Evacuation of Saigon

I remember the fall of Saigon. One of the guys that I went to college was a military air traffic controller during the last few days.

I have often wondered what if the air ports had stayed open longer and what if Ferdinand Marcos had not limited the number of Vietnamese refugees, how many more would have made it out?

Also, given that Saigon was going to fall, what other POD's could have happened that would have let more Vietnamese flee?

Stubear1012
 
If there was a South Vietnamese 'Taiwan' planned on the islands, wouldn't the [North] Vietnamese try to capture as much of the South Vietnamese army, wealthy and important personalities and political leaders as possible by accelerating the capture of Saigon or the destruction of much of the South Vietnamese navy, planes, civilian vessels and fishing boats? As for the Americans and their allies helping in the evacuation, once they withdraw from the fighting, they ain't evacuating refugees.
That's the big problem with the scenario. This pocket is too small to survive against such a brutal and well equipped enemy. There will be plenty of people who want to escape communist rule as history shows but this is too small an area. Given that the US refused to aid the south when it could well have been decisive I can't see the north simply pounding the pocket into submission. Their ruthless enough to slaughter the entire population and Russia will make sure they have enough ammunition so I can't see a free Vietnam survive.
Steve
The only thread or 2 mentioning about a small pocket or an island of South Vietnam being a 'Taiwan' analogue discuss[es] about the issue of space, supply, North Vietnamese siege techniques and American intervention that is very likely needed, as well as North Vietnamese wishes to reunify Vietnam for good permanently and prestige. And, after Saigon, the small pieces of land to the south of the Mekong are really too small to be sustainable anyway. Once the South Vietnamese run out of supplies and the North Vietnamese bombardment on the rebellious enclaves perseveres without American intervention, it's just a matter of a few years at the maximum and more like months, if the Vietnamese prolong a total war campaign without assaulting the island and enclaves.
 
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Japhy

Banned
Easiest way to get more people out is that the information is properly spread that there was a seaborne evacuation underway. Thousands of people who tried to get out at the Embassy or the Air Port could have made it onto the American-hired barges that were sitting at the docks.
 
This brings back a memory. a few weeks after completing recruit training & reporting to the 5th Marines Regiment the evacuation of Saigon came. I & a number of others in the regiment were sent to Camp Talega to operate the tent camp where the Vietnamese incoming from Guam & PI were parked for a couple days to complete their inprocessing & release into the US. PFC Schwamberger spent a fun filled week picking dirty sheets off cots & cleaning the mess hall. :D Since these were the upper class Vietnamese, educated & all that we had zero trouble from them.
 
Easiest way to get more people out is that the information is properly spread that there was a seaborne evacuation underway. Thousands of people who tried to get out at the Embassy or the Air Port could have made it onto the American-hired barges that were sitting at the docks.


Search back though the latter 1980s issues of the Marine Corps Gazette. Circa 1988 or 1989 there is a account by a former Marine Lt who was aboard the cargo ship Pioneer Contender with his platoon. He estimates at least five thousand & perhaps ten thousand Viet from the Hue region crowded aboard in Cam Ran Bay harbor. The ships crew & Marines barricaded themselves in the engineering spaces & bridge for the two days it took to get the lot to a friendly dock near Saigon.
 

Japhy

Banned
Search back though the latter 1980s issues of the Marine Corps Gazette. Circa 1988 or 1989 there is a account by a former Marine Lt who was aboard the cargo ship Pioneer Contender with his platoon. He estimates at least five thousand & perhaps ten thousand Viet from the Hue region crowded aboard in Cam Ran Bay harbor. The ships crew & Marines barricaded themselves in the engineering spaces & bridge for the two days it took to get the lot to a friendly dock near Saigon.

I am aware about the evacuation from Hue. The discussion is about the evacuation from Saigon. Two completely different cities, hundreds of miles apart that fell in different points during the collapse. The evacuation from Saigon-by-Sea on US chartered vessels was under capacity by a large margin.
 
I am aware about the evacuation from Hue. The discussion is about the evacuation from Saigon. Two completely different cities, hundreds of miles apart that fell in different points during the collapse. The evacuation from Saigon-by-Sea on US chartered vessels was under capacity by a large margin.

I was suggesting the potiential. The Hue evacuation shows what could have been.
 
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