AP PHOTOS: Documenting the fall of Saigon in photos

In the morning of April 29, 1975, a massive evacuation exercise began in Saigon, which ended almost 24 hours later. About 6,500 people had been airlifted by the end of the exercise, including nearly 900 Americans. Hours later, on April 30, Saigon fell, and with it came the end of the Vietnam War.

FILE- Last Viet evacuees by boat from Saigon water front in Saigon as PRG troops closing in on April 30, 1975. (AP Photo/Matt Franjola, File)

FILE- A weeping South Vietnamese mother and her three children are shown on the deck of this amphibious command ship being plucked out of Saigon by U.S. Marine helicopters in Vietnam, April 29, 1975. (AP Photo/J.T. Wolkerstorfer, File)

In this April 29, 1975 file photo, South Vietnamese civilians scale the 14-foot wall of the U.S. embassy in Saigon, trying to reach evacuation helicopters as the last Americans depart from Vietnam. (AP Photo/File)

Associated Press wirecopy story by Peter Arnett and George Esper on the fall of Saigon, April 29, 1975 (page 1 of 3). (AP Photo/Corporate Archives)

FILE- U.S. Marines disembark from a CH-53 “Jolly Green Giant” to restore order and restrain crowds at the gates of the U.S. Embassy in Saigon during the final evacuation on April 29, 1975. (AP Photo/Frances Starner, File)

FILE- A Provisional Revolutionary Government (PRG) tank enters the gates of the Presidential Palace in Saigon on May 1, 1975. (AP Photo/Frances Starner, File)

In this April 30, 1975 file photo, South Vietnamese civilians try to scale the walls of the U.S. embassy in Saigon in an attempt to get aboard evacuation flights. (AP Photo/Neal Ulevich, File)

FILE- A U.S. Marine helicopter takes off from helipad on top of the American Embassy in Saigon, Vietnam, April 30, 1975. (AP Photo/Phu, File)

In this Monday, April 28, 1975 file photo, South Vietnamese troops and western TV newsmen run for cover as a North Vietnamese mortar round explodes on Newport Bridge on the outskirts of Saigon. (AP Photo/Hoanh, File)

FILE- Refugees fleeing the advance of communist forces pour into Saigon April 28, 1975, arriving in jammed vehicles and on foot from rural districts north of the capital. (AP Photo/H. Hung, File)

FILE- South Vietnamese troops and civilians retreat along Route 15 east of Saigon on Monday, April 28, 1975 past barbed wire they had erected to protect the area. But now they are fleeing the advancing communists. (AP Photo/Matt Franjola, File)

Associated Press wirecopy story by Peter Arnett and George Esper on the fall of Saigon, April 29, 1975 (page 2 of 3). (AP Photo/Corporate Archives)

In this April 29, 1975 file photo, mobs of Vietnamese people scale the wall of the U.S. Embassy in Saigon, Vietnam, trying to get to the helicopter pickup zone, just before the end of the Vietnam War. (AP Photo/Neal Ulevich, file)

In this Sunday, April 27, 1975 file photo, a cross from a church in Saigon stands against the dawn sky after a rocket attack and ensuing fire. (AP Photo/Matt Franjola, File)

FILE- Victorious North Vietnamese troops ride a tank down Rue Catinat in Saigon while South Vietnamese civilians look on, April 30, 1975, as the capital of South Vietnam fell to communist forces, ending the Vietnam War. (AP Photo/Yves Billy, File)

FILE- U.S. Marines hit the deck of the USS Blue Ridge to dodge flying metal from a South Vietnamese helicopter that crashed on the deck of the ship, April 29, 1975. One pilot had dropped his helicopter on the blade of another that had just landed, and chunks of metal ripped through the air. The top helicopter, with its load of women and children, nearly toppled into the sea, but they were rescued and there were no injuries. (AP Photo/J.T. Wolkerstorfer, File)

File- Victorious North Vietnamese troops aboard a tank take a position outside Independence Palace in Saigon, April 30, 1975, the day the South Vietnamese government surrendered, ending the Vietnam War. Communist flags fly from the palace and the tank. (AP Photo/Yves Billy, File)

FILE- The last three staffers in The Associated Press’ Saigon bureau, reporters Matt Franjola, left, Peter Arnett, rear, and George Esper, second from right, are joined by two North Vietnamese soldiers and a member of the Viet Cong on the day the government of South Vietnam surrendered, April 30, 1975. One of the soldiers is showing Esper the route of his final advance into the city. (AP Photo/Sarah Errington, File)

Associated Press wirecopy story by Peter Arnett and George Esper on the fall of Saigon, April 29, 1975 (page 3 of 3). (AP Photo/Corporate Archives)

FILE- As victorious North Vietnamese troops ride past on a tank, defeated South Vietnamese troops discard their uniforms in Saigon, April 30, 1975, the day the South Vietnamese capital fell to communist forces, ending the Vietnam War. (AP Photo/Yves Billy, File)

FILE- A communist fighter carrying a rocket-propelled grenade passes comrades on the steps of the National Assembly (Parliament) building in Saigon on April 30, 1975, as South Vietnam surrendered to North Vietnam, ending the Vietnam War. (AP Photo/Yves Billy, File)

File- A U.S. Marine helicopter lifts off from the landing pad atop the U.S. Embassy during the evacuation of Saigon Wednesday, April 30, 1975. (AP Photo/Phu, File)