This fall, the Indiana Historical Society will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon, the capital of the former Republic of South Vietnam.
The historical society will launch an exhibit that will tell the stories of Indiana’s Vietnam veterans. Tentatively called “Vietnam through their eyes,” the exhibit will consist of interviews and photographs and other memorabilia loaned from veterans.
Saigon was sacked April 30, 1975, essentially ending the war and reunifying the country under communist rule. Saigon was later renamed Ho Chi Minh City.
“We’re trying to understand what it was like for Hoosiers who served in the Vietnam War, going off and fighting in this war and then returning home and dealing with the consequences,” said Indiana Historical Society President and CEO Jody Blankenship.
The society is asking veterans from Indiana who served during the war to register to be interviewed for the exhibit by April 30. Historical society staff will then reach out to those veterans for interviews that will be in person, online or over the phone, depending on the veteran’s availability.
“We want to get as many stories as we can possibly get, because we know there wasn’t just one experience in Vietnam,” Blankenship said.
Blankenship said the exhibit will bring to light the experience of living through uncertain times.
“It’s comfortable sitting here today and looking back at those times, but it’s quite different when you lived through them and you didn’t know what the outcome would be.”
Registering for interviews
Vietnam veterans can register to be interviewed by the Indiana Historical Society by filling out an online form. The final day to register is April 30.
Mirror Indy reporter Enrique Saenz covers west Indianapolis. Contact him at 317-983-4203 or enrique.saenz@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on Bluesky at @enriquesaenz.bsky.social.
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