Not your ‘Saigon Moment’: Why who tells our stories matters

Fifty years ago today, on April 30, 1975, tanks rolled into Saigon as the South Vietnamese capital fell to the North Vietnamese Army. While this effectively ended the Vietnam War, for many this was only the beginning of the end as citizens watched their city change before their eyes. In subsequent years, tens of thousands would flee, including my family.

While celebrated in Vietnam as Reunification Day, April 30 was not discussed in my family growing up. Instead, the only time I really thought about the fall of Saigon was in August 2021, after the fall of Kabul, Afghanistan. In the aftermath of the American withdrawal, I was bombarded by headlines demanding if this was “Biden’s ‘Saigon moment’.” Memes multiplied with side-by-side images of people grasping onto helicopters - on one side, a photo from 1975 Saigon, on the other, a photo from 2021 Afghanistan.

I had never heard the term ‘Saigon moment’ before then. Intrigued, I read article after article, wondering how my parents’ birthplace was connected to Kabul. Many of the articles compared the situation in Afghanistan with the final days of the Vietnam War, along with photos of “desperate” crowds clinging to helicopters or scaling the gates of embassies. It became clear that a “Saigon moment” symbolized America’s failure in Vietnam, yet I found it ironic that what the media chose to highlight was the desperation of the locals, with American aircraft seen as salvation. Even in failure, the Americans get to be the heroes. 

While the comparisons between Saigon and Kabul were meant to draw historical comparisons, most of the articles did not go beyond clickbait to truly examine lessons learned. This type of reporting seemed to be designed to sensationalize, reducing those left behind to their most desperate moments and keeping them rooted in trauma. 

To counter this narrative, I wrote a song to tell the story missing from the headlines. Returning to an interview with my grandfather about his journey from Vietnam to Canada, I transcribed the conversation, pulling out key elements and weaving them into lyrics. Being able to turn his memories into song is particularly meaningful for me as he passed away in 2021 shortly after the interview. I hope this song shifts the narrative, allowing my grandfather to tell his side of the story in his own words.

“Saigon Moment” is out now. Take a listen, reflect and remember: kashinmusic.com