Foreign Journalists Reflect on Historic Moments of April 30, 1975

In April 1975, around 40 foreign

remained in southern Vietnam to witness the end of the Vietnam War. Among them were Nayan Chanda and Jim Laurie, who both chose to stay despite being advised to .

Nayan Chanda, then head of the Saigon

for the Far Eastern Economic Review, believed it was his duty to witness this historical moment. On April 30, 1975, he saw the entering the Independence Palace and sent a short declaring the war’s end. That night, Chanda experienced a rare, peaceful sleep—free from helicopters and gunfire.

Jim Laurie of NBC News also stayed in Saigon, expecting

but instead finding an unexpectedly calm transition. He recalled that within a day, shops reopened, and life . Laurie even traveled to the Mekong Delta and was surprised to see civilians returning to work and soldiers rebuilding infrastructure. He faced no interference from the new government and continues to return to Vietnam regularly.

These stories highlight not only the courage of journalists but also the peaceful nature of a moment often expected to be violent.