Funding for this program is made possible by the Mississippi Gulf Coast National Heritage Area, the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, and by Mississippi State University.

[Emcee] We would like Mr.

Trong come forward to the podium.

[soft music] [In Vietnamese] Dear distinguish guests, on behalf of the organizing committee once again we would like to thank you for being here with us We would like to extend a warm welcome to all of you who have come to join us today, on April 30th.

This is the day when our beloved homeland, along with fifty million of our people, was taken into the chains of com This is the day of the downfall of our nation.

Our civil rights were seized from that day onward.

Our people no longer participate in politics.

From that moment, human rights were stripped away, and all of our freedoms were tak We can imagine that on April 30t the day our country fell into the hands of communism, how many of our people left thei homeland, their nation, their la to search for freedom?

[soft music] [Nguyen] This is my mom's house in Vietnam after '75.

Long time ago.

And I think this must be my sister.

One of my sisters.

I can't remember.

And this is a picture of My--, the church in my village.

I love this picture.

The church in my village.

This is my little daughter.

This is the parade in my country before 1975 in my village.

This is the bishop in Vietnam.

He sent me a letter.

I never returned the letter to him because I know I cannot come back there.

I'm not going to go back to Vietnam.

He's a very good priest and a very good bishop.

[Interviewer] When you look at these pictures, how do you feel?

[Nguyen] Just like I sleep yesterday and come back today.

[laughs] The past-- when you're old like me, the past come out just like you're sleeping.

You just wake up.

It's in your dream.

I was born in 1948 in North Vietnam.

In Nam Dinh city, North Vietnam.

In 1954, we have a Geneva agreement from the world.

From France, English, Japan, Chinese, and Vietnamese.

They cut Vietnam country into two parts.

The North part was belong to the communists.

The South part belonged-- republic, free people.

The freedom like United States, like South Korea and North Korea.

They allow us to flee.

If you don't like the communists, you can move.

By that time, I was seven years old.

And my dad took us to move from North Vietnam to South Vietnam.

When I finished my high school, my dad say, stay home.

You don't have to go to college.

Stay home, marry and have a good family.

That's what my dad words.

I was different.

I was 25 by that time.

26 by that time.

26 by that time.

And what I want to be, I want to be a president.

I want to be a president of South Vietnam.

To fight with the communists in North Vietnam.

[Lyndon Johnson] We do not seek the destruction of any government, nor do we covet a foot of any territory.

But we insist, and we will always insist, that the people of South Vietnam shall have the right of choice.

The right to shape their own destiny.

This was the purpose of the 1954 agreements, which the communists have now cruelly shattered.

[Nguyen] They made me get in service because of the war coming up.

And I got in service.

I got in service, and I got in the air force.

[plane engine roaring] They sent me over here for training.

They sent me over here for training in air force to become an officer.

And I was trained in 1971.

Middle of '71 I come here.

And I come here '7-- I stay here '72.

And early of '73 I'm going home.

I'm going back to my country.

And I serviced in my unit half of the year in 1973, '74, early in '75.

The communists took over.

The reason for invasion, the United States cut the supply off for South Vietnam government and South Vietnam military: army and air force.

Everything.

[Sonny Montgomery] We're doing our part in this type of war that we're fighting.

In fact, I will go so far to say we have done our part in Vietnam.

Now, it's up to the people of South Vietnam, it's up to the government of South Vietnam, and its up to the leadership of South Vietnam to accept more responsibility in fighting this war.

[chanting in vietnamese] [Nguyen] We have one million soldiers, right?

In South Vietnam, we have one million soldiers totally.

By that time, we have eight division, eight division.

Include the army in the province.

Each province have at least ten battalion army.

They give us tanks.

The United States gave me M13, M48.

By that time, it's great by that time.

But when they cut the supply off, we have no gas to drive.

M48 docked right there, parked right there with no gas.

Can't run.

The tank run a lot of gas.

And they don't give a gas for us anymore.

1973, I will meet with my commander in my unit, and we sit and cry.

1974, we sit and cry.

One year we have $300 for one for our soldier.

By that time, one bullet of M16, you know the bullet of M16, cost $7 for one bullet.

Each of our soldiers have about $0.70 a day for fighting.

Uniform, boot, gun, ammo, and bullets to fight with $0.70 a day.

You think it work?

We die.

Our country was very long.

1,200 kilometer.

And from the middle of Vietnam to the end of South Vietnam is the land of only 650 kilometer is about like 400 miles.

And on that 400 miles, we moved back to Saigon.

When army moved back, they killed the army a lot.

And not only the army moved, the people run away from communists, they killed them too.

A lot of people got killed.

A lot of people got killed.

I see everything.

I see the people die on the street right in front of me.

I see my soldier killed themselves.

They sit together and with a lieutenant with them.

Seven of them sit with lieutenant and say, "boss, I'm with you."

You have a hand grenade.

Three of them have a hand grenade.

They sit around and put a hand grenade in the middle.

Boom!

They all die.

I can't.

I'm a Catholic.

I'm not killed by myself.

You know?

I accept what God give to me.

And I still alive now to tell about-- my friend die, my people die by the mistake of politician.

I don't want to think about it.

[soft music] [Thomas Vu] Saigon is a big city.

They call like the pearl.

The pearl of the Far East.

That's Saigon; beautiful.

I recall that time, it's very peaceful.

Even that time, it's war time, the city never looked like it never sleep.

On and on.

I see a lot of the activity there.

We have shopping.

We have restaurants.

We have a hotel.

Beautiful.

We have the product, everything we have in the United States.

Like a beer or the candy chocolate or liquor, fruit, apple, pear.

We have almost everything there.

It's not like no-- we don't feel like war.

Beautiful.

And very peaceful.

And we have-- I think that time we have a very good life.

[soft music] [machine gunfire] That time is-- the war was spread out very widely.

And North Vietnamese attacks almost everywhere at that time.

The only good place is South, near Saigon or Saigon.

So most of the people just, oh, just leave their hometown and go to the South to avoid to be killed.

I learned from the news the communists make a deal with American government.

And they asked the American embassy withdraw all the American and military personnel.

And everybody related to American government have to leave Saigon within 24 hours.

And that's a very short time.

And that time, the communists are still bombing.

They're bombing of Tan Son Nhut Airport.

So that's why American airplane cannot land or take off.

That's the only way we have to go to American embassy so the helicopter can land in, and they can pick you up.

I and my brother-in-law, we rode on the motorcycle to the American embassy.

[gunshots] And on the way, already have a battle on the side of the highway.

And looked like the communist is approaching Saigon already.

[Interviewer] What did the city look like?

Was it normal?

Like, what did it-- [Vu] No, not normal.

Everybody panic.

[Reporter] The docks on Tuesday morning were crammed with thousands of Vietnamese desperate to escape from Saigon by any means possible.

As we, the press and the Americans evacuating, made our drive through Saigon to the American embassy, people, mostly families, pleaded with us for a seat, and they hung to the coach.

The city was suddenly choked with people, lorries and cars all chasing one American evacuation convoy after the other.

Jams that the Vietnamese police tried to clear with their rifles.

But people were no longer afraid of them.

There was now so much more to be afraid of.

[Vu] When I reach to the American embassy, a big crowd.

A very big crowd.

Everyone come get in and try to get in to the compound.

And I saw a lot of helicopters in and out from an aircraft carrier to an American embassy on the top.

And just back and forth.

So many fly and nonstop.

[helicopter engine roaring] Everybody very concerned because of the time is very limited.

It's 1,000 people in there.

When every time the gate open, and the people push in and out of control.

So very difficult to reach that point.

And because at that time you can see it, you can hear the battle somewhere in the city still fighting.

So between life and death, you have to find a way.

So I and all the people, and some Americans too, we see the gate, the fence is not too high.

We just climb up.

Climb up and go in.

And when I reach to the inside the American embassy, everybody has to sit down nearby the swimming pool.

I have to go-- take turn to go on the stair walk, stairway to go to the top of the American embassy.

So when helicopter they landed, and I get in.

That time is I don't feel very much feeling.

But now when I look down from the helicopter to the city, I know I'm going to lose my country.

And I saw all the people on the flight, they start to cry.

They start to cry.

I feel like we lost something.

Something very valuable.

Value.

And I cannot-- I feel like down.

I feel very everything down.

Thinking about a father or mother and brother and sister, all the family.

But I have no choice.

No-, Everybody is the same feeling.

We're going to lose Vietnam.

That's the point.

[Interviewer] Did everybody make it out on the helicopters?

[Vu] I don't think so.

Not 100%.

When the agreement between communist and American embassy over, I think the embassy still have 1,000 people still there.

They have no chance to get in because the time is over.

[Reporter] But do you know that all the Americans are gone?

[Woman] Yes, I know that.

But in case, just in case.

[Reporter] But there's no way because all the helicopters are gone.

[Woman] Can you help us?

[Vu] Then after I think about a few hours later, maybe a couple hours later, two hours, three hours, the communists run over American embassy.

[Reporter] This is now what is left of the American involvement in Vietnam.

The US embassy behind me has been completely looted.

The South Vietnamese obviously are angry at the American withdrawal.

Many of them have said that they were left out in the evacuation.

They were unable to make the helicopters.

Many of them were American employees.

They have had to stay, and they will now have to stay and cope with communism in South Vietnam.

[soft music] [Interviewer] How long were you a prisoner of war?

[Nguyen] Four years.

When I got out of POW camp, my dad say, "Go.

Go-... God, go.

You don't have to stay here."

I go seven time, escape.

Couldn't make it right.

The last time was seven, time number seven.

I go with my boat of my cousin, the boat of my cousin.

I come out to be a captain to bring the boat to cross over the sea.

I feel like God bless me.

I feel like God bless me.

And God bring me to the United States.

Funding for this program is made possible by the Mississippi Gulf Coast National Heritage Area, the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, and by Mississippi State University.