What happened to South Vietnamese soldiers after the war?
After the war ARVN soldiers, especially officers, were subjected by the victorious communists to even harsher penalties than civilians, including years of forced labor and indoctrination in ‘re-education camps’. Even in death the soldiers were treated as puppets, not people.
What happened to South Vietnamese after the fall of Saigon?
Following the end of the war, according to official and non-official estimates, between 200,000 and 300,000 South Vietnamese were sent to re-education camps, where many endured torture, starvation, and disease while they were being forced to do hard labor.
Who was president during the fall of Saigon?
President Gerald Ford
The fall of Saigon: As Taliban enter Kabul, the Vietnam War’s final days remembered. President Gerald Ford was in a meeting with his energy team when his deputy national security adviser came in and passed him a note. It warned that Saigon was falling, and faster than expected.
Are there still American POWs in Vietnam?
As of 2015, more than 1,600 of those were still “unaccounted-for.” The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) of the U.S. Department of Defense lists 687 U.S. POWs as having returned alive from the Vietnam War. North Vietnam acknowledged that 55 American servicemen and 7 civilians died in captivity.
Do Americans like Vietnam?
As such, despite their historical past, today Vietnam is considered to be a potential ally of the United States, especially in the geopolitical context of the territorial disputes in the South China Sea and in containment of Chinese expansionism.
How many Vietnamese died in the re-education camps?
According to academic studies of American researchers, a total of 165,000 Vietnamese people died in those camps 4. Most of the re-education camps were operated until 1986 when Nguyen Van Linh became the General Secretary of the Communist Party.
Who was imprisoned in the reeducation camps in Vietnam?
In such “reeducation camps”, the government imprisoned up to 300,000 former military officers, government workers and supporters of the former government of South Vietnam as well as civilians, except some famous ARVN generals who committed suicide shortly after hearing President Duong Van Minh surrendered.
Where did the re-education camps take place?
Re-education Camps Levels The re-education camps were organized into five levels. The level-one camps which were called as study camps or day-study centers located mainly in major urban centers, often in public parks, and allowed attendees to return home each night.
What was the purpose of reeducation in Vietnam?
Reeducation as it was implemented in Vietnam was seen as both a means of revenge and a sophisticated technique of repression and indoctrination, which developed following the 1975 Fall of Saigon. Thousands were tortured and abused. Prisoners were incarcerated for periods ranging from weeks to 18 years.
