April 30, 2023: Fall of Saigon Remembrance Day in Michigan

 

April 30, 2023

WHEREAS, April 30, 2023, marks the 48^th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam war and the start of an exodus of several million Vietnamese out of Vietnam after the South Vietnamese’s capitol of Saigon fell to communists on April 30, 1975; and,

WHEREAS, for many Vietnamese and Veterans who were directly involved in the war and Vietnamese Americans who have settled in the United States the Vietnam war was a tragedy full of suffering and the loss of American, Vietnamese, and Southeast Asian lives; and,

WHEREAS, over 58,000 people were killed and 304,000 people were wounded out of the 2.59 million who served in the Vietnam War; one out of every ten Americans who served in Vietnam became a casualty of war; and,

WHEREAS, South Vietnamese armed forces lost 275,000 soldiers and many more were wounded, along with an unknown number of casualties among Vietnamese citizens; and,

WHEREAS, starting in 1975, and lasting through the mid-1990s, multiple waves of Vietnamese refugees began leaving Vietnam; nearly 800,000 people risked their lives on small, dangerous boats to travel to resettlement camps in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines before eventually being resettled in the United States; and,

WHEREAS, in order to serve their community and prosper in America, Vietnamese Americans founded well-established and thriving Vietnamese American commercial districts throughout the United States, including in southeast Oakland County and in West Michigan; and, 

WHEREAS, more than 25,000 Vietnamese people now live in Michigan; and, 

WHEREAS, we must teach our children and future generations important lessons from the Vietnam War, including how the plight of Vietnamese refugees following the end of the war serves as a powerful example of the values of freedom and democracy;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Gretchen Whitmer, governor of Michigan, do hereby proclaim April 30, 2023, as Fall of Saigon/Black April Remembrance Day in Michigan.

 SOURCE:

https://www.michigan.gov/whitmer/news/proclamations/2023/04/30/april-30-2023-fall-of-saigon-remembrance-day?fbclid=IwAR37L1-fc_AEQamPXvzRxLx35p9ya8OQsYG6hDLZtVBXZZX0ufmpnuoS6j4 

 

Buổi Thượng Kỳ Tưởng Niệm Ngày 30/4/2023 Tại Tòa Thị Chính Thành Phố Boston, MA

 

 

24/10/1954: Tổng thống Eisenhower cam kết ủng hộ miền Nam Việt Nam --- 23/04/1975: Ford tuyên bố chiến tranh đã kết thúc ở Mỹ

 

24/10/1954: Tổng thống Eisenhower cam kết ủng hộ miền Nam Việt Nam  

Nguồn: President Eisenhower pledges support to South Vietnam, History.com

SOURCE:

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/u-s-president-pledges-support-to-south-vietnam

 

President Eisenhower pledges support to Diem’s government and military forces.

Eisenhower wrote to South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem and promised direct assistance to his government. Eisenhower made it clear to Diem that U.S. aid to his government during Vietnam’s “hour of trial” was contingent upon his assurances of the “standards of performance [he] would be able to maintain in the event such aid were supplied.” Eisenhower called for land reform and a reduction of government corruption. Diem agreed to the “needed reforms” stipulated as a precondition for receiving aid, but he never actually followed through on his promises. Ultimately his refusal to make any substantial changes to meet the needs of the people led to extreme civil unrest and eventually a coup by dissident South Vietnamese generals in which Diem and his brother were murdered.

23/04/1975: Ford tuyên bố chiến tranh đã kết thúc ở Mỹ 

SOURCE:

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/ford-says-that-war-is-finished-for-america 

 

At a speech at Tulane University, President Gerald Ford says the Vietnam War is finished as far as America is concerned. “Today, Americans can regain the sense of pride that existed before Vietnam. But it cannot be achieved by re-fighting a war.” This was devastating news to the South Vietnamese, who were desperately pleading for U.S. support as the North Vietnamese surrounded Saigon for the final assault on the capital city.

The North Vietnamese had launched a major offensive in March to capture the provincial capital of Ban Me Thuot (Darlac province) in the Central Highlands. The South Vietnamese defenders there fought very poorly and were quickly overwhelmed by the North Vietnamese attackers. Despite previous promises by both Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford to provide support, the United States did nothing.

In an attempt to reposition his forces for a better defense, South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu ordered his forces in the Highlands to withdraw to more defensible positions to the south. What started out as a reasonably orderly withdrawal soon degenerated into a panic that spread throughout the South Vietnamese armed forces. The South Vietnamese abandoned Pleiku and Kontum in the Highlands with very little fighting and the North Vietnamese pressed the attack from the west and north. In quick succession, Quang Tri, Hue, and Da Nang in the north fell to the communist onslaught. The North Vietnamese continued to attack south along the coast, defeating the South Vietnamese forces at each encounter.

As the North Vietnamese forces closed on the approaches to Saigon, the politburo in Hanoi issued an order to Gen. Van Tien Dung to launch the “Ho Chi Minh Campaign,” the final assault on Saigon itself. Dung ordered his forces into position for the final battle.

The South Vietnamese 18th Division made a valiant final stand at Xuan Loc, 40 miles northeast of Saigon, in which the South Vietnamese soldiers destroyed three of Dung’s divisions. However, the South Vietnamese finally succumbed to the superior North Vietnamese numbers. With the fall of Xuan Loc on April 21 and Ford’s statement at Tulane, it was apparent that the North Vietnamese would be victorious. President Thieu resigned and transferred authority to Vice President Tran Van Huong before fleeing Saigon on April 25.

By April 27, the North Vietnamese had completely encircled Saigon and began to maneuver for their final assault. By the morning of April 30, it was all over. When the North Vietnamese tanks crashed through the gates of the Presidential Palace in Saigon, the South Vietnamese surrendered and the Vietnam War was officially over.

 .