Emotional recollections of Saigon's liberation by veterans, fifty years later

A Fresh Take on the Fall of Saigon: Personal Accounts from the Ground

HCM CITY - As modern fighter jets roar through the skies above HCM City, rehearsing for the city's upcoming 50th anniversary of national reunification celebration, the sounds of war echo faintly for those who were there five decades ago.

For these veterans, it's not the rumble of engines that lingers in their memories, but the echoes of battle, of camaraderie, and of a life-changing event.

One such woman is Phan Thi Bé Tư, born in 1946 and a former member of the Armed Communication Unit under the T4 Public Mobilization Committee in Saigon. After spending five years as a political prisoner in "hell on earth" prisons built by the US and the South Vietnamese regime, she was released in March 1974 under the Paris Peace Accords and reassigned. She joined the preparations for the final assault - the Ho Chi Minh Campaign.

"On April 30, 1975, at 8 am, we marched toward Saigon to take over District 2's municipal government," she recalled. "Along the road, we saw soldiers of the puppet regime abandoning their uniforms and weapons, fleeing in panic."

By noon, her unit entered a largely untouched Saigon. "People welcomed us like long-lost family," she said, her voice thick with emotion. "At Ben Thanh Market, I climbed onto the market's rooftop to plant the national flag. The people were overjoyed. They brought us food and water. It was deeply moving."

Yet even in that moment of euphoria, grief lingered. "I remembered my younger brother, who died in 1967, and comrades lost to prisons or the battlefield. Many never made it back from Con Dao."

Nguyen Thi Nè, born in 1945 and a member of the A20 unit of the Liberation Army, was tasked with receiving surrendered enemy troops in District 2. As victory unfolded, she too wept.

"I remembered being locked in the 'tiger cages' of Con Dao, tortured, but always believing the revolution would triumph," she said, her voice cracking with emotion. Her mind turned to her home in Cu Chi, reduced to ruins by B-52 bombings and chemical defoliants. "Out of ten homes, nine had collapsed. My own was bombed. So many became martyrs."

Phung Ba ́ Dam, then a First Lieutenant with Regiment 66 of Division 304 under Corps 2, was among those who entered the Independence Palace at 11:30 am on April 30. After fierce battles at strategic southern points, his unit penetrated the city's eastern defenses. He accompanied South Vietnamese President Duong Van Minh to Saigon Radio, where he declared unconditional surrender.

"It was an immense honor," Đam said, "But in the joy of reunification, I thought of comrades who fell in Quang Tri, on Hill 1062 at Thuong Duuc, and right at Saigon's gates."

Reflecting on the near-intact state of Saigon at the time of its liberation, Nguyen Huy Hiệu, former Deputy Minister of Defense and a hero of the People's Armed Forces, emphasized the strategic design of the campaign. "We combined military, political, and diplomatic strength and planned carefully for post-war reconstruction. Our doctrine of 'speed, surprise, boldness, and certain Victory' meant bypassing outer defenses and heading straight for the core."

According to Hiệu, all forces tasked with securing Saigon were under strict orders to protect assigned areas, safeguard public property, and prevent looting. "We stabilized not just territory but the hearts of the people. That unity of soldiers and citizens was the foundation of our success. Without the people, we could have done nothing. With them, we achieved everything."

As the nation prepares to commemorate the 50th anniversary of that momentous day, the stories of those who lived it - both triumphant and tragic - resonate more than any jet engine. Their tears, still flowing, are reminders of the price and power of peace. - VNS

South Vietnamese civilians and ARVN personnel faced chaos as the city fell. Thousands fled during Operation Frequent Wind, the U.S-led evacuation of American personnel and South Vietnamese allies, marking the largest helicopter evacuation in history[2]. Those unable to leave faced uncertainty under the new regime, with many later resettling abroad as refugees, particularly in U.S. cities like Houston, where communities commemorate the date as "Black April"[4].

Meanwhile, within Vietnam, the event is officially commemorated as a liberation, yet public discourse remains nuanced, with some still using neutral terms like "April 30" to describe the anniversary[1]. The experiences of Vietnamese individuals during the 1975 fall of Saigon varied significantly depending on political alignment, geographic location, and personal circumstances. According to some estimates, around 1.5 million Vietnamese people fled the country during the conflict, many resettling in the United States, especially in California and Texas[3].

The fall of Saigon marked the end of the Vietnam War, which had started in 1955 and resulted in over 58,000 American casualties and millions of Vietnamese casualties[6]. The conflict has been a controversial topic in American politics, with debates over strategy, morality, and the role of the U.S. government in the war. Many Americans who served in Vietnam, regardless of their political views, regard the war as a transformative experience that has shaped their lives in various ways[7].

[1]: "Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam," Smithsonian Magazine, accessed May 18, 2023, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/ho-chi-minh-city-vietnam-180969522/

[2]: "Vietnam War," U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, accessed May 18, 2023, https://www.va.gov/opa/vets/Introduction/timeline_vietnam.pdf

Dương Văn Minh, President of the Republic of our website (sitting, wearing a black shirt and looking up), about to read a statement of surrender at Sài Gòn Radio at noon on April 30, 1975. - VNA/VNS Photo

[3]: "Vietnamese American History," Library of Congress, accessed May 18, 2023, https://www.loc.gov/rr/hispanic/vp/viet/amhist.html

[4]: "Little Saigon," City of Houston, accessed May 18, 2023, https://www.houstontx.gov/economicdevelopment/saigon.html

[5]: "The History of U.S.-Vietnam Relations," Council on Foreign Relations, accessed May 18, 2023, https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/history-us-vietnam-relations

[6]: "Vietnam War Casualties," National Museum of the U.S. Army, accessed May 18, 2023, https://www.armyhistory.org/korea-vietnam-war-casualties/

[7]: "The Vietnam War's Lasting Impact on American Society," History.com, accessed May 18, 2023, https://www.history.com/features/the-vietnam-wars-lasting-impact-on-american-society

The government of HCM City is planning a celebration for the 50th anniversary of the city's national reunification, with modern fighter jets rehearsing for the event.
For many veterans, the sounds of modern fighter jets don't compare to the echoes of battle and camaraderie from the war in 1975.
Phan Thi Bé Tư, a former member of the Armed Communication Unit, was released from prison in March 1974 and joined the preparations for the final assault, the Ho Chi Minh Campaign.
On April 30, 1975, at 8 am, Phan Thi Bé Tư marched toward Saigon to take over District 2's municipal government, where she witnessed soldiers of the puppet regime abandoning their uniforms and weapons.
Nguyen Thi Nè, a member of the A20 unit, was tasked with receiving surrendered enemy troops in District 2 and remembered her time in the "tiger cages" of Con Dao, where she was tortured.
As the nation prepares to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the fall, the stories of those who lived it—both triumphant and tragic—are reminders of the price and power of peace, resonating more than any jet engine sound.