to the teeth because I had visions

of what had happened to Zam in

1963 ordered out of the car cut down by

Young

Turks it was rather amusing to think

back on it because we certainly couldn't

have defended ourselves with the the

AK47 under my seat the snubnose 38

strapped on my hip it was a great

adventure and I looked in the the rear

view mirror at T's eyes and they were

glistening with tears at that point as

we as we passed through the air base on

the way to the airplane that was to

whisk him out of the country T leaned

over the seat and he said thank you for

all you've

done and it came to me thank you for

what for the 50,000 American lies that

have been given here in Vietnam and I I

thought about saying that but being the

big or the the loyal bureaucrat I was I

kept my mouth shut shook his hands the

man was crying I guess he didn't need

that final

humiliation he ran up to the airplane

there were cameras banging on various

lapels the suitcases were whis aboard

and there was Ambassador Martin

immaculately tailored he was wearing his

horn Rim uh glasses I believe looking

very much like a a professor nothing

like an ambassador bidding Fair well to

the last V vesage of

the American experiment in

Vietnam politically it is

over the boards his flight into Exile

carrying a lasting bitterness toward

America they have abon they have they

have a s out to us they have a stab on

their back on on our back it's it's true

this is clear they have a bet

R now over 3,000 people are leaving the

capital

daily embassies begin to

empty American Personnel are preparing

final evacuation

plans the rich and influential South

Vietnamese have already gone

April 23rd

1975 Communist forces less than 30 mi

from Saigon begin an advance on all

sides Hanoi had calculated on a final

offensive lasting perhaps 2 years but

only 7 weeks have passed since the

offensive

began the battle plan sends 100,000

troops hurtling at Saigon from five

directions their orders are to penetrate

and occupy Saigon within a

[Music]

week the sounds of battle can be heard

in the

city hundreds of thousands seek

Escape many fear they will be executed

by the Victorious communist their only

hope is the American Embassy and an

airlift to the United

States on the same day as the North

Vietnamese Advance President Gerald Ford

in a speech in New Orleans declares the

war is over

today America can regain the sense of

Pride that existed before Vietnam but it

cannot be

achieved by refighting a war that is

finished as far as America is

concerned

[Applause]

hano's divisions race into position now

there is no fear of American bombers

which turned back previous

offensives the Communists sweep through

the rubber plantations east of Saigon

the South Vietnamese greatly outnumbered

only briefly

resist Soviet built amphibious tanks

easily Bridge the rivers then Roll Along

the US built highways leading to the

capital infantry convoys mop up

resistance in villages and

outposts long range artillery disables

Saigon's main airport The Siege is fully

in place Saigon is in

[Music]

circle within the city 30,000 South

Vietnamese troops await ERS but many

senior officers have

[Music]

deserted

Saigon has a new government it appeals

for peace talks and a

ceasefire this goes

unanswered now 72 hours remain Until the

End Saigon's armor attempts to seal off

the main highways tens of thousands of

refugees try to board the last

helicopters leaving the city

outskirts but soldiers flee the

battlefield comeing endear the Choppers

and Retreat into the

[Music]

[Applause]

capital the refugee flood is greatest on

the main artery from the East a four

lane Highway wants the pride of American

Engineers civilians and retreating

soldiers sweep aide check points in

their haste to escape the onrush of

battle

for the Communist forces the main

problem is the speed of their Advance

the troops are moving so quickly it is

difficult to supply

[Music]

[Applause]

them so gorillas act as guides providing

maps and pointing out weaknesses in

government

[Applause]

defenses by now 20,000 communist troops

are within 12 Mi of the city 30,000 more

are moving

in in his dispatches the Communist field

commander General zung Likens his forces

to a Divine Hammer held Aloft Saigon's

Army he wrote trembled in Fright

watching The Hammer

[Applause]

descend but at a key bridge called dang

naai on the main Eastern approach the

South Vietnamese put up a fierce

resistance the bridge changes hands

several times before the Communists

secure

it a major route into Saigon is now open

to the attacking

force with three nights remaining the

Communist intensify the fighting

infantry and artillery assault the city

perimeter but here they

[Applause]

[Music]

halt

[Music]

in captured areas communist cameramen

record the population tearing down

symbols of their former government and

celebrating in the

streets in Saigon 2 the Streets fill

here the emotion is fear the large

Catholic population is especially

nervous gather to hear former prime

minister NN K Kei he denounces his

countrymen who have fled armed

resistance can bring negotiations he

[Music]

says the best way is to hold the line in

the

military because if the collapse

continue disintegration continue and

then there's no need for

negotiation but the Communists send a

grim warning five rockets Dro into a

crowded Saigon slum leaving 5,000

homeless now fears of a bloodbath

increase the next day April 28th the

ring around Saigon tightens Saigon

troops rush to the Newport bridge on the

city

outskirts North Vietnamese Commandos

hold the far side of the

bridge the bridge attack increases fears

of a military showdown in the city

itself the Communists broadcast demands

for total surrender within 24

hours the deadline abruptly ends hopes

for a political settlement and it

activates evacuation plans for 3,000

Americans with the Newport Bridge attack

Saigon's discipline

breaks as the army of South Vietnam

makes a final stand civilians loot the

nearby American

commissary deserting soldiers join

in

looting spreads throughout the city it

is the last of the old life the last

hours and the death of a

[Music]

Nation

the Communists now attempt to close the

last main

exit five captured planes with North

Vietnamese Pilots bomb Saigon t sanod

airport a few hours later long range

shells and Rockets wrecked the air strip

leaving no choice for Ambassador Graham

Martin and I picked up the phone and um

told secretary Kissinger to inform the

president that I had decided that we

would have to go to option four to the

helicopter airlift for the for the

remaining Americans and for such

Vietnamese as we could get out

waiting off the southern coast is an

evacuation task force of three American

aircraft carriers with support ships and

combat

Marines noon April 29th the final Exodus

is about to

begin The Ballad I'm dreaming of a white

Christmas is the code signal for the

final American departure as it plays

over the American Service radio

officials businessmen and journalists

gather at the embassy some Americans

have spent a decade in Vietnam they have

only hours to

leave thousands of Vietnamese tried to

join the evacuation they threatened to

overwhelm Embassy

guard

for years the symbol of a wide ranging

War the helicopters can now only land on

the embassy roof or in its secluded

compound hundreds of Americans and

Vietnamese officials wait in priority

groups the Marines briefly returned to

Vietnam to keep

order some Embassy staff spend their

last moment shredding

documents each Chopper takes an hour to

reach the evacuation

Fleet only a relative few can make

it one is former prime minister key I

landed on the Midway aircraft

carrier and the Admiral captain of the

ship received

me and he left his

office with his stop and just leave me

alone so I I stood there for 15 or 25

minutes just crying by myself I I

couldn't stop it even I said to myself

oh no I'm a sous never cry

but it

happened by now hundreds of Vietnamese

civilians are attempting to crash the

embassy

Gates

[Music]

[Applause]

only the most persistent break through

and get a chance to

[Laughter]

escape

in previous weeks a 100,000 South

Vietnamese have bought their way out but

the sudden American evacuation still

leaves behind many long serving

Vietnamese senior Cia analyst Frank snip

I was sitting by the radios the top

floor of the embassy monitoring the the

flow of intelligence as it continued to

come in from various places I listened

to the radios and I would hear people

calling in over our radios agents and

employees who had been abandoned at

various evacuation points I'm Mr laon I

have served you for years save

me I am Mr

High save me and there was no way to

save them then that I believe was the

most

tragic thing for me on that final day

the voices over the radios and I still

sleep I have nightmares and those voices

still play in

them an alternate evacuation plan is

departure from Saigon by

barge though in circling the city the

Communists make it known they want an

uncomplicated

end they briefly delay their final

assault to allow all Americans to leave

one of the last to do so Frank snip I'd

gone out with the last CIA contingent I

got on the

helicopter stumbled up the roof of uh up

to the rooftop evacuation plaid got into

the helicopter and pulled in uh several

of the Vietnamese agents we' managed to

get inside the embassy walls and the

helicopter began lifting up off the top

of the roof of the embassy and the tail

Gunner was crouched over his weapon the

back of the helicopter was open and

suddenly green lights radar lights began

blinking inside the

cabin and the helicopter arched up over

over the city and for a moment I could

see framed in one of the windows Mimi's

bar one of the most famous bars in

Saigon where many American GI had lost

his shirt as well as his

innocence and I remember as we touched

down on that deck people all around me

were crying one Vietnamese woman we

brought out was holding her child in her

arms we managed to get her and her child

over the the wall of the embassy but

we'd failed to get her husband her life

life would be forever altered and we had

abandoned so many we should have rescued

and gotten out on the final

day on the last day the helicopters fer

7,000 to the evacuation Fleet weapons

are thrown overboard to prevent

trouble dozens of helicopters flown by

South Vietnamese Pilots arrive Uninvited

the 250 ,000 machines are ditched to

make room for those still

[Music]

arriving Ambassador Martin wants to

extend the evacuation Washington rejects

the recommendation as too risky I then

drove to my house to pick up my wife uh

I think the Marine guard uh log showed

that I was there for 11 minutes she

packed one bag and walked out she had

left everything that we had because

again to provide this Aura of stability

we had not packed anything uh because

the minute we had picked up one thing to

send out it would have been known all

over

Saigon U so she paid the sort of a

higher penalty than I did in the sense

of losing some of the treasured

possessions of a lifetime Martin is

among the very last to leave at 4:30

a.m. saigan time the senior American

official in Vietnam gets a final

order this young helicopter pilot came

into my office with this scroll on the

back of a pad that um um I never forget

it I mean the name of the helicopter was

the lazy Ace I think um and the

president of the United States directs

that Ambassador Martin come out on this

helicopter well what do you do then I

mean do you try to emulate Admiral

Nelson and put your Blind Eye out of the

telescope you know I mean you didn't

hear you didn't get it or and then for

45 years I had been a disciplined

officer of the United States government

and that I would not sort of spoil it in

the end by any Act of Disobedience and

so I got on the choer and came

[Music]

out at 7:53 a.m. April 30th the last

American troops leave 15 years of US

military presence

ends

the Communists Converge on the capital

in a five prong assault they overrun

Saigon airport occupy the military and

police headquarters then move through

the garbage lied streets past a days

population the final hours are

mercifully

bloodless a symbolic Target is the

Presidential Power

a single tank provides the battle finale

storming through the iron gates it is

11:00

a.m. a lone soldier runs forward to

raise the Communist

Flag by noon hano's troops fill the city

their flags are everywhere at the palace

they arrest South Vietnam's last

president General dang van Min he is

ordered to broadcast a message to his

remaining troops lay down your weapons

and surrender

unconditionally the Communist field

commander General zung writes of these

final Victory hours Our Generation had

known many Victorious mornings but there

had been no morning so fresh and

beautiful as this morning of total

victory for most of saigan the 10,000

day war ends with little immediate

change the black market reopens some

soldiers from the north succumb to The

Temptations reforms soon

follow in Hanoi the sudden Victory after

30 years of war brings immediate

celebration Saigon is renamed hoimin

City honoring the first president of

North

[Music]

Vietnam prime minister fam

vong we fought year after year in

extremely hard conditions which went

beyond all

imagination here I would like to repeat

president hoi min's Words which we

consider as a motto a

banner nothing is more precious than

Independence and

freedom

[Music]

in Saigon the Communist Victory Parade

is held May 7th the anniversary of the

French defeat 21 years

before Ambassador havan

[Music]

La there were a lot of emotions at that

moment everyone could breathe again the

war was over peace

reestablished and above all we became

the true masters of our own country our

own land

independent our first thoughts were of

our venerated president hoi Min who is

not there to see with his own eyes the

most glorious moment in our

history

change comes slowly to zon the Communist

Victors initially treat the people with

discretion but the old regime is purged

200,000 officials and Military Officers

are sent to re-education camps an

estimated million and a half City

dwellers are forcibly moved to the

countryside within 2 years the two

halves of the country are officially

unified as the Socialist Republic of

Vietnam the Vietnamese people's

Liberation Army began as a ragtag

assortment of

volunteers the Soviet equipped North

Vietnamese Army which parades through

Saigon is the fifth largest in the

world this impoverished agrarian Nation

built up a military force exceeded only

by the great Powers this Force has

brought America its longest and

costliest

[Music]

struggle as it ends the majority of

Americans express only belief that it is

finally

over more than 100 countries give

diplomatic recognition to

Vietnam President Carter is initially

sympathetic to establishing

ties a US delegation visits Hanoi in

1977 to pave the way but nothing comes

of it the US considers Vietnam too much

under Soviet

influence

[Music]

the twists of history and the impact of

prolonged War leave Vietnam as a

shattered land but it is one

land the Vietnamese are now one

[Applause]

[Music]

nation

[Applause]

know