Foreign press perspective on the April 30, 1975 Victory

“America's involvement in the war in Vietnam was a needless sacrifice of American lives and money and a tragic chapter in American history.”

“The final collapse of the South came so quickly that no one could have imagined it”; Vietnam was “resilient and heroic”; the victory “shook the world”… were the comments of international journalists on Vietnam’s April 30, 1975 anniversary.

Armed forces and people of Saigon welcome the Liberation Army into the city. Photo archive

America failed for the first time

“If the US side did not suffer physical damage, the psychological damage it suffered cannot be calculated. Vietnam was the first war that the US failed to win and it pushed the US to bitter divisions,” commented historian Nigl Cawthorne.

The New York Times also cited a set of secret Pentagon documents on the Vietnam War, with nearly 70,000 pages, discovered by lawyer Danien. This made Americans clearly understand the nature of the war that the US waged in Vietnam was brutal and meaningless.

The Los Angeles Times wrote: “The Americans left, the Republic of Vietnam surrendered, and Vietnam was returned to the Vietnamese people.” The Baltimore Sun wrote: “We were hurt and humiliated, but perhaps we also matured a little through the Saigon-Gia Dinh war.”

UPI reporter described: “Smiling and cheerful Communist troops rode tanks into the Presidential Palace in Saigon and shouted to the people standing by the side of the road and the journalists who were watching. They were completely oblivious to the presence of journalists who were recording the historic surrender of the Saigon government to the communists.”

Tanks crashed through the gate of Independence Palace on April 30, 1975. Photo archive

French news agency AFP commented: “There is no doubt. The Saigon - Gia Dinh war has ended. This event has a huge impact on the world region in the future.” All the information widely published in Saigon, the US and some Western countries has made the White House and Pentagon authorities confused and angry because of strong condemnation.

US Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, after nearly 30 years of silence, had to torment himself: “My colleagues in the John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson administrations were a special group of people… Why did that group of the best and brightest make such a mistake about Vietnam? We owe it to future generations to explain why we made such a mistake?”

"Earth-shaking" victory

One day after the complete liberation of the South, on May 1, 1975, the French news agency AFP wrote, "In 1975, the most prominent event in Asia was the April 30 event in Vietnam, the 'aftershocks' shook the earth."

In 2010, on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the April 30th event, AFP of France and AP of the United States and many other news agencies participated in a photo exhibition entitled “Vietnam, 35 years later”. AFP commented: “There is no doubt that the above event will have a significant impact on the region and the world in the near future”. That these are honest moments of war, a wake-up call for humanity to do its best to prevent a similar war from happening, even if it is the winning side.

Liberation Army tanks in the Ho Chi Minh Campaign. Photo: Hua Kiem/VNA

Mr. Alain Rusco, a French historian and expert in Indochina history, said that the April 30 event "caused a great echo in the international arena about a nation that refused to submit to the enemy."

The event of April 30, 1975 has great significance not only for the Vietnamese people but also for the world community. Mr. Rusco also wrote that to achieve this victory, millions of Vietnamese people had fallen in decades of hardship and determination. Almost every Vietnamese family had contributed and suffered to this great resistance war.

Pasason newspaper, the voice of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, on April 29, 2010, published an article titled "The heroic fighting tradition of the Vietnamese people", praising the talented leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the indomitable and heroic fighting spirit of our people in the two resistance wars against the old and new colonialists, creating the resounding Dien Bien Phu Victory in May 1954 and the Great Spring Victory in 1975.

Making a historic turning point

With the title “Fall of Saigon”, the New York Times on May 1, 1975 ran a large headline across 8 columns of the front page along with a series of news and photos about the collapse of the puppet government and the victory of the revolutionary forces. According to the article, April 30, 1975 was a “historic day for the world”.

Also in the May 1, 1975 issue, the AP news agency published an article that read, “Tanks, armored vehicles and camouflaged trucks of the Liberation Army quickly advanced into the Presidential Palace. Also during this time, neutral general Duong Van Minh went on radio and television to announce the surrender order.”

Besides the major newspapers, most of the programs of the three American television systems on the evening of May 1, 1975 were devoted to clips about the evacuation of Americans from Saigon on April 29, 1975 and news about the last moments of the regime called the Republic of Vietnam, along with the birth of a new regime in South Vietnam.

To mark the 30th anniversary of Vietnam's reunification, the Washington Times has published a special issue on Vietnam, highlighting Vietnam's efforts on the path of innovation and international economic integration. The special issue brings readers authentic and vivid information about the country, people and innovation in Vietnam.

The prestigious British news agency Reuters also had a large and continuously updated article about the Vietnam War at that turning point. A Reuters journalist present in Saigon on April 30, 1975 wrote: “As a reporter present at the Presidential Palace, I witnessed the leading tank of the liberation army knock down the sturdy steel column and the puppet flag fall to the ground, then pass by.

Nearly 10 other tanks quickly followed. Revolutionary Government troops spread out throughout the Presidential Palace area. South Vietnamese guards immediately raised their hands in surrender and formed into ranks awaiting further orders. The Provisional Revolutionary Government flag fluttered in the air of victory from the second-floor railing even as the three-striped flag still flew on the roof.

“Glory and goodwill”

Although the Vietnam War has been over for decades, the "aftershocks" of this war are still mentioned by the Japanese press with admiration and respect. At the beginning, the Asahi Shimbun newspaper on May 1, 2000, had a topical editorial: "The Vietnam War ended with the victory of the liberation forces, which can confirm that the era when big countries used force to stifle nationalism has ended."

According to the article: "Today, Vietnam is carrying out the Renovation process under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam and has achieved many proud achievements." This newspaper cited that in 2000, President B. Clinton visited Vietnam and then Prime Minister Phan Van Khai made an official visit to the US.

People from all walks of life in Saigon attended a rally to celebrate the victory. Photo courtesy

In 2006, the Asahi Shimbun, on April 29, published an article titled “Vietnam: Glory and Goodwill,” recreating the war through the stories of witnesses who directly participated in the war on both sides.

Among them is a touching passage about the humanity of a Vietnamese female guerrilla: “In April 1966, in the Cu Chi area, an 18-year-old female guerrilla discovered a group of American soldiers entering a minefield of the liberation army. This female guerrilla witnessed with her own eyes the scene of American soldiers sitting right on the minefield reading letters from home, looking at photos of their relatives and crying. She could not bear to press the detonation button. The group of American soldiers escaped death without knowing that this female guerrilla could not bear to kill them.”

Thirty years later, Nikkei, Japan’s largest economic publication, published on April 28th a picture of the first tank of the Liberation Army entering the Independence Palace, with the comment: “Vietnam after 30 years of war”. The article emphasized: “The Vietnam War left a deep and impressive mark on the American consciousness, creating a chain reaction throughout the Indochina region”.

Eternal victory

Also in 2005, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the historic victory of the Vietnamese people, the People's Daily - the mouthpiece of the Communist Party of China, published on April 30th, had a long commentary on "Our victory forever recorded in history". The newspaper emphasized that April 30th is a great holiday for the Vietnamese people and is also a day that should be celebrated by peace-loving and justice-loving people around the world.

Meanwhile, the Xinhua News Agency, published on the same day, devoted almost the entire international page to the topic of the April 30 victory and Vietnam’s resistance war against the US to save the country. With the headline: “30 years of victory of the resistance war against the US, the image of a Vietnamese veteran”, the newspaper published two photos of two Vietnamese veterans with their chests full of medals, respectfully presented with flowers by the people of Ho Chi Minh City.

Forty years have passed, but the victory of April 30, 1975 remains a brilliant milestone that cannot fade in the hearts of the Vietnamese people and international friends.

Times have changed, Vietnam has overcome difficulties and challenges, and is moving towards the future, integrating and developing. The resounding victory of the historic Ho Chi Minh Campaign is still a source of pride and motivation for the Vietnamese people to continue moving forward on the path of glory and happiness.

According to VOV