This is the story of the last two days of Saigon, and of how a Christmas song became a signal to run. In early 1975 General Van Tien Dung led the northern army in a final offensive. American combat troops had left two years earlier under a peace deal, and the southern defenses collapsed fast. Two big cities fell in March, and refugees fled south in crowds. On April 14 the campaign was renamed for Ho Chi Minh, the northern revolutionary leader. Its goal was to take Saigon before his birthday on May 19. By late April more than 100,000 northern troops had encircled the capital. Inside, many Americans and their southern allies knew the end was close. The question was how anyone would get out, and who would be left behind.
The Fall of Saigon
White Christmas on the radio and 105 degrees and rising: the secret signal that began the last helicopter evacuation of Saigon.
Chapter 1
A Race Against a Birthday
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Frequently Asked Questions
What was the signal that began the evacuation of Saigon?
On April 29, 1975, around 10:50 AM, the American radio service read a weather report saying the temperature was 105 degrees and rising. It then played Bing Crosby's White Christmas. The temperature was chosen because it was nearly impossible in Saigon, so nobody could mistake it for a real forecast.
Is the famous evacuation photograph really of the U.S. Embassy roof?
No. The photograph by Hubert van Es shows an Air America helicopter on the roof of an apartment building where CIA employees lived. His agency's Tokyo office changed the caption to the U.S. Embassy, and the error lasted for decades. Van Es spent years trying to correct it.
How did the Fall of Saigon end the war?
On April 30, 1975, northern tanks reached the Independence Palace and the southern government fell. President Duong Van Minh's offer to hand over power was rejected because he had nothing left to give. Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh City on July 2, 1976, when North and South Vietnam were formally reunified.
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