By: Shoubhik Bose & Debanjana Maitra
Shoubhik and Debanjana, senior engineers in software companies of repute in Bangalore love travelling in India and abroad. They take time out to share their experiences through their travelogues.
South Vietnam
On April 29, 1975 Saigon, which was under the occupation of USA, fell to the communists from North Vietnam, signalling an end to the 20 year Vietnam war.
The city was renamed as “Ho Chi Minh City” after their revolutionary Ho Chi Minh who had fought for Vietnamese independence and reunification.
Saigon was witness to the first televised urban battle where the largest helicopter evacuation in history had taken place from inside the US embassy in the heart of the city.
The American radio station were to play Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas,” the signal for Americans to move to the evacuation points.
Saigon was renamed to Ho Chi Minh City after the liberation.Prior to the Vietnamese reunification, Saigon was the capital of South Vietnam while Hanoi was the capital of North Vietnam.
Getting There
We stayed in Ho Chi Minh City for about a week for work and travel.
One needs to apply for a VISA approval online a few days prior to the travel ( which can be issued in half a day ). Using the letter of approval, one needs to get a VISA stamp at the Tân Sơn Nhất airport on-arrival.
History tip:
In 1975, The Tân Sơn Nhất Airport was bombarded by the North Vietnamese liberation army before Saigon was liberated. The runway was rendered un-usable for evacuating the Americans, which led to the largest helicopter evacuation in history.
First meal — King Prawn!
History Walk
Having read a lot about the Vietnam war and how it had changed world politics, we went to the War Remnants museum to see the Vietnamese perspective.
The museum used to be known as the ‘War Crimes’ museum before normalization of relations with US.
The Calcutta Connection — opposition to the Vietnam War
The museum was strewn with photos of posters from all around the world who had opposed the US involvement in the Vietnam war.
Ho Chi Minh was the the North Vietnamese communist leader who fought against the Americans in South Vietnam.
