Surviving the fall of Saigon
When South Vietnam fell in 1975, most could not escape.
When South Vietnam fell in 1975, most could not escape. In the last days, the US airlifted its remaining personnel and some high ranking Vietnamese officials - but millions were left behind to await their fate. This is the account of one South Vietnamese veteran who remained in Saigon as North Vietnamese forces took the city. Dr Tran Xuan Dung served as a doctor in the South Vietnamese Marines. He would spend three years imprisoned in a "re-education" camp before fleeing with his family in 1978.
Photo: A South Vietnamese soldier helps his wounded friend during fighting with communist forces in Saigon, 28th April 1975 (Bettmann/Getty Images)
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- Wed 1 Sep 202107:50GMTBBC World Service
- Wed 1 Sep 202111:50GMTBBC World Service News Internet
- Wed 1 Sep 202117:50GMTBBC World Service except East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa
- Thu 2 Sep 202102:50GMTBBC World Service
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Witness History
The story of our times, told by the people who were there

