Vietnam War - Fall of Saigon

April 30th 1975 is perhaps the saddest day for Vietnam. That was the day that South Vietnam was defeated by Communist North Vietnam. This day was also known as the Fall of Saigon where the city of Saigon was captured by the Communist North Vietnamese. That day changed everything and the hope of the South Vietnamese people for a united democratic country was lost. Families were torn and the future was dim for the Vietnamese people.

This photo that I am "reading" was actually from April 29th 1975, a day before the Fall of Saigon. In this photo, a South Vietnamese mother and her three children are shown on the deck of an amphibious command ship being plucked out of Saigon by U.S. Marine helicopters in Vietnam (AP Photo). When I first saw this picture, my eyes immediately focused on the mother. Her eyes reflect immense sorrow and worry about her future and for her children's as well. Next we see her three young children. The youngest one is sitting on her lap with a confused look on his face. It seems as if he is asking his mother what is going on and why his mother looks so gloomy. His left arm is held around his mother's neck as if he is trying to comfort his mother. He is too young to fully understand the current state. The other children, a little older, seem to understand a little more because they are crying and are frightened. The boy on the right seems to be the oldest sibling and the expression on his face is similar to his mother's. I interpreted this similarity as that because since he is the oldest sibling, he now has to take on the responsibility of taking care of his siblings and is about to assume the position of "the man of the house". I gathered these interpretations because the father is not pictured and I can infer that the father may have died or is lost from the family. The family reflects hopelessness and despair. Another important aspect of this photo is the soldier on the far right. At first, I thought he was an American soldier but I looked closer and he appears to be a Vietnamese soldier helping the U.S. to defeat the communist North Vietnamese. I decided that he must be a Vietnamese soldier because on his helmet is the Vietnamese name "Hong". The soldier is evidently helping the family and we also notice that he is holding the hand of the little boy in an attempt to comfort him. The soldier is crouched down and trying to protect the family. My body and mind cannot help but sympathize for the family and feel sadness because they are about to lose their country to communism.

The cultural/political work of this photo instills in our minds to see the South Vietnamese family as being lost, helpless and hopeless. This Vietnamese family represents all of the broken South Vietnamese families during that time. This photo also encourages us to see the Vietnamese soldier (in U.S. military attire) as a symbol of the U.S. and for us to visually see the efforts of the U.S. in helping the Vietnamese people. The soldier is representing U.S. protection and security for the Vietnamese people. Our bodies cannot help but react to this photo with the feeling of empathy and sorrow for this family.