Vietnamese American families talk about leaving Saigon under the cover of night

Refugees commemorate the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon.

Peter Nguyen’s first English sentence at 9 years old was “Give me candy,” after his grandfather carried him away from the naval base their family had been staying at. They were fleeing Northern Vietnamese forces, and Nguyen was face to face with a fleet of battleships and American sailors tossing handfuls of sweets off the boats to Vietnamese children and their families lined up below. 

He shared his story with NBC News as part of the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon, which effectively ended the Vietnam War 50 years ago on April 30. North Vietnamese forces had captured Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, and reunited the country as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. 

It spurred a refugee crisis with people fleeing by water, described as “boat people,” who faced attacks by pirates, starvation and drowning.

“It was pandemonium,” Nguyen said. “Everybody just grabbed and just ran to the ships.”

More than 100,000 refugees from Saigon arrived in the United States through Guam. Today, Saigon is called Ho Chi Minh City, named for the first president of North Vietnam, and April 30 is observed in the country as Reunification Day. 

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/vietnamese-american-families-fall-of-saigon-rcna202429

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