Goodnight Saigon: American Defeat in Vietnam 1971-1975 

By 1975, what remained of the South Vietnamese Army was not capable of withstanding the 

advance of the North and it was an inevitability that Saigon would fall to communist forces.  

War Powers Act (1973)  The act required the President to inform Congress within 48 hours of sending troops into combat. 

Within 60 days Congress must decide whether or not to declare war.  If they don’t declare war, the President must remove combat troops within 30 days. 

U.S. power and prestige was also curtailed

Casualties of War -  58,220 dead;  303,644 wounded

Impact on Southeast Asia:  In 1975, North Vietnam defeated South Vietnam and unified Vietnam under communist control.  

Vietnam Syndrome -  a term used to refer to public aversion to American overseas military involvements, following the domestic controversy over the Vietnam War, which ended in 1975. 

Vietnam WIP