The historic moment when North Vietnam’s military tank entered the Presidential Palace of the Republic of Vietnam on 30 April 1975. | Source: Vietnam News Agency
April 30, 1975, marked the end of the Vietnam War, as North Vietnamese forces entered Saigon and the country moved toward reunification.
In Vietnam, the date is officially commemorated as “Liberation of the South, Reunification Day” (Giải phóng Miền Nam, thống nhất đất nước). But beyond its political meaning, April 30 is also remembered through moments of urgency and transition.
Let’s revisit those events through archival images, tracing the final day and its immediate aftermath, from the last evacuations to the first moments of a newly unified Vietnam.
The term Vietnam War is the common English name for the conflict, but in Vietnam it is known as the American War (or Resistance War against America), reflecting the Vietnamese perspective of the war as a struggle for national liberation against American intervention.
North Vietnamese tanks and infantry captured the Đồng Dù base (Củ Chi) on the morning of April 29, 1975, opening a key route toward Tân Sơn Nhất Airport. | Source: Vietnam News AgencyIn Saigon, the United States carried out Operation Frequent Wind, evacuating American personnel and South Vietnamese civilians. | Source: APU.S. Marines hold back crowds at the gates of the U.S. Embassy during the final evacuation, April 29, 1975. | Source: APLiberation forces captured Tân Sơn Nhất Airport at 9:00 AM on April 30, 1975. | Source: Vietnam News AgencyThe flag of the National Liberation Front was raised at Tân Sơn Nhất Airport on April 30, 1975. | Source: Vietnam News AgencyA U.S. helicopter lifts off from the U.S. Embassy during evacuation efforts, April 30, 1975. | Source: APCivilians board a boat along Saigon’s waterfront as evacuation efforts continued, April 30, 1975. | Source: APTanks entered the Presidential Palace (now Independence Palace) in Saigon at 11:30 AM, April 30, 1975. | Source: Vietnam News AgencySoldiers entered and planted the flag on the roof of the Presidential Palace of the Republic of Vietnam on April 30, 1975. | Source: Vietnam News AgencyPresident Dương Văn Minh, who had taken office on April 28, announced an unconditional surrender. | Source: APPresident Dương Văn Minh exited the Presidential Palace following the surrender. | Source: Vietnam News AgencyNorth Vietnamese forces ride through the streets of Saigon as crowds gather. | Source: Vietnam News AgencyCivilians gather in Saigon on April 30, 1975. | Source: Vietnam News AgencyThe people of Saigon at a rally to welcome the launch of the new city administration on May 7, 1975. | Source: Vietnam News Agency
