When American troops left South Vietnam in 1973, they were still being supported by the U.S. with financial and military aid. South Vietnam, as a country, was truly destroyed. They were weak by the end of the war and this lead to Vietnam unifying and having South Vietnam being put under control by the North Vietnam government. In 1975, Hanoi was declared as the new capital and the South Vietnam Party became the Vietnam Communist Party. This new party had captured former south soldiers and imprisoned them in "re-education" camps, yet society still believed they were some what near peace... but they weren't even close. The people in these camps were forced to work and were barely fed. Many starved.
When the last United States helicopter took off to leave South Vietnam on April 30, 1975, the people risked their lives to get on that helicopter. You can see people hanging on the sides of the helicopter for freedom. The determination to get on this helicopter shows how the South Vietnamese looked up to the United States.
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These people were degraded and stripped from their dignity. Nearly 165,000 prisoners died in these camps. A lot of the prisoners tried to escape and risked their lives for a six month journey to freedom created by the United Nations Refugee Agency. |