Fall of Saigon

Central Floridians who risked to their lives to escape Vietnam forty two years ago will gather in Orlando this weekend to commemorate Black April, a pivotal moment in Vietnam War history when thousands of Vietnamese fled for the United States, many on makeshift boats.

It’s been 40 years since the Fall of Saigon and all week we’re looking at Orlando’s Vietnamese population. Age is just a number for a group of Orlando Vietnamese retirees who dance for their country. Six members, average age 60 with no professional dance training, make up the group Hon Viet. Hon Viet means soul of Vietnam, and soul is certainly what you get when you watch this group perform.

Our week-long coverage of the fortieth anniversary of the Fall of Saigon continues this afternoon with a glimpse into the lives of Orlando’s Vietnam veterans. Much is known about the nearly 3 million American soldiers who fought in South Vietnam against the Viet Cong guerilla forces. But the Vietnamese soldiers who fought alongside Americans have a lesser known legacy. 90.7’s Renata Sago spoke with two Vietnamese veterans who settled in Orlando after the war.

It’s been 40 years since the fall of Saigon and all week we’re looking at Orlando’s Vietnamese population. Vietnamese cuisine is reflective of Vietnamese lifestyle, starting from the preparation of the food, to how it’s served. That’s what the family that runs Orlando’s Saigon Noodle & Grill says.

In the last months of the Vietnam war, Florida’s first Vietnamese trickled into Orlando with little English and a strong entrepreneurial spirit. They opened restaurants and specialty shops along a thin strip of land near downtown called Little Vietnam. But as 90.7’s Renata Sago reports, a rebranding of the area has people asking whether to even call it that.