Kiem Do, a colonel in the South Vietnamese Navy, remembers the solemn flag-lowering ceremony aboard the U.S.S. Kirk after the fall of Saigon. "Last Days in Vietnam" airs April 28, 2015 on PBS American Experience.
that is very sad im a filipino and im a shame of what my country have done to those south vietnamese people my apology but that is a very touching video singing your national antheme for the one last time.
@@kritische3959 He's not distorting history. The Government under Ferdinand Marcos in the Philippines recognized the new North Vietnamese controlled regime in Vietnam, which meant that they couldn't dock the ships to unload the refugees, which required the flag lowering ceremony to be necessary. That is what he is apologizing for.
+yakikadafi the North vietnamese loved their country even whole of Vietnam and wanted to be unified.The south Vietnamese didn't love there country but only think about living that's it.South Vietnam's government was all Catholic and was corrupted as hell
Every Veterans Day Parade in Austin, Texas, I have seen four or five old ARVN vets - in uniform - marching with their flag. Everyone honors their service.
I was a South Vietnamese refugee, first to the Philippines, then to the USA. But in the US we were thrust into the racial conflicts at the time and we didn't want to keep fighting, so we went to Guatemala and El Salvador but we saw the same situation happening, so we moved to Mexico and now I am a proud Mexican citizen.
@@nathannguyen-r6s Life's pretty good here. Not the best but better than runaway American puppet's life. And begginng a sentence with "fuck u" in a political video already show that you are not a good person
Quốc Đạt Trần pretty air pollution, pretty shit river, pretty hight tax, pretty protitutions, pretty slave export, pretty refugee (9 Vietnamese National Assembly deputies fled to Korea) pretty construction of billion of debt... and so on
13 Yrs old, South Vietnamese. As I watched this video, I felt like crying. My grandpa is Lt. Doan of the SVA, He lost one of his balls during the war. He told me a few stories of the war. Every day I wear a Pin of the South Vietnamese flag to school and every time I meet My Grandpa I give him a Salute and always shook his hand. He's still alive. When I go to the U.S army, I'm going to Serve for My country and represent Myself as a South Vietnamese-American Soldier. Edit 3/23/2021: Lieutenant. Doan passed away at the age of 87 in June 2019. R.I.P - Thank you to all who showed interest. My goal to serve this nation's Army still stands!
As a Vietnamese who escaped as a toddler with my parents a few years after The Fall of Saigon, watching this clip absolutely breaks my heart and left me in tears to see the flag of South Vietnam lowered as the country collapsed.
at least he's being sheltered by the most powerful nation in terms of military power and economy in the world, still better than some pro-claimed "liberators" who won the war by the excessive provision of equipments by the ussr
@@kasaitobi9606 the ROV originates from "State of Vietnam" which is a state created by the French with the puppet Emporer Bao Dai as it's leader, it originates from the French not Vietnamese
My great grandfather was a Captain in the French/ Vietnamese Navy. He was killed in the Vietnam war. My grandfather was a Major in the South Vietnamese Army. He survived and moved to San Francisco in 1984. My grandfather lived there until he passed away on December 30th, 2020. In honor of these family members, I will join the US Navy and become a Fighter jet pilot after university.
@@sirethanthegreat4069 80 percent of all south Vietnamese supported or joined the communist cause or simply were viligers put in a. Free fire zone were Americans bombed them or they had there crops burned and s"arved to death. But even if it was only commies u are alright with k"lling women and children if they are commies?? Your a comm"nist p"ick becouse only communists think that way
@@tonyjoka2346 You forget that the VC after 1954 didnt go north, so you can't say 80% of all S.Vietnam supported the communist - after divided the country up in 1954, majority of communist sympathyzer still stay in the south.
Dear Vietnamese people of old sound Viet Nam , you didn't lose the one and only Việt Nam, I and many people inside the country are really welcome you guys back to the country to build the country bigger , prettier, more powerful to fight against the true enemy : China . Let's forget the past , after all we are "Đồng Bào " to each other , please , don't be so hatred to us . /sincerely, a person among people /
The Southern Vietnamese have been in the US for so long that I don't think they want to go back at this point. I would also like to think that they would prefer to live in a democratic country. Just saying
amen brother. The whole world supports Vietnam, a beautiful country with lovely, determined people. I think only Cambodia has a dislike for Vietnam, which I found hard to understand given Vietnam's help against the Khmer Rouge - which hugely boosted my respect for your country while undermining my respect for China and especially the fat **** Mao.
@@cbrtdgh4210 I really wish he wouldn't put his imperialist little hands on Tibet and his successors invading Vietnam sovereignty over their pro-genocidal ideology.
I lived in Tacoma, Washington, In 1978 I was in the sixth grade we received a group of Vietnamese refugee students who had escaped Vietnam on boats. We taught them American Football and how to say funny things in English and what to eat for lunch, etc.
One thing I wish we had on our smartphones was the South Vietnamese yellow flag with a three red stripes as an emoticon symbol. I can get the American flag and even the Communist Vietnamese flag but I can't get the real South Vietnamese flag and that's sad.
@@tedmccarron tens millions of Vietnamese? U sure? Or I should tell u that some S.Vietnam guy they lost the war. Then they always said that people in Vietnam need freedom. They want the world have a bad looks about vietnam nowadays.
The land is gone the government is gone the physical foot step are lost but the memory aren’t the heart of the country is still there the city’s are still there just under someone else’s rules. And the heart of the country will remain in the heart of south Vietnamese people
The land still belong to the Vietnamese. They just lost their gov, which they should be already used to, as there were plenty of coups and millitary junta gov in South Vietnam.
@@angkhoanguyen6114 because the people didn't want to give it up, they were happy despite the corrupt government and poor military strategies but still they had families, they wanted freedom, make their own businesses
even South Vietnamese Navy was among the very rare forces ever to have engaged the Chinese in modern history. Battle of Paracel Island, 1974 is the most typical example.
If you think of it, today's Vietnam with it's capitalist free market and affinity for the US is more resembling of the Saigon government than the one of Hanoi.
@@reevanamin5865 I agree! Wow, I can buy a Vizio HDTV from Wal-Mart that was made in Vietnam 🇻🇳! How can a communist Vietnam have a free market!? WTF! What would Marx say!?🤯
I had lost my beloved country,I miss Republic of Vietnam,I miss Republic of Vietnam Military Forces,I miss my country -Thien - South Vietnam - Kien Giang 3 18 2018...
@Tuan Huynh the ARVN fought to the bitter end against the horrible Communist onslaught. Vietnam lost its freedom that day and became a totalitarian communist hellhole country. Nearly 3 million Vietnamese fled the country after the war.
One thing I don't understand at all: the Philippines was run by anti-communist leader Ferdinand Marcos at that time. Why in the hell would he have immediately thrown South Vietnamese recognition under the bus in favor of the Communists?
@@worldentertainmentvang7307 Aren't Laos still one openly endorsing Communism and the only legal political party is the Lao People's Revolutionary Party?
@@thaochipham6010 Laos still a communist country since 1975 after the takeover and overthrow the Royal Lao Kingdom (Abolished). Today “The People of Laos wanted changes and protested against the government and propaganda, but it was only one government fractions, Laotian communist police arrests thousands of protesters and lied to the people for 45 years.
@@floofypoofybread I just found some information that The CIA secretly trained Hmong forces in the war and they fight for the Royal Lao Government in Exile. No wonder he hates Lao People's Revolutionary Party
@Tuan Huynh We didn't fail, Tuan. Our own government limited us then made us go home. It was way before my time but we allowed evil to triumph and it doesn't break my heart any less.
@Tuan Huynh Thing is, Confederates were into slavery. We weren't. Besides, slavery was abolished centuries ago. Vietnam was communist, we weren't. Unless you are trying to say the Confederacy is like South Vietnam, search the facts because it's a big difference.
@@Celery296 communism in theory is the way to make all people equal but in reality if you’re government owns almost every aspect of the country they are supposed to give back to the people but what they really do is the leader of a communist regime actually takes the money instead of giving it to the people. Think about North and South Korea, South Korea uses capitalism and the North uses communism and I think you know which one is more successful.
To the south vietnamese I'm sorry that my country lost the war. If it weren't for the corrupted government, the leftist protesting the war, and the lack of strategy we could have won the Vietnam war. From the United States 🇺🇸
Even when the Americans left, South Vietnamese forces made valiant efforts with dwindling resources and even stopped Viet Cong from advancing in some battles. Unfortunately, the military aid in weapons, ammunitions, etc. stopped and it was too much to overcome.
"I had lost my beloved country" These are the lucky men of the Army of Republic of Vietnam . The ones stayed behind like my father and his fellow officers and enlisted men had to endured captivity by the invading communist forces . They had lost their dignity , their homes , their families , their friends and most important of all their beloved country which they have defended valiantly against the tirade of invading communist forces only to be abandoned by their trusted friend and ally , the American government led Gerald Ford . The loss of dignity continued when the American Congress led by the so called anti war & peace loving Democrats (aka Joe Biden) tried to block the acceptance of the 200 000 refugees who recently lost their families and their homeland
Will u answer me this question my friend? If the communists were the bad guys who were invading and if south Vietnam was "free" and a better nation than the North like u describe it to be and if the communists wer eso oppressive and evil and if the Americans wer eso nice to u than tell me this how come the richer south Vietnam with billions of dollors given to develop bul y the strongest nation in earth including had that nations army behind it how did u fail to be at the m"sarable e"il and poorer communist North Vietnam somting doesn't add upp oh I see what it is the will fo the people the onyl reason the communists won is couse almost evry Vietnamese fought for there couse so u wer enever invaded ur own people the South Vietnamese told u and ur friends that if u want to fight for America u can f"ck o"f so answer me how u failed to beat that poor nation
The decision by the U.S Congress to withdraw troops from Vietnam wasn't done purely because the democrats were anti-war. The majority of Americans were against the war at this time, not the democrats. Blame the damn hippie movement, not the democrats. I also don't know how mentioning Joe Biden is even appropriate here. He had only just begun his political career like 1 year prior to the withdrawal from Vietnam.
My grandad was a captain in ARVN. He was KIA. Our family later lost the country. We moved to us and I join the army. I mean USA was not my first country. My first country is always Vietnam, south Vietnam. A country was lost and I hope that USA can be my second home.
I’m a Vietnamese myself, I prefer the communists tbh. The 3 stripes government oppressed many races, religious groups and the Americans committed terrible crimes in the country. Still, we forgive them and would welcome them anytime , just don’t go around saying the republic was the true country. FYI:we have clean drinking water, almost 90% of infrastructure have A/C, cheap clean foods. Stop treating communism countries like its a bad thing
People try to apologize for the communists today. Maybe there's some truth to what they say, but that doesn't change the fact that these people fought and died for their country, a country they loved. It wasn't perfect, but it was _theirs._ The fact that American politicians played politics with Vietnam is pathetic and inexcusable, and our refusal to fight the war right cost these people their home. The fact that the communists didn't recognize that, for all their talk of freedom, _they weren't wanted,_ is just as cruel.
Am very sorry south vietnam it looks like north vietnam is the true country I’m sorry my own kind country south vietnam I’m in tear I’m from south vietnam.
For some reason, the fall of south vietnam angers me, people wanted a different type of government but in the end the south had it coming due to poor leadership, corrupt government and weak army, the u.s just wanted to prevent communism but the communist part of vietnam idolized the u.s. At least they're good friends now
America tried. It poured billions of dollars into South Vietnam and thousands of lives were lost trying to keep the government afloat and Communists contained. But the links between the French colonisers, the Catholic Mafia and the ethnically Han business elite in the South were just too much for the Americans to confront. Vietnam wanted to be one country. The Northern peasants wanted it more than the Southern merchants. The good news was that Western involvement delayed the communist takeover in Vietnam long enough that the Communists didn't go full Maoist/ North Korea. While there were horrible reprisals after the fall of Saigon - Vietnam did not become North Korea. They also got rid of the Khmer Rouge - which was to their credit. They are now a surprising Western ally that is getting rich off involvement in international markets. Eventually it will get so rich that the middle classes will demand decision making power. Just like Taiwan, South Korea and the Philippines.
This was just my point of view, if the U.S didn't stop on providing some military aides on South Vietnam perhaps the tide of war could have been not in favor by the communist state backed up North, that if they could have still some vital support that came to the U.S they could still hold even further. As a people of the ASEAN country i am deeply concern that this terrible event in our history, would be repeated once again, were the political interest was simply emege over the fate of the war battered nation.
@@chung-heejeong7172 Same for those who used US supplies against the North, we are different. We were united at first and then the beasts of the west came. Invaded, created puppet governments and done a lot of worst things on our land. Bet you guys justify for them just because they are your ally.
When the French defeated and left Vietnam in 1954. The country divided into two partition states: North Vietnam is the communist and the South is Republic under Democracy government. So, let both side of Vietnam run their countries the way they want. The American participated in to assist by providing aids to South Vietnam to fight back the International Communist (that is Soviet Union and China). So, the US helped South Vietnam so long until 1973 and declared to withdraw cutting significant aids to South Vietnam. The let South Vietnam fight alone against North Vietnam (North Vietnam with the helps from Soviet and China)...and so those nations (US, Australia, Korea, Philippines, Thailand and the whole West) under Democracy running away. Sounds great, huh? Ultimately, the citizens of the Republic of South Vietnam collapsed and its people stranded and faced the consequences of all cost: jails, rapes, rootings, refugees, death, poor, loss....You name it. Why the West entered the war rather let South Vietnam taking care of their country from the beginning, so they didn't depend on the West? You promised and ran away from this war.
But now, when Northern treachery attempts our rights to mar We hoist on high the bright yellow flag that bears three bright red stripes. Hurrah, Hurrah! For Southern Rights, Hurrah! Hurrah, for the bright yellow flag that bears three bright red stripes.
I like your modified version of the Bonnie blue flag song what butter you made such a great song why would you have a communist symbol and communist name for your profile?
@@tedmccarron My apologies. I meant it as a parody, as a poke at South Vietnam in comparing it to the Confederate States. Both southern entities are in the latrine of history put there be progressive revolutionary forces. Two thumbs up for "Northern tyranny" in America and Vietnam!
@@BolshevikCarpetbagger1917 yeah but in Subway's the situations were very opposite. In America the north fought to free the slaves and during the Vietnam war North Vietnam fought make all of Vietnam live under communist slavery.
@@tedmccarron Wrong. In both cases the North fought to free people from slavery. In America, black people. In Vietnam their people. In both cases: Your side lost. The Confederacy represents an era when America was "great" to you people just like that dilapidated out house called South Vietnam was "great" for the U.S backed butchers. Both benefited from industrialization, education, and other progressive developments. Both countries were made whole. Vietnam today is one of the most thriving countries in Asia. What you call "tyranny" I call progress.
@@BolshevikCarpetbagger1917 Who was being enslaved by or in South Vietnam? No one. Communism is slavery. It robs people of everything that makes them human and gives their lives meaning. Yes, Ngo Dinh Diem did persecute Buddhists but he was removed and killed. And did the US force former Confederate civilians into torture camps when they won? No. They reconciled and helped them rebuild. Not even the soldiers were punished. Just sent home
0:58 One true fact of South Vietnam's anthem("Tiếng Gọi Công Dân", composed in 1948) is that it was a fake copycat version of the song (Thanh Niên Hành Khúc, composed in 1939) composed by Lưu Hữu Phước, which he composed and support for North Vietnam. The author Lưu Hữu Phước was extremely protest the action that South Vietnamese government take it and fake it into their anthem, but he cannot change anything. Later on, he joined the Liberation Front and compose more songs that encourage Vietnam citizens to against the US and its puppet Saigon government.
@RogerwilcoFoxtrot Sadly it was. Thieu said it himself, they only did what the Americans instructed. (this was probably said in around 1970s, pardon my memory)
@@minhtovunhat5389 THEY DID WHAT THE americans wanted because they didnt want to end up like diem, who thought independently, was anti french and anticommunist and ran the country exactly how he liked. america fucked everything up.
Not every one of Vietnamese descent has the last name of Nguyen. Nguyen is the most common last name in Vietnam as it was the last Vietnamese Dynasty to exist. (143 years of existence) There are still last names like; Vo, Ngo, Tram, Pham, Huynh, etc. Fun Fact : Huynh last name origins aren't Vietnamese, they're Chinese. The Huynh Dynasty never existed as the Huynh last names originate from the Chinese Huang Dynasty. The reason as to why they changed the name from Huang to Huynh was because of Vietnamese Taboo which forbids Chinese Last Names. The reason why Huynh even exists in the first place is that during the 1920s/30s many Chinese fled to Vietnam due to the CCP and RoC conflicts in China. (this is how my Grandfather came to Vietnam) I hope this answers your question!
I was born in south Vietnam my old country south Vietnam was defeat by north Vietnam and I go to Philippines 🇵🇭 bc south Vietnam is defeat I miss you south vietnam 😭
Your government was a puppet state, disloyal to your country, suppressed the masses & allowed Colonial powers to exploit for recourses, that’s why your beloved South fell, most SVA soldiers did not know what War they fought on after USA withdrew from the War.
@@JoeBubanNV you seem confused. North Vietnam was the puppet state under Soviet control. They won simply because the Soviets loaded them up with Soviet military equipment while traitorous U.S. Democrats cut aid to South Vietnam. It was a formula to ensure totalitarian Communist victory.
Souh Vietnam and American are the best and champions... i wish America didnt leave Saigon... i wish they won to keep Republic of Vietnam... thats also how those Vietnamese who survived in other countries could stay in their homeland😔 I feel sorry for Vietnamese had to to escape and left Vietnam, left their beloved homeland just because they rlly hatred Socialists Republic of Vietnam( Communist). i understand for them, bcoz thats what my parents have also done!!!!
Lana Pham Not all Americans wanted to get out of Vietnam. Left wing Americans pushed socially and politically for America to abandon the south. Many of whom were socialist and communist sympathizers. Also, the US politicians and Generals failed achieve a clear objective by invading the north therefore avoiding the risk of China and Soviet Union entering the war beyond being technical advisors and suppliers of equipment.
You can't force capitalists to be communists and you can't force communists to be capitalists stop acting like all Vietnamese wanted to be communists. Some did, some not.
You should, Vietnam right now is really cheap in prices and the food there is really good Have i mention that the people are really nice too? You should really move back!!
Hỡi người Việt, mình biết các bạn có thể tự hào về đất nước mình tự hào dưới cờ đỏ của mình nhưng hãy nhớ rằng họ không phải giặc Mỹ mà là bạn của dân Sài Gòn ta đây, là người hàng xóm luôn giúp đỡ trong chiến tranh đây, bao nhiêu xương máu đổ ra để bảo vệ miền Nam quê hương ta đây.Nay Cộng sản vào xoá lịch sử miền Nam này, nói giặc là Mỹ, người Sài Gòn là đàn em của Niềm Bắc (trong khi đó chưa người nào dân nào chấp nhận Bắc là anh trai ). Tóm lại cộng sản đã xoá não bạn và biến bạn là người ngu xuẩn trước ánh mắt của người Tư Bản, biến các bạn trở thành con người không hiểu sâu xa rộng về tình hình đất nước mình hiện nay tưởng đất nước vương lên trong khi đó dưới nụ cười của bạn thì đất nước đang đi xuống và sẽ rơi vào tay người bạn cũ hay còn nói là kẻ thù cũ của dân ta . Vì thế mau mau tìm hiểu nhanh lên đi tìm hiểu sự thật và chân lí thật sự ! SÀI GÒN MUÔN NĂM !!!
War wouldve been over and done in a matter of few years had America and the south bum rushed the north . I really dont think russia or china wouldve entered into open war with the north .
We don't know who started the war in first place, frm both have their own envidence to defend themselve but we know the war happened and came with it massive deadly hell destruction, bothside had pay enough. We can't undo what happen but we can learn frm it to put aside our hatred and live in peace, we are one country VN after all
That's what happen when you rely on your big daddy for support both financially and military aid (m16 and many new advanced tech). And when your daddy see your actual value (which is none), he step out and you're gone all by yourself. Created by Vichy French, support by US, gone all by yourself. A big waste of money and human resource for what? Imaginary of Domino effect.