From PBS Newshour aired on the 40th anniversary of the end of The Vietnam war, April 30, 1975.
As Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon, marks the anniversary of the end of the war, a group of journalists and former Marines revisited the country to remember one of the most significant chapters of their lives.
Correspondent Mike Cerre, who served in Vietnam, reports.
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Among them are American and foreign correspondents including Lisette Vo NBS-TV's first Vietnamese-American television journalist and Sam Esposito the tough Washington Legend reporter who cover the events of Apri, 1975; an American businessman risking his life to smuggle out his employees; and the last remaining US diplomats, including the American ambassador Graham Martin, military liaisons, CIA operatives and double agents.
Escape from Saigon also looks at the last days of the war from other side. The North Vietnamese onslaught is spearheaded by two officers?one intent on unifying the country, the other bent on revenge.
Escape from Saigon is a tale of suspense, daring, romance, and hearbreak.
Escape from Saigon is also a story of a city and its inhabitants struggling to survive in its most desperate hours?a tale that stays true to the historic record while recounting moments of hardship, courage, and triumph.
Winston Groom, author of Better Times Than These and Forrest Gump, writes: Escape From Saigon brings to life the war-torn lives of the men and women, soldiers and civilians alike trapped in the capital city, each trying to escape the fall of Saigon before it engulfs them all. A vivid, unvarnished vision."
Escape from Saigon departs from the typical Vietnam war novels as it follows The lives of ordinary people trapped by the missteps of their leaders as an advancing enemy army encircles the capital city cutting off all avenues of escape.
