Last Days in Vietnam

Part of the Series: American Experience

April, 1975. During the chaotic final days of the American involvement in the Vietnam War, as the North Vietnamese Army closed in on Saigon, South Vietnamese resistance crumbled. City after city and village after village fell to the North while the U.S. diplomats and military operatives still in the country contemplated withdrawal.

With the lives of thousands of South Vietnamese hanging in the balance, those in control faced an impossible decision--who would go and who would be left behind to face brutality, imprisonment, or even death. At the risk of their careers and possible court-martial, a handful of individuals took matters into their own hands. Engaging in unsanctioned and often makeshift operations, they waged a desperate effort to evacuate as many South Vietnamese as possible.

Produced and Directed by Rory Kennedy, "Last Days in Vietnam" was nominated for a 2015 Academy Award for Documentary Feature.