Leaving Vietnam

Tells the story of a boy and his father who endure danger and difficulties when they escape by boat from Vietnam, spend days at sea, and then months in refugee camps before making their way to the United States.

Drawing upon both archival research and his own military experiences in Vietnam, Willbanks focuses on military operations from 1969 through 1975. He begins by analyzing the events that led to a change in U.S. strategy in 1969 and the subsequent initiation of Vietnamization. He then critiques the implementation of that policy and the combat performance of the South Vietnamese army (ARVN), which finally collapsed in 1975.

A “captivating” (The Washington Post) true story of “courage, resolve, and determination” (Christian Science Monitor), author Ralph White’s successful effort to save nearly the entire staff of the Saigon branch of Chase Manhattan bank and their families before the city fell to the North Vietnamese Army. In April 1975, Ralph White was asked by his boss to transfer from the Bangkok branch of the Chase Manhattan Bank to the Saigon Branch. He was tasked with closing the branch if and when it appeared that Saigon would fall to the North Vietnamese army and ensure the safety of the senior Vietnamese employees. But when he arrived, he realized the situation in Saigon was far more perilous than he had imagined. The senior staff members there urged him to evacuate the entire staff of the branch and their families, which was far more than he was authorized to do. Quickly he realized that no one would be safe when the city fell, and it was no longer a question of whether to evacuate but how. Getting Out of Saigon is an “edge-of-your-seat” (Oprah Daily) story of a city on the eve of destruction and the colorful characters who respond differently to impending doom. It’s a remarkable account of one man’s quest to save innocent lives not because he was ordered but because it was the right thing to do.

A MAIN SELECTION OF THE MILITARY BOOK CLUB A groundbreaking revisionist history of the last days of the Vietnam War that reveals the acts of American heroism that saved more than one hundred thousand South Vietnamese from communist revenge In 1973 U.S. participation in the Vietnam War ended in a cease-fire and a withdrawal that included promises by President Nixon to assist the South in the event of invasion by the North. But in early 1975, when North Vietnamese forces began a full-scale assault, Congress refused to send arms or aid. By early April that year, the South was on the brink of a defeat that threatened execution or years in a concentration camp for the untold number of South Vietnamese who had supported the government in Saigon or worked with Americans. Thurston Clarke begins Honorable Exit by describing the iconic photograph of the Fall of Saigon: desperate Vietnamese scrambling to board a helicopter evacuating the last American personnel from Vietnam. It is an image of U.S. failure and shame. Or is it? By unpacking the surprising story of heroism that the photograph actually tells, Clarke launches into a narrative that is both a thrilling race against time and an important corrective to the historical record. For what is less known is that during those final days, scores of Americans--diplomats, businessmen, soldiers, missionaries, contractors, and spies--risked their lives to assist their current and former translators, drivers, colleagues, neighbors, friends, and even perfect strangers in escape. By the time the last U.S. helicopter left Vietnam on April 30, 1975, these righteous Americans had helped to spirit 130,000 South Vietnamese to U.S. bases in Guam and the Philippines. From there, the evacuees were resettled in the U.S. and became American citizens, the leading edge of one of America's most successful immigrant groups. Into this tale of heroism on the ground Clarke weaves the political machinations of Henry Kissinger advising President Ford in the White House while reinforcing the delusions of the U.S. Ambassador in Saigon, who, at the last minute, refused to depart. Groundbreaking, page-turning, and authoritative, Honorable Exit is a deeply moving history of Americans at a little-known finest hour.

A moving new solo play about the legacy of a war that America wants to forget. Jimmy Vandenberg, a decorated Vietnam war veteran, works alone in his garage, servicing the classic American cars of his youth, while struggling to forget the traumas of war. Abandoned by a nation still shamed by defeat, Trump's call to 'Make America Great Again' speaks to Jimmy's anger and resentment - and he is hooked. His new-found politics drives a wedge between him and his wife, but a chance visit by the son of a fallen comrade makes him doubt his convictions and leads to a moment of understanding and redemption.

This is the story of Tuan and his father, who endure danger and difficulties when they escape by boat from Vietnam, spend days at sea, and then months in refugee camps before making their way to the United States.

This compelling book makes readers think about the Vietnam War in a different way. It asks tough questions, such as if there was any benefit to a war that not only killed millions but also divided America, split generations, and created a rift between America and the rest of the world. With dynamic spreads featuring pictures and easy-to-follow text, this book will inspire readers not only to study history but also to ask the all-important critical questions about the past so that we don’t make the same mistakes.

Leaving Vietnam is the compelling autobiography of Minh Thanh Nguyen, whose childhood and adolescence coincided with the Vietname War and the Communist takeover after the fall of Saigon. Nguyen grew up in a war zone where he and his friends threw unexploded shells on open fires, just for fun. They later joined gangs that waylaid drunken American soldiers leaving them with nothing on but their dogtags. Despite all this turmoil, life had its moments of seeming normalcy. As a teenager, Nguyen became a Shaolin Kung Fu kickboxer, learned to repair and race perfromance motorcycles, fell in love. But the war was never far. Nguyen and his friends wer drafted and some, like his friend Trung, died fro a war in which they wanted no part. Nguyen became oobsessed with the idea of escape. In 1980 he made a final, wrenching decision to leave his family and native country. Under rifle fire from border guards, Nguyen and thirteen other terrified Vietamese fled by night on a tiny fishing boat, risking death by capture, starvation, or drowning, in the hope of a better life across the sea. Leaving Vietnamis a brutally honest and engrossing account of a very human life. Reading this book, we come to believe in the necessity of purpose, love, and hope, even in the midst of war.