A scene taken from the documentary "Vietnam: 30 days in Saigon"

The color documentary "Vietnam: 30 Days in Saigon"; was produced in 1975 with a duration of 66 minutes and 44 seconds by French director Jean-Pierre Moscardo. The film depicts the last days of the war in southern Vietnam and the first days of Saigon after liberated.

Hoang Truong, Deputy Director of the State Archives and Records Department of Vietnam, said: “There were a lot of historical documents, including films and photos, about the April 30^th victory made by press agencies who were allowed to operate in southern Vietnam until 1975. But such documents are of their copyrights. We do not have sufficient documentaries about southern Vietnam during the 1975 period. So this documentary is valuable”.

Unlike other films about the event, which describe the Vietnamese army’s steps forward the victory, the film includes footage of the historic moment at the Unification Palace, migrants blocking the US Embassy, and the collapse of the Republic of Vietnam Marine Statue. It also features the very last day of the war, when all Vietnamese people were waiting for peace, and their feelings toward changes brought by independence. In a touching ending, the film features images of Vietnamese students cleaning the streets and helping others resume their daily lives.

Hoang Truong said again: “This film provides us a more general view to the historic April 30 th victory. In the last more than 40 years since the liberation, we have looked at the victory from the view of the Vietnamese revolution and the Vietnam socialist state. Now, we look at the victory from the viewpoint of journalists and directors”.

The documentary provides another angle about happenings on April 30^th, 1975 and objective comments by war outsiders. It also features the Vietnamese troops taking over Saigon and happy local residents.

Nguyen Thi Ha, Director of the Center for Science and Technology under the State Archives and Records Department, said the film provides foreigners’ view on the Vietnamese history: “What makes this film interesting is the truthful way war outsiders see how the war was. They captured young Saigon people cleaning the streets, which, in my opinion, also meant that they were chasing away the bad. This is such a humanistic approach”.

Together with other documentaries, such as Faces in May by director Dang Nhat Minh, Sai Gon, May 1975 by director Bui Dinh Hac, and The City at Dawn by director Hai Ninh, the film "Vietnam: 30 Days in Saigon" can help younger generations better understand their predecessor’s glorious fight for independence”.