Distinguished Speaker Series – The Fall of South Vietnam – May 8

You are invited to a Distinguished Speaker Series dinner event on May 8, 2025, at the Riverfront Community Center in downtown Leavenworth, Kansas (123 S. Esplanade St.). A reception begins at 5:30 p.m., the buffet dinner starts at 6 p.m. and the presentation will begin at 7 p.m.

In 1973, the United States and the Democratic Republic of Vietnam signed “The Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Vietnam.” All U.S. forces departed South Vietnam by the end of March per the peace agreement. Almost immediately after the cease-fire went into effect, the fighting broke out anew into what was essentially a third Indochina War. The South Vietnamese forces fought on alone and acquitted themselves very well until mid-1974. By that time, however, the North Vietnamese forces had fully reconstituted in the South and subsequently launched a new round of offensives. The weakened South Vietnamese forces were unable to turn back the onslaught. On April 30, 1975, after 55 days of bitter fighting, North Vietnamese forces captured Saigon and the Republic of Vietnam ceased to exist. In this presentation of the Distinguished Speaker Series, Dr. James H. Willbanks will examine the events of 1974-75 that led to Hanoi’s ultimate victory.

Tickets are $35/person in advance or $40/person at the door.

Click here for more information and to register/purchase tickets.