Red River Screens 'Last Days in Vietnam' Monday

On April 29, 1975, the airport in Saigon was bombed, leaving few options for evacuation for both the American soldiers and the South Vietnamese who were fighting at the end of the Vietnam War. “Last Days in Vietnam,” an Academy Award-nominated documentary, tells the stories of the brave soldiers that fought to save their South Vietnamese allies as Saigon fell.

Join New Hampshire Public Television and Red River Theatres for a free screening and discussion of the film on Monday, April 27, at 6:30 p.m. at Red River Theatres in Concord.

The screening will be followed by a discussion with Bill Toland, Vietnam medic; Frank Novotny, retired Navy Captain; and Major General Thomas Needham. The discussion will be moderated by LTC Gregory Heilshorn of the New Hampshire National Guard. The panel discussion is presented in partnership with Vetflix, a non-profit which collects veterans’ stories.

Reservations to this free screening are available at redrivertheatres.org or by calling 603-224-4600 x 2.

“Last Days in Vietnam” follows the chaotic final days of the Vietnam War, as the North Vietnamese Army closed in on Saigon, and the South Vietnamese resistance crumbled. City after city and village after village fell to the North while the few U.S. diplomats and military operatives still in the country contemplated withdrawal. With the lives of thousands of South Vietnamese hanging in the balance, those in control faced an impossible choice––who would go and who would be left behind to face brutality, imprisonment, or even death.

“Last Days in Vietnam” will air on NHPTV PRIME at 9 p.m. on April 28. Scheduled in conjunction with the 40th anniversary of the fall of Saigon, the broadcast will contain additional footage not seen during the film’s theatrical release.