It's been nearly 40 years since the events of 1975,
an occurrence that altered the fate of millions
of people, not only the people of Vietnam
but also the American servicemen deployed to Vietnam
to fight alongside the soldiers of the Republic of Vietnam.
And afterwards, millions immigrated as refugees
to the United States and other countries of the world.
The documentary "Last Days in Vietnam" allow us to understand the events
leading up to April 30th,
events from the different perspectives
of those who were present in those final days.
At the press conference in Pasadena in January 2015,
sitting with Executive Producer Mark Samuels and Director and Producer Rory Kennedy
are two key figures in the film.
On one side is Stuart Herrington, a colonel for the U.S. Army in the Vietnam War,
and on the other side is Binh Pho, a college student in '75.
One got the leave, one was left behind.
In the days leading up to April 30th,
Colonel Herrington and many other servicemen carried out secret operations called "black ops"
in a risky attempt to sneak the people of South Vietnam
out of the country despite not having the approve of the U.S. Ambassador or the time, Graham Martin.
Though he saved many lives, those he had to leave behind numbered even more.
Colonel Herrington said after leaving Vietnam, he often thinks of the Vietnamese people who stayed,
especially the last 420 who were still in the embassy when he left Vietnam,
those whom he had comforted and promised he would take them out of Saigon.
When you were at the embassy, seeing the helicopters taking off and landing,
when was it that you realized, "Oh, the Americans are leaving me behind"?
Oh, because...that day was too long. I went in around 12 noon on the 29th.
So at around 3 a.m. on the 30th, the number of people the Americans took went down.
It was also very quiet, we only hear the sound of airplanes, helicopters.
At the time, I suddenly fell asleep a little while and when I awoke, I saw because it was noisy,
suddenly it was much noisier than normal.
I opened my eyes and saw many people in the U.S. Embassy looking up at the wall
where there were Marines, they're not there anymore.
That was when I knew it was over because if the let everyone in, then it's the end.
At that time, I looked at the door and saw that it was closed. I ran over and it was locked,
so I knew for sure I was left behind.
Contrary to Colonel Herrington's worry, one of the last 420 people left behind at the embassy, Binh Pho,
does not loathe or blame the American troops.
Blame, but if we want to blame then we have to blame ourselves first before we blame the Americans
because 75,000 American people, soldiers died in Vietnam.
Our fault is larger than that of the Americans.
If we...in the history of Vietnam, we have also fought wars on our own, we didn't need anyone's help.
It was only during this time period that we needed the American's help. Before we didn't need anyone's help.
We fought the Chinese- we didn't alone without anyone else.
He was placed in re-education camp for 1 year, then escaped by boat in 1978.
To him, getting to go or having to stay behind is merely fate.
Even if you have money, you have to know the right people
because if you give it to the wrong people, they'll just take it and run.
Because of that, being able to leave or not is truly fate either from Buddha or Jesus
or whomever depending on your religion. If your fate is that you can't go yet,
no matter how hard you try to can't go.
Nowadays, Binh Pho has settled in the United States for 37 years, becoming a accomplished artist
and published a book about his life and his work
The student left behind almost 40 years ago, and the colonel who spent 40 years restless due to
a nagging conscience are able to sit side by side like two old friends.
The stories of these two are like the flip sides of the same page from a book
about a painful, unforgettable memory.
Film director and producer, Rory Kennedy, throughout many years of making documentaries,
she thinks that the stories of individuals, the experience of those who lived through historical upheavals
is the main point of the films.
"Last Days in Vietnam" is a chapter is a documentary series called "American Experience" by PBS
which include intricately produced films about events or figures in American history.
Though the Vietnam War carried out thousands of miles from the soils of America,
executive producer Mark Samuels consider this event an integral part of American history.
Director Rory Kennedy also says that the purpose of creating film is not just to share stories from the past
but also to spark questions on U.S. foreign policy in the present.
The film "Last Days in Vietnam" has been nominated for a 2015 Oscar in the category of Best Documentary.
After being screened in a small number of theaters last year, this year, "Last Days in Vietnam"
will be aired on television for the first time on the 28th of April on PBS.
Today, Vietnamese refugees have settled in American and many other countries in the world,
but the events of '75 still affects millions whether directly or indirectly.
And "Last Days in Vietnam" allows us to see that the stories of those who were present
where these event unfolded in those last days,
from the memories that through the years seem to not have faded,
becoming a pertinent part of Vietnamese and American history.
This is Tuyet Le in Pasadena reporting for Saigon TV.
