The Fall of Saigon. The Liberation of Saigon. Black April. Reunification Day. National Hatred Day.
April 30 goes by many names across the world, reflecting the complicated reactions to the event that ended the Vietnam War 45 years ago.
On this day, Saigon, the capital of the Republic of Vietnam at the time, fell to the People’s Army of Vietnam. The city was renamed Ho Chi Minh City; the country now is called the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
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Though it is an event that occurred 9,000 miles away across the Pacific Ocean, this day in history remains significant especially as the spearhead of the Vietnamese refugee population in America.
"The Fall of Saigon is a source of continuing pain in the Vietnamese American community, that continues to resonate with hundreds of thousands of individuals who fled the Fall, who survived the ordeal of the diaspora, and who have created a new life far from their homeland," U.S. Rep. Alan Lowenthal of California said last April.
The ensuing mass emigration is still considered the largest helicopter evacuation in history.
"That was the day we lost our country. It's not a joyous day. It's a painful day. We relive a little bit of our pain," said Dr. Tong Huynh in an interview with the AJC in 2010.
Huynh, who lived in Alpharetta at the time of the interview, remembered the day he evacuated Saigon vividly, recounting the late-afternoon heat as he sat on a roof waiting for a helicopter to evacuate the city.
»MORE: Doctor relives Fall of Saigon through famous photo
The remembrance, like so many others these days, is overshadowed by the coronavirus pandemic.
On Tuesday, the number of deaths related to COVID-19 in the U.S. surpassed the number who died in the Vietnam War.
In Vietnam, Reunification Day is typically remembered with a day off work, military processions and visits to loved ones. This year will be different: Though the country lifted its lockdown April 23, gatherings of more than 20 are still banned, according to the nation's tourism website.
Credit: Dita Alangkara / Associated Press
Credit: Dita Alangkara / Associated Press
In Georgia, the Vietnamese-American Community will mark the 45th Anniversary Celebration of National Hatred Day with a drive-in ceremony in Norcross.
"Notice the importance and significance of mourning in the country's Black April," said the organization's Facebook post, noting that the group had received special permission to hold the remembrance ceremony. "Attendees will not get out of the vehicle to keep a safe distance according to regulations."
At the ceremony, community members will light candles in honor of Vietnamese soldiers and allies who died during the war.
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