Vietnam War History in the Lives of Allies

It has become the norm that any film about the Vietnam War will be over-interpreted. After all, the Vietnam War has changed the United States, and the United States has changed and is still changing the world. I personally think this movie is more suitable for people who don't know the history of Vietnam and the Vietnam War, so there will be fewer preconceived ideas. In this way, this documentary will not be labeled as Wei Guangzheng, Hei Yue, reflection, etc. Documentary as long as true enough, if there must be any connotation, the core is likely to be: the life of allies is equally important.
The film begins in April 1975, 30 years after World War II, but the gunfire in Vietnam has never stopped. Let’s start with a brief review of Vietnam’s modern history. Before World War II, due to the decline of the Qing government, Vietnam lost its protection and became a French colony. World War II completely disrupted the world order, the mighty Axis powers were defeated, Britain and France were on the verge of being overwhelmed, and the US imperialists had not yet taken control of the world. In August 1945, after the Japanese surrendered and evacuated, the Viet Cong led by Ho Chi Minh established a democratic republic in Hanoi, and the resurgent French-backed Emperor Bao Dai continued his colonial rule in Saigon. .


One mountain cannot hold two tigers. At first, the two sides fought a small fight, but the intervention of the two great powers turned it into a large-scale war. These two great powers are the United States and New China. The war lasted for 9 years until North Vietnam won the battle of Dien Bien Phu in May 1954. The result of the war was known to the Chinese people as "the great victory of the Anti-French War". France was expelled, but there were more than one million corpses on the land of Vietnam, and the South and North Vietnam on the map did not change. A lot of wars are so boring that they count corpses for fun.
Just like a diamond with blood, you know it will get your hands dirty, but as long as you throw it away, it will be picked up immediately, not to mention a strategic location like Vietnam that is powerless to protect itself. The French are gone, the Americans are here, the emperor is gone, the dictator is here, the wolf is gone, the lion is here. In 1955, Ngo Dinh Diem, supported by the Americans, came to power to rule South Vietnam. Capitalism and Catholicism continued to confront communism in the north and south, just like the Korean peninsula today.
Wu Tingyan has a very extreme personality, no less than the Nazis. It may be related to the world political atmosphere at that time and his frustrated political career in his early years. We saw rows of monks being shot in Hong Kong films in his early years. This is his masterpiece. The Americans who were born out of the colonies were obviously not qualified colonists. They allowed Wu Tingyan to act indiscriminately until June 11, 1963, when the monk Shi Guangde doused himself with gasoline at the intersection of Saigon, a reporter for The New York Times McCann filmed the scene. The western world was outraged, the American people didn't believe their money was being used to support such a dictator, and Ngo's brother said: If Buddhists want another barbecue, I'd be happy to provide gasoline. Correspondingly: McCann won the Pulitzer Prize that year, and Wu Tingyan was shot and killed by the coup soldiers five months later.


The death of Ngo Dinh Diem was a happy ending. The United States found a new agent, the people of South Vietnam saw new hope, and Ho Chi Minh lacked a strong opponent. A person who is so cruel to Buddhists who are basically harmless can only imagine how he treats Communists. His death may have ended the Vietnam War early, but unfortunately, another person died 20 days later, and he was President Kennedy.
Many sources show that Kennedy planned to withdraw troops from Vietnam during his second term, but Johnson put the plan in vain, and he decided to leave a puzzle for American historians and a thought for American artists. In Vietnam, Eisenhower sent 800 men, Kennedy sent 16,000, and Johnson sent 560,000. Since World War II, American soldiers have never participated in a war of this scale. It was a disaster for countless American families and, compared to World War II, a meaningless disaster. By the end of 1968, the Vietnam War had changed from scabies to cancer in the United States, and it would be over if it was not removed. At this time, it was the turn of the shrewd Nixon.
Nixon knew why the skinny Ho Chi Minh was able to fight against the tall Johnson for so many years, and he also knew that China and the Soviet Union were fighting on Zhenbao Island, and it was time to end the Vietnam War and fight the big brother of international communism. In February 1972, the Sino-US Joint Communiqué was published, Nixon figured out Mao Zedong's bottom line, and the following year, the "Paris Peace Treaty" was signed, the US military was completely withdrawn from Vietnam, and the second Korean Peninsula was about to become a reality. But an accident happened, the Watergate incident intensified, Nixon resigned sadly, Ford was promoted two levels in a row, and became one of the most unqualified presidents in American history.


Having said that, it is connected to the movie I want to review. As said in the movie, as long as Nixon is in office, Mao Zedong will also give him face. North Vietnam will not dare to invade South Vietnam. Even if the Americans are withdrawn, aircraft carriers can attack North Vietnam at any time. Nixon was not a soft persimmon like Johnson. In 1972, North Vietnam launched the Easter Offensive with all the strength of the country. As a result, Nixon blew up Vo Nguyen Giap's rank of general. Nixon stepped down in August 1974. North Vietnam violated the Paris Peace Treaty with the support of China and invaded South Vietnam. Eight months later, Vietnam was unified and became what we see on the map today, and the United States is like Ford in the movie. The president watched all this happen from afar, never getting involved in Vietnamese politics.
Now I can finally talk about the movie. The plot is very tight. The last day is broken down into hours to tell the story. The scenes are constantly switched from the street, the embassy, ​​the White House, and the warship. The indecision from the White House to the embassy led to the final choice of the worst helicopter option. The execution of the U.S. military and the sacrifice of ambassadors are admirable. There are many incredible scenes in the film: helicopters become disposable loading tools, military boots and uniforms are all over the street, and Viet Cong female soldiers in red scarves holding pistols in the crowd. It is said that many of the shots are disclosed for the first time and are very worth watching.
Still can't help but say a little more history. After the reunification of Vietnam, under the rule of the Communist Party of Vietnam, millions of people were put into labor camps, millions of people fled, hundreds of thousands of people were executed, and hundreds of thousands of people died abnormally. The exact number may never be counted. The United States escaped from the Vietnam War, and after a short ebb, continued to occupy the commanding heights of the world and finally brought down the Soviet Union. However, the unified Vietnam is still in constant wars, being played by the Soviet Union, and even fought with its Chinese brothers who selflessly helped it. Now everyone is rational, no longer talking about realizing communism, and focusing on economic development. Rich Chinese young people can consider setting up factories in Vietnam, because labor is cheap there, and Chinese young people who have no money can consider marrying a Vietnamese wife. .

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