The Fall of Saigon

During the Vietnam War, Saigon served as the capitol of South Vietnam also known as the Republic of Vietnam. It also functioned as a large base of operations for the United States Military during the war, as they were fighting alongside the South Vietnamese against the Communist North Vietnam. After years of fighting, the United States had finally opted out of the war, signing the Paris Peace Accords which was supposed to end firing between the North and South. However, this was far from how things turned out, as the North Vietnamese continued attacking after the US had left.
The United States leaving left the entirety of Vietnam in a state of complete and total chaos, and effectively having the South fend for themselves in their absence. Two years after the United States leaving, the true end of the year seemed to be nearing, but not in the favor of the South Vietnamese and anti-communists. At this point, there were a significant amount of innocent South Vietnamese citizens and orphans, along with a good deal of Americans, still residing in Saigon. With the communist victory coming closer and closer, Saigon itself fell under complete disarray as these people attempted to escape or fight. It was the year 1975 at this point, and the president of South of South Vietnam, Nguyen Van Thieu had resigned and left the country after being unable to receive help from President Ford. At this point, it was practically hopeless for the people of Saigon and the south.
Finally, in April of 1975, as a last resort, the United States sent in helicopters and troops to help evacuate the city of Saigon. They managed to save all of the Americans and a decent amount of Vietnamese, but many were still stuck amid the chaos. After the last of the transports had left, on April 30, 1975 Saigon had fallen, effectively establishing the end of the Vietnam War. The two opposing countries of Vietnam were immediately combined under the communist leadership and the city was renamed directly Ho Chi Minh. It is still called Ho Chi Minh City to this day.
The Fall of Saigon is famously recognized as the day the war truly ended.

Image depicting civialians on top of US embassy frantically trying to board helicopters

Source: https://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/30/april-30-1975-saigon-falls/

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