How many people were evacuated in the last 18 hours of…

How many people were evacuated in the last 18 hours of Saigon?

Short answer

About 8,000 people in 18 hours: 1,000 American civilians and almost 7,000 South Vietnamese refugees. Dozens of helicopters flew 600 sorties in that period to reach the US Navy ships waiting in the South China Sea. The last group left at 07:53 on 30 April 1975.

Published: November 1, 2026 · Updated: November 1, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

Former US Embassy, Saigon April 1998Mztourist (CC BY SA), vía commons

The last 18 hours

In 18 hours, 8,000 people were evacuated: 1,000 American civilians and almost 7,000 South Vietnamese refugees. Over just over 18 hours, dozens of helicopters carried more than 7,000 people to the US Navy ships waiting offshore in the South China Sea. The evacuation involved 600 helicopter sorties during that 18-hour period.

The rooftop closure at the embassy

The operation was carried out on 29 and 30 April 1975, in the final days of the Vietnam War. The last group was eleven Marines picked up from the roof of the US Embassy at 07:53 on 30 April 1975. At that same time, 07:53 on 30 April, the operation was declared complete.

The Frequent Wind tally

In the overall Frequent Wind operation, 1,373 Americans and 5,595 Vietnamese and third-country nationals were evacuated by helicopter. The total number of Vietnamese evacuated by Frequent Wind or by their own means who ended up in US custody for processing as refugees bound for the United States was 138,869.