Last Days in Vietnam (2014) User Reviews

A Terrible, Terrible Moral Dilemma

[soncoman · 8/10 · 7 October 2014]

From 1971 to 1975 I lived on the island of Puerto Rico. As my father was an employee of the Federal Government, my siblings and I attended school on a military base. I went to Antilles Middle School on Fort Buchanan from third to seventh grade. I remember two things most clearly from this time. First, our classrooms were WWII era barracks and secondly, every couple of months the entire school was sent down the hill to cheer on various military leaders who were coming in by chopper. On a couple of occasions, we were told that we were cheering for Army Chief of Staff William Westmoreland, the former Commander of US Military Operations in Vietnam. Viet Nam was something that I was aware of as a young boy, as I was a voracious reader of newspapers (because they were in English) and magazines. The only time I heard my father, a WWII and Korean conflict veteran, mention it was in the context of him moving his family to Canada if they drafted his sons. Not that any of us were anywhere near draft age, but it gives you a sense of the feeling that the war would never end. Certain images from the front pages of newspapers of that time are burned in my memory, including the image of the rooftop helicopter evacuation of Americans from Saigon. That evacuation is the focus of "Last Days in Vietnam", a new documentary by Rory Kennedy. With archival footage, newly released recordings and interviews with pilots, evacuees, and those left behind, Kennedy tells the gripping tale of the men who did their damnedest to uphold American honor and personal responsibility. This is the story of how they dealt with the "terrible, terrible moral dilemma" (as said by one of the interviewees) of deciding who to evacuate. Devoid of most of the politics of the day, Kennedy focuses on the men who, while not specifically given the responsibility for getting as many people out as they could, took it upon themselves to rescue those who faced certain death at the hands of the approaching North Vietnamese forces. The marines on the ground, the chopper pilots in the air, and the naval commanders at sea are all given their due for the incredible work that they did in evacuating approximately 170,000+ people in an amazingly short period of time. There are no villains in this film. Ambassador Graham Martin, the person responsible for ordering an evacuation, is treated fairly, as questions are raised and answered as to why an "official" evacuation had not begun earlier, and why thousands were left behind. Heroes are plentiful, from the American pilots who flew for 24 hours straight, to the South Vietnamese pilots who did whatever it took to rescue their families and friends. Most telling as to the emotional toll this event took on those involved is the overwhelming sense of regret and sorrow you get from interviews with US Marines responsible for Embassy security, and the images they witnessed as the last chopper departed Saigon – thousands of people left on the Embassy grounds that had been assured they would be rescued. The evacuation of Saigon is probably the least known component of the Vietnam War as it occurred two years after the Paris Peace Accords had been signed and the US had withdrawn all combat troops. It deserves to be better known and understood and the people involved appreciated, and this film goes a long way in recognizing the honor and bravery of those tasked with an impossible mission. It's a tribute to Kennedy's skill as a filmmaker that she manages to take a story to which we all know the end and writes a seemingly new, riveting chapter. While the Vietnam experience is often looked at as the nadir in American foreign policy and military engagement, "Last Days in Vietnam" shows us that, even at its lowest point, there were those who stood tall and went above and beyond the call of duty to uphold American honor and simple human dignity.

Well made documentary, fascinating in its detail and storytelling

[samui-986-870453 · 9/10 · 13 September 2014]

I sat in a small theater with people that were at least a generation older than me watching this documentary. I'm too young to remember Vietnam, was born in 1972. I am a Vietnam War history buff and have visited Vietnam on three separate occasions. This documentary was extremely well made and it includes some never seen before footage of the chaotic evacuation from Saigon. For an hour and a half I was glued to the movie screen. The story telling is excellent and it includes words from both the Americans and the South Vietnamese. Perhaps it would have been interesting to add a perspective from the North Vietnamese who were storming the city and why they allowed the helicopters to leave without challenging the evacuation. All and in all and excellent documentary and one that I enjoyed very much.

Completely engrossing

[Leofwine_draca · 9/10 · 16 July 2015]

Some reviewers here have missed the point: in no way, shape, or form does Last Days in Vietnam purport to be a documentary covering the whole of the Vietnam War and the rights and wrongs behind it. That documentary would take hours to chronicle such events. Instead, this is a snapshot of a single situation, the airlifting to safety of many South Vietnamese people in the dying days of Saigon.

Where Last Days in Vietnam excels is in the contemporary footage of the event. The entire film is made up of old news footage of crowds fleeing and the unfolding situation at the US embassy in Saigon. Talking head footage is cut in to humanise the story, and the documentary as a whole turns out to be thoroughly engrossing: it's gripping stuff, moving with it, in which the best and worst of human nature is brought to life.

Every talking head character here has an interesting story to tell. The director, Rory Kennedy, is the daughter of none other than Robert Kennedy and although I wasn't familiar with her work previously I'll be looking out for her in future. Last Days in Vietnam is superlative stuff, and unmissable viewing for anyone with an interest in those ill-remembered times.

Riveting and Historical: Epitomizes the pain of war in conflict with the human morality

[advocacyforkids44 · 10/10 · 16 April 2014]

Rory Kennedy is a masterful story teller, and has combined that talent with historical accuracy in this engaging and truthful documentary. Having been a former AP reporter in Vietnam, I can verify that the US evacuation in 1975 is a little told story---a critical element of the war story, but often disregarded in the annuls of this war. But the evacuation is a catalyst for Ms. Kennedy to recreate the dynamics of how easy it is to get into war, but how difficult to get out. For Vietnam veterans, often not wanting to talk about their war experiences, Ms. Kennedy deftly interweaves the soldiers stories who were there, with an out of touch US ambassador who refused to believe that Saigon would ever be defeated, to a Congress that blocked any more funding to support a falling regime. But the soul of this story is how they all were morally and personally torn by leaving behind many of their Vietnamese counterparts who could not be evacuated in a very hasty and uncoordinated US departure. To add another original dimension, one of the US Kirk navy men had hours of 8mm footage of the evacuation that was uncovered in his attic and remastered by Ms. Kennedy for use on the documentary. One of our soldiers spoke for many of our troops when he said "that he sometimes even dreamed in Vietnamese." In one of the same, this may have been a small part of the war's history, but at the same time epitomized the entire war in 98 minutes of drama, skilled cinematography, stunning resolution and sound, and the riveting pain of war. As an educator and child advocate, I would urge that this be used as a resource in every social studies, history, and political science class rooms in the country.

Heart Wrenching

[accountingman · 10/10 · 1 November 2014]

I was in college when the events of this documentary took place, and only remembered that there was a sort of scramble to do the final evacuations (memories mostly coming from the iconic photo on the roof, along with photos of people swarming the US Embassy). This film tells the whole story, and I sat in the interview really amazed at the way the story was told. It brought tears to my eyes in several parts. It is a reminder also of how the military of the USA was at a very low point in public opinion due to the Vietnam war, and the general feeling of the American public was that we were "done" over there and no more money ought to be spent on any sort of military activity. For that reason this film is a very important piece of military and political history. Very highly recommended.

Nice mini stories behind the entire event

[Seraphion · 7/10 · 3 May 2015]

After building enough history to emphasize about the exodus event itself the movie nicely serves the incredible sub stories that happen during the incident. I really like the movie's approach of previously serving the interviews without giving out the speaker's names, building up the start of their opinions and then weave together all those sub stories into link to the greater story of the event. What makes this movie very good is that the movie makers were able to obtain many authentic footage and photographs that give visuals to the stories told by the interviews.This makes the movie deeply visual, without having to resort to other ways to invoke the drama and emotions.

Sheds light on things I knew nothing about

[asc85 · 8/10 · 3 May 2015]

One of the ways I personally classify whether a documentary based on famous real-life events is good or not is whether I learn something new about it. For example, I didn't think the Robert McNamara movie, "The Fog of War" was good, because it just regurgitated things I already knew about Vietnam. Last Days in Vietnam, however, showed me new things that I didn't know about and found interesting. I won't list them all here, but the most fascinating thing for me (and they even had footage of it!), was all the South Vietnamese helicopters that landed on the aircraft carrier to leave the country, and because they couldn't store the helicopters anywhere, the military had to push them into the ocean so the next one could land.

As an American who grew up during this time, Vietnam is still a raw experience for many of us. It was refreshing to see how many Americans felt responsible for the South Vietnamese, and tried to get as many of them out of there. You never really hear very much about those kinds of stories.

Because of her family name, Rory Kennedy carries lots of baggage, mostly good, but some bad. However, along with the very personal documentary about her mother Ethel, she is proving to be very, very capable in this genre. I look forward to seeing more of her work in the future.

end of a war

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 2 May 2016]

In 1973, a peace agreement is signed in Paris to end the Vietnam war. In Aug. 1974, President Richard Nixon resigns. A few months later, the North launches a full scale invasion of the South. Americans are war wearied and help is not coming. The American ambassador refuses to accept defeatist talk. Some in the embassy organize a black ops smuggling out vulnerable Vietnamese. As the NVA closes in on Saigon, the Americans set off the secret evacuation plans with Bing Crosby's White Christmas.

The iconic imagines from the evacuation are the helicopters taking off from the rooftop and the helicopters being pushed overboard. For most people, these are the collective memories. This documentary dives deeper into the story. Some of it is fascinating behind the scenes stuff. The last half is a bit repetitive as various harrowing stories do resemble each other.

Not often shown in movies - what happens when the war ends

[phd_travel · 8/10 · 6 June 2017]

It's quite amazing how much was captured on film and photographs and it's put together so well that it almost seems like one was watching a movie of the fall of Saigon - it feels so complete. There are interesting interviews with witnesses mainly military personnel both US and South Vietnamese.

Unlike a typical Vietnam war movie this covers a different angle - not about fighting the war but the end of the war. There is criticism of Ambassador Graham Martin's refusal to organize an evacuation till it was too late leading the the chaos that took place. Would have liked to know more of his reasons for being so obstinate and the diplomatic failure at the end.

One minor fault is subtitles are in white sometimes against a white background and so hard to make out.

This makes one want a follow up on what happened to those left behind beyond the words of epilogue at the end.

Impressive wealth of archive footage, but a little opaque.

[Sergeant_Tibbs · 7/10 · 27 February 2015]

The most impressive aspect about Rory Kennedy's Last Days In Vietnam is the wealth of archive footage it has to offer. I marvel at the time investment she must have had to link every shot to a real life anecdote. As such, the documentary does a great job of making those stories come to life. But ultimately it's quite limited. I can see why the Academy liked it, moreso than Life Itself anyway, it's essentially similar to Argo where people are escaping volatile places. And like Argo it focuses on that moment of release rather than any context or consequence, besides the ending results. The film feels like a similar story over and over with little development, though they are interesting in their own right. It's got a very standard documentary approach with its interviews and the emotion, and while it's easy to empathise, it's rather basic rather than conflicted and complex. A good doc but a small missed opportunity for more insightful greatness.

7/10

Acknowledging defeat

[paul2001sw-1 · 8/10 · 1 June 2016]

When an occupying army gives up, and retreats, the immediate consequences are always going to be worst for those of the indigenous population who collaborated with the outgoing forces. For years, the United States helped keep South Vietnam independent from the north; once the U.S. troops had departed, re-unification was inevitable and eventually, the remaining Americans evacuated themselves, taking with them just some of the Vietnamese who had worked or fought for them and who now faced an uncertain future under a communist regime. Indeed, with the North VIetnamese forces on the edges of Saigon, the only way the evacuation could be staged was by helicopter, leading to extraordinary scenes all captured on film, and re-lived in this documentary. Having gotten in this mess, it's hard to see what the U.S. government could have done differently; with hindsight, of course, the whole story of U.S. involvement in Vietnam is a dreadful mistake. There's a vividness to the film clips, and to the recollections of those involved, which makes Rory Kennedy's film a particularly personal and intimate representation of the war as a whole. What doesn't need stressing is the totality of the defeat suffered by the U.S., an event that has arguably infused U.S. politics to this day.

Disorderly Withdrawal.

[rmax304823 · 7/10 · 7 October 2015]

A pretty good description of the fall and evacuation of South Vietnam in 1975, including newsreel footage, maps, observations of witnesses, and interpretation by expert talking heads. It's balanced and objective but it pulls no punches.

All this happened forty years ago and now students read about this momentous war in history books, I guess, so maybe a brief context should be offered.

Vietnam was divided into the communist north and the corrupt south. The south also had guerrilla fighters who were disrupting everyday life and committing foul deeds. They were aided by the regular army of North Vietnam.

In the mid 1960s, President Lyndon B. Johnson decided it was time to put an end to the communist aggression and began to send troops and other facilities to South Vietnam, almost half a million men. It didn't work out and a peace treaty was finally signed in 1973. The peace was to be managed by the South Vietnamese government with American assistance in case of a resumption of aggression by the north.

That treaty, guaranteeing the south's independence, was signed by President Richard Nixon, whom the north feared. As soon as he was out of office, the north attacked South Vietnam again. The American public, fed up with ten years of a brutal war and the loss of 58,000 dead and 130,000 maimed, were not about to interfere.

The South was unable to properly defend itself despite American equipment. Leadership in the dictatorial South Vietnamese government and military was poor and riddled with communist spies and sympathizers. Eventually the drive by the army of North Vietnam reached the southern capital of Saigon and the remaining American staff, as well as every Vietnamese family who had been associated with them, scrambled frantically to escape in every way possible. The North Vietnamese were fond of mass executions.

Whatever "order" there was in the escape was due to plans organized and executed without the ambassador's knowledge, by his own staff and by State Department personnel. The ambassador continued to insist that talk of evacuation was defeatist. When an unauthorized flight of South Vietnamese military men and their families reached the Philippines, the man responsible was fired.

That "evacuation" is the subject of this documentary. Much of the responsibility is pinned directly on the ambassador, Graham Martin, who had formulated no plans for an escape because he believed the army of the north would never reach Saigon. And it was a most humiliating mêlée, with terrified people, men, women, and babies, hanging on to departing airliners during take off runs and falling to the tarmac.

A task force of some fifty ships stood offshore from Saigon. Only Americans were to be evacuated, but each helicopter was mobbed by desperate and loyal South Vietnamese civilians. Not just high ranking Vietnamese military but the wives and families of Americans, their tailors and cooks. Helicopters with hangers on dangling from their skids left from the roof of the American embassy and other locations. So many helicopters landed on the decks of one ship that, in order to make room for the next arrivals, the first arrivals were pushed overboard.

The media photos and the videos shown at the time give an impression of near chaos and the impression seems to have been accurate enough. The evacuation was a pitiless process. But then the whole war -- which had lasted thirty years for the Vietnamese -- seems mindless in retrospect.

Where's the Context?

[palmiro · 1/10 · 30 April 2015]

This documentary gives us a lot of hand-wringing and conscience-searching about "doing the right thing" towards the thousands of southern Vietnamese who had collaborated with the American war effort. We are made to feel the gut-wrenching decisions made by Americans as to who would be evacuated and who would be left behind to face retaliation for their collaboration with the enemy. And, in the end, we are meant to feel re-assured that Americans are good people at heart, who "truly cared" about the fate of the inhabitants of southern Vietnam. But this story of the human tragedy that unfolded over a few days in late April 1975 is a deceptive snapshot of the big picture.

Vietnam had been a united country for centuries before the defeat of the French in 1954 (France had occupied Vietnam as a colony of the French Empire since 1887). The Geneva Accords of 1954, which ended domination by the French, specified a temporary division of the country into a north and south--with the provision that elections would be held within 2 years to reunify the country. But Pres. Eisenhower admitted, "I have never talked or corresponded with a person knowledgeable in Indochinese affairs who did not agree that had elections been held as of the time of the fighting, a possible 80 per cent of the population would have voted for the communist Ho Chi Minh as their leader." And so the US and its puppet regime in the south saw to it that no elections were held.

The so-called Republic of South Vietnam was a corrupt regime that had virtually no legitimacy, even in the south. It was comprised of elites drawn from the very small Catholic minority (6-8%), collaborationists with the previous French colonial regime, high-ranking military officers, wealthy landowners, and the businessmen, large and small, who had contractual dealings with the US. Its narrow base of support in the population meant that sooner or later the US would have to intervene militarily in a massive way in order to prop it up--which is what Pres. Johnson ordered, beginning in 1963.

And so, for more than 10 years the US ravaged Vietnam to keep it from "going Communist". There are still people in the US who think we should have gone further in the carnage and devastation of that small country in order to "win the war" and "save Vietnam from the Communists"--though one wonders how many people would have been left to save and what would have been left of Vietnam as a habitable place if we had unleashed the full destructive force of the US military. As it was, nearly 3 million Vietnamese were killed, hundreds of thousands wounded and maimed for life, entire cities laid to waste, and a countryside left infested with toxic agents and land mines.

Once the US discovered that the Vietnam War was destroying morale and discipline among its own troops (who, finding themselves surrounded on all sides by "the enemy", lashed out by committing scores of war crimes against the civilian population of Vietnam--see the My Lai massacre as an example), even the war hawks of the Nixon administration realized it was time for an "exit strategy". But shortly after the US pull-out, the morale of the army of the so-called Republic of South Vietnam dropped through the floor--and that should have come as no surprise since most of its soldiers had either been press-ganged into service or were there just to collect their paycheck. That army simply disintegrated in the face of Vietnamese who knew what they were fighting for: to liberate their country from a foreign invader.

So now we can return to the meaning of those last days in April 1975. All of that hand-wringing and conscience-searching--a truly sincere desire on the part of Americans to "do the right thing" towards the Vietnamese whose lives we had compromised--falls terribly short of the mark. What is lacking is a recognition that we as Americans were responsible for that horror--and not just during the "last days in Vietnam". Both the director and the people she interviewed seemed oblivious to the fact that what happened in those last days was the playing-out of the final scene of more than 10 years of incalculable suffering and hardship we had inflicted on the people of Vietnam.

Great documentary movie

[851222 · 10/10 · 24 September 2015]

Greetings from Lithuania.

"Last Days in Vietnam" (2014) is a great documentary on all accounts. It is superbly informative, highly consistent and very involving made. I actually never thought or have heard about this period of war, and it was very interesting to see it. This documentary in my opinion is better made that "Citizenfour" which i also enjoyed very much, and maybe "Last Days in Vietnam" isn't that topical for these days, it is better crafted documentary - you can clearly see that huge amount of time and effort was putted in to put all this in one movie.

Overall, "Last Days in Vietnam" is simply a great documentary movie. At running time almost 2 h it is highly involving and doesn't drag for a second. It is very informative and opens up a short and rather unseen period of one of the bloodiest and famous wars in mankind history.

See this one online NOW for free--at least if you live in the States.

[planktonrules · 9/10 · 6 February 2015]

A couple hours ago, I saw an interesting tweet. It seems that the Oscar-nominated documentary, "Last Days in Vietnam" is now available to watch for free online. Is there a catch? Yep. You need to live in the United States to view this film from Public Broadcasting. Once I learned that this film was financed by PBS and is part of their "American Experience" series, I was a bit surprised however. After all, these films are shown on television here in the States-- so they are not usually eligible for Oscar consideration, though they have received numerous awards such as the Emmy due to their exceptional quality. Apparently, a few "American Experience" films have been shown in theaters (most likely as part of a film festival) and that is why some have been eligible for the Academy Award. In fact, this is the fourth "American Experience" film to be nominated for the Oscar.

"Last Days in Vietnam" is about the fall of South Vietnam for the North's forces in the Spring of 1975. And, because it's an American Experience film, it's told from the viewpoint of Americans as well as some of their South Vietnamese allies. However, this does not mean it will not be interesting to everyone. The story is compelling and you really don't need to be an American or Vietnamese in order to appreciate the story. It's an interesting topic as folks today really don't talk about this period in history and when I was teaching American history, our curriculum rarely talked about the South falling to the Communist forces in the North.

Like a typical "American Experience" film it's told through lots and lots of interviews as well as stock footage as well as some computer models. It does not have narration--and I actually enjoyed this because instead of talking about what occurred, it lets people who were there explain it in their own words. And, like a typical show in the series, it's exceptionally well made and very interesting. It's clearly a very well made film. However, I would say that it's not necessarily better than any of the other shows in the series, as they are almost always exceptionally well made .

So should this win the Oscar? Probably not, as I still prefer "Virunga"--and recommend you see it as well as "Last Days in Vietnam". I should also note that I have not yet seen two of the nominees, "CitzenFour" and "Salt of the Earth"--as finding these documentaries is not always easy. Hopefully I'll get to these before the awards are nominated and I'll update you on my recommendations.

Here is the link. I have been told that it will only be available to see online for a limited time--so get to it as soon as you can: http://video.pbs.org/video/2365417082/

A Painful but Powerful Chapter in American History

[olihist · 9/10 · 15 January 2016]

"Last Days in Vietnam" tells the story of the Fall of Saigon through the eyes of the people - American and South Vietnamese - who experienced this tragic event. While a couple of these persons are notable figures - Dr. Henry Kissinger and former Deputy Sec. of State Richard Armitage among others - most of the people included in this film are not, and it is their harrowing, heroic, and often heart-wrenching stories that make up the heart of this film. Director Rory Kennedy interweaves these stories within a visually poignant portrait of a nation - and particularly its capital - in its death throes. While the film largely ignores the North Vietnamese perspective, it powerfully depicts American and South Vietnamese stories of compassion, resilience, and courage in the face of overwhelming adversity. But perhaps the most powerful theme that runs throughout this film - and in other documentaries that examine the Fall of Saigon - is betrayal, often personal betrayal. Although America entered Vietnam with a noble determination to promote democracy and stem communism, it exited that country in a painful and humiliating disillusionment with its own purpose in the world.

"Last Days in Vietnam" however ignores much of the preaching and controversy surrounding the Fall of Saigon to tell a more human and personal story. At a time when Americans are once again debating the merits of being the world's policeman, "Last Days in Vietnam" offers a powerful lesson about the costs that come from taking on such a responsibility.

Uplifting, heartbreaking, mesmerizing

[spk12371 · 10/10 · 26 March 2023]

Magnificent account of the events surrounding and leading up to the fall of Saigon to the North Vietnamese at the end of April, 1975. Anyone with an interest in the Vietnam War, particularly in its latter years, will be riveted to this documentary. Kennedy expertly uses a wealth of archival footage and photographs that go beyond the iconic image of people attempting to escape by helicopter and really gives a sense of the utter desperation of the South Vietnamese and Americans as the VC made its inevitable approach to the city. First hand accounts by members of the US and Vietnamese armed forces, and their heroic efforts in taking accountability for not always playing by the rules in the name of the "right thing" are both inspiring and heartbreaking. I'm a massive fan of historical and political documentaries, and Last Days in Vietnam is an excellent example of both. No one does them better than PBS-American Experience, American Masters, Frontline, Ken Burns.

A remarkable piece of work which thoroughly and evenhandedly covers the final US evacuation from Vietnam

[llltdesq · 9/10 · 12 May 2015]

This documentary was nominated for the Academy Award for Documentary Feature, losing to Citizenfour. There will be spoilers ahead:

Using a combination of archival footage, news reports, still photos and interviews with participants in the events, including then-Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and then-Special Forces Richard Armitage, this documentary offers an in-depth chronicle of the evacuation of US personnel, US civilians and South Vietnamese ahead of the fall of Saigon to the North Vietnamese in April of 1975.

The documentary starts with the ceasefire and withdrawal of combat forces by the US in 1973, with the expectation of a lasting peaceful, if uneasy, co-existence between North and South Vietnam. With the resignation of Richard Nixon in August of 1974, North Vietnam begins to become more belligerent towards South Vietnam, finally invading in late 1974/early 1975.Then-President Ford's attempts to secure additional aid for South Vietnam failed, but they would only have delayed the inevitable collapse. By April of 1975, it was obvious to most that the end was near.

The bulk of this documentary chronicles the efforts to evacuate as many Vietnamese, along with US personnel, before the fall of South Vietnam completely to the advancing North Vietnamese army. It covers the efforts of many US diplomats, operatives and military to help those they worked with or, in many cases, wives, girlfriends and children, to flee the country for safety. Thousands of Vietnamese were evacuated in various ways. Some got out on the last airplanes to leave, but the documentary covers mainly those leaving by ship and by helicopter. It details official evacuations and just plain desperate efforts by Vietnamese pilots to get their families out.

The archival footage and news reports are fascinating, but the heart of this documentary is in the interviews with people involved in the last days in Vietnam-from CIA operatives and embassy staff and Marines guarding the embassy to naval officers on ships receiving evacuees and escaped Vietnamese and a few who hoped to be rescued but for various reasons weren't. Often, their words are accompanied by footage, still photos or models of the US embassy compounds, which makes their comments all the more moving.

Even though it becomes clear that mistakes were made in deciding when to evacuate and that there was a kind of "tunnel vision" in place which likely made things more desperate and chaotic than it needed to be, everyone in here is treated quite fairly and no one is scapegoated, which would have been very easy to do in one or two cases. Under the circumstances, things actually went reasonably well. Could things have been handled more expeditiously? Certainly, but that's 20/20 hindsight at this point.

This is available on DVD, Blu-Ray and for download and is well worth getting/watching. Most recommended.

Well made, but...

[Red_Identity · 6 February 2015]

I mean, something like this is precisely made, but it's also sort of an old-fashioned documentary with talking heads and narration over real documented footage. Considering the different formats that many recent documentaries take in terms of their executions, this sort of makes this become sort of mute. Especially though, the film's subject matter isn't something that I'd find particularly interesting or all that engaging. I'm sure to some it would, but not to me. I honestly found myself struggling to stay awake at times. Surely not the best barometer to judge a film by, but in many ways it is. Surely one to have to contemplate, and not one that I can honestly judge all that well.

A Celebration of the communist victory which Enslaved the people of Vietnam

[binthere222 · 1/10 · 2 January 2015]

One more in a series of mockumentaries by the husband and wife team. A gory display of a snapshot in time when mayhem and confusion was at it's greatest. Lots of discussion about Nixon and Ford. Almost nothing about the key role of the Kennedy Family and LBJ escalating the war then losing it. No Discussion about the disgrace of abandoning millions to die by communist genocide and re-education camps. Just a focus on the most embarrassing elements of the evacuation. Another waste of R Kennedy's and her husband's talents on bashing rather than building. If none of these films have a box office, who is paying to make them? The research on this film is claimed to be very in depth and complete, however anyone actually doing that could not bring themselves to heaping more insult upon the soldiers of many countries who died buying time for the 6 million put to death after the communist dictators took over southeast Asia.

Sad and harsh reality of war once it ends - slightly one-sided

[ArchonCinemaReviews · 8/10 · 20 February 2015]

One of the most reviled wars in American history, in term of involvement, is explored through the eyes of sympathetic humanity toward its last days.

The war in region known as Vietnam stretched nearly thirty years – and in the Last Days in Vietnam, filmmakers show the chaotic and desperate final weeks before and after the fall of Saigon.

Nearing 1975 the war in Vietnam was supposed to be finished through the signing of the Paris Peace Accords. However, North Vietnam continued the offensive and in doing so, violated the treaty. Slowly descending toward the South Vietnam capital of Saigon, and with US troops withdrawing, the scramble for safety intensified. In the final weeks, American soldiers and diplomats stationed in the area are confronted with a moral predicament: obey direct orders from the Executive Branch to only evacuate US citizens and condemn their Southern Vietnamese allies to an unspeakable end OR ignore orders, risk treason, and save as many lives as they can.

As someone born close to fifteen years after the end of the Vietnam War, the severity and desperation of that time is but a lesson from a history book for me. I am too young to know about Vietnam extensively, and unfortunately the American public education system rarely catches up to near-current history.

The documentary, Last Days in Vietnam, lacks the minute details of a backstory in the opening of the film to catch uninformed viewers up to speed to fully comprehend the complete gravity of the situation during this time. Last Days in Vietnam pretty much wastes no time and jumps right in to the withdrawal of troops and consequential impacts upon the South Vietnamese. From then on it is a fast-paced and suspenseful account of the courageous and hopeless efforts to save civilians while expressing the genuine reverence US soldiers has and have for their allies, who the US government had no direct objective to rescue.

Last Days in Vietnam is heart felt and comprehensive, detailing the accounts of those final days and weeks through video, pictures and first-hand personal narratives. The simultaneous use of real chronicles with video and photography makes for a powerful and engaging experience for the viewer.

Though the film mentions in passing, the harsh reality and ultimate consequence of war, human lives, especially in the face of imminent conquering and defeat – it does not delve deeper. Nor does Last Days in Vietnam review those civilians who were unable to be rescued or had unresolved resentment toward the Americans for abandoning them. Without these key unexamined pieces, Last Days in Vietnam ends up feeling like an American propaganda documentary – informative but one-sided.

Please check out our website for full reviews of all the recent releases and awards contenders.

Brings back memories

[kcme-32408 · 10/10 · 26 March 2015]

We were made aware of the documentary through our friendship with artist Binh Pho, one of the Vietnamese left behind in the embassy. He had shared his story many years ago and I had read his biography of how he escaped from Vietnam by Kevin Wallace; RIVER OF DESTINY. He told us about meeting with Rory Kennedy and his admiration for the Kennedy family. It was exciting to hear that he would be sharing some of his story in different places throughout the film. When it came to Dallas we went to the showing and we were taken back to our teenage years and all of the news and drama that Vietnam brought to our country. Seeing the real tragedy of what took place was very tense to watch. Living in the USA is such a blessing that so many of us take for granted, but shouldn't.

From a Vietnamese survivor point of view.

[bachphi · 8/10 · 22 November 2015]

It's very heart wrenching to watch 'Last Days in Vietnam'. Old memories keep just rushing back like yesterday. I would like to thank the help of many American personnel, except the stupid 'Dr'. Kissinger. We lost the war because of the maneuvering dirty politician like Kissinger, in general, I have lot of respects to Jewish people as a whole, but not Kissinger. Let's not forget that Kissinger is also the one who opened the door for China to become a powerful country which it now threatens the world and its neighbors.

As for the last ambassador Martin, he is very much in the same category as the loser of president Nguyen van Thieu. I wish that we have a good president back then.

To the Kennedy family, you NEED to do a film on the tragedy of your family and see whether or not it is a some kind of pay back as result of ordering the killing of brothers Ngo family. Both families are catholic.

A Tragedy I Never Knew About...

[stephen-abraham · 9/10 · 24 May 2018]

Watched this by accident on Netflix. Thank you to the film makers, those interviewed and all those involved. All I can do is cry when I think of the betrayal and loss inflicted upon those involved this great modern-day Exodus. Those who saved lives are heroes. Those that allowed this to happen are culpable. Remember this and NEVER let such a human tragedy happen again.

I am forever profoundly affected by this film

[Galtwotwenty · 10/10 · 16 August 2020]

On April 30, 1975, the Best of the Best did their best for the Least of the Least. The Directive: Only evacuate Americans at the US Embassy in Saigon. The Response: The Hell You Say!

US Marines and Naval forces performed black-ops, under the table rescues, skirting authority, bending rules, strategizing on the fly, emptying their hearts and pockets and Risking All to get the South Vietnamese to safety as the Viet Cong ruthlessly advanced on Saigon.

I declare: You who were spat on as you returned from the war to your native soil. You who were disrespected for serving your country. You who DIED in that very war in order to stop the inhumanity of a Communist regime. I salute you. I remember you, Soldier. I Remember You.