The fall of Saigon – The end of the Vietnam War
With the adoption of the War Powers Act by the U.S. Congress in November 1973, South Vietnam was left without military allies. Inexorably, the North Vietnam forces encircled Saigon, prompting the U.S. embassy to evacuate its citizens and 50 000 Vietnamese. On 30 April 1975, 15 North Vietnamese infantry divisions, supported by hundreds of tanks, heavy artillery and aircraft, reached the presidential palace. Saigon, soon renamed Ho Chi Minh city, capitulated without conditions. The Vietnam War was finally over.
In the series:
Jan. 19: Charles de Gaulle said “non” to the UK joining the European Community. January 1963. Did he foresee Brexit?
Jan. 26: “Vive le Québec Libre”; de Gaulle in Quebec, July 24, 1967
Feb. 2: The fall of Saigon – The end of the Vietnam War, April 30, 1975
Feb. 9: Tiananmen Square massacre, June 3-4, 1989
Feb. 16: The fall of the Berlin Wall, the end of the Cold War? November 9, 1989