Notes

The End of the Vietnam War
best vietnam war movies of the vietnam war was a moment of triumph for the communist North. On 30 April 1975 the flag of the National Liberation Front was raised over Saigon. President Duong Van Thieu resigned in a tearful televised announcement. This day, celebrated by some as 'Liberation Day', by others as 'the day we lost Vietnam' or 'Black April', is remembered with a mixture of pride and resentment by Vietnamese and Overseas Vietnamese today.

The war's origins go back to the Geneva Conference of 1949, when France ceded control of its former colony to Ho Chi Minh's communist Democratic Republic of Vietnam, with the State of South Vietnam governing the south west of the 17th parallel. The US had entered the conflict to uphold its global policy of containment and reassure its allies, particularly in the wake of Soviet expansion into East Asia and the threat to the West of communist influence in South Vietnam.

Initially it seemed as though the US and North Vietnamese had reached a deal to end the war, allowing the Americans to withdraw troops in return for an independent South Vietnam under the U.S-backed government of Nguyen Van Thieu and the release of American prisoners of war. But Nguyen Van Thieu was a weak leader who made few concessions, and in January 1968 communist forces launched the Tet Offensive, a devastating military offensive across dozens of cities and towns. The US began to lose faith in its ally and withdrew completely in April 1975, ending the long era of American hegemony in Indochina.

But the final days of the war were bitterly cold and bloody for the Vietnamese people. As a result of the war, more than two million were killed – both civilians and combatants. Many of those who lived to see the 'fall of Saigon' experienced profound post-traumatic stress disorder, and it has taken decades for many to recover.

In the years after the war, the reunified nation worked hard to overcome its many post-war challenges. Poverty was dramatically reduced – from 78% of the population living below the official poverty line in 1978 to 32% by 2000. Nevertheless, socialist factions remained strong and it would be a while before the country moved to a capitalist economy.

Today, the reunified nation is a vibrant and diverse society that has embraced the values of globalisation, with an economy that is growing rapidly. But it is also a country that has not forgotten the lessons of its difficult past, and it has much more to learn from the legacy of its tragic war. This anniversary is a time to remember the victims, to pay our respects to those who died and to reflect on what we have learned from the tragedy of the Vietnam War. We should also consider what we have to gain from this legacy of loss, friendship and reconciliation. It's an opportunity to re-engage with the rich history of Vietnam.
Homepage: https://vietnam-war-photos.com/