''Oh, Saigon'' is a 2007 autobiographical

documentary A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

Vietnamese American Vietnamese Americans () are Americans of Vietnamese ancestry. They constitute a major part of all overseas Vietnamese. As of 2023, over 2.3 million people of Vietnamese descent live in the United States, making them the fourth largest Asian Ame ...

director

Doan Hoang Đoan Hoàng Curtis, Doan Hoang, Đoan Hoàng or Doan Hoàng Curtis is a Vietnamese-American documentary film director, producer, editor, and writer. Hoàng Curtis produced the Netflix 2025 documentary series ''Turning Point: The Vietnam War''. ...

about her family's separation during the

fall of Saigon The fall of Saigon, known in Vietnam as Reunification Day (), was the capture of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, by North Vietnam on 30 April 1975. As part of the 1975 spring offensive, this decisive event led to the collapse of the So ...

and her attempt to reunite them afterwards. ''Oh, Saigon'' was executive produced by

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

and

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award catego ...

winner, John Battsek. ''Oh, Saigon'' received film grants from the

Sundance Institute Sundance Institute is a non-profit organization founded by actor Robert Redford committed to the growth of independent artists. The institute is driven by its programs that discover and support independent filmmakers, theatre artists and compo ...

Documentary Fund,

ITVS ITVS (Independent Television Service) is a service in the United States which funds and presents documentaries on public television through distribution by PBS and American Public Television, new media projects on the Internet, and the weekly ...

, and the

Center for Asian American Media The Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) was founded in 1980. The San Francisco–based organization, formerly known as the National Asian American Telecommunications Association (NAATA), has grown into the largest organization dedicated to the ...

, and after its release, received a number of film festival awards and accolades.

Synopsis

Airlifted out of Vietnam on April 30, 1975, Doan Hoang’s family was on the last civilian helicopter out of the country at the end of the Vietnam War. Twenty-five years later, she sets out to uncover their story. Her father, a former South Vietnamese major, confronts his political differences with his brothers, whom he never mentioned to his children. Meanwhile, Hoang tries to reconcile her own survivor guilt with her half-sister, who was mistakenly separated from the family during the escape.

Cast

The main characters in the film are the Hoang family: * Nam Hoang as Nam - a South Vietnamese pilot who pulls his family out of Vietnam to settle in Kentucky *

as Doan - Nam's daughter and the film's narrator. * Hoang Hai as Hai - a Communist soldier who is Nam's older brother. * Hoang Dzung as Dzung - Nam's younger brother. He is a fisherman. * Anne Hoang as Anne - Nam's wife. She was a socialite in Saigon, but after the relocation, she works as a seamstress. * Van Tran as Van - Anne's daughter and Doan's secret half sister. On the day of the airlift, she is left behind. Also includes the following family members: * Nhat Hoang * Dylan Tran Le

Development

Hoang developed the film over seven years, where she documented her family. In 2005, the

awarded Hoang a grant for the then titled ''Homeland''. She also received funding from the Independent Television Service (ITVS), the Center for Asian American Media, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Filming was done in the United States and Saigon. According to the official website: "The subjects are shot on location in the expanse of America and its suburbs, as well as Saigon’s vibrant, noisy streets, and the rarely-seen breathtaking backwaters of Vietnam – emphasizing the physical differences between two countries that shared a war. Archival footage, moody Super8mm landscapes, and motion-graphics-animated family photographs juxtaposed to clear, colorful DV, shot in a fluid cinema verité–style highlight changes and similarities between past and present."

Release

Hoang premiered ''Oh, Saigon'' in March 2007 at the

San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival CAAMFest, known prior to 2013 as the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival (SFIAAFF), is presented every May (Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month) in the San Francisco Bay Area in the United States as the nation's ...

She then showcased the film at various film festivals, universities, and museum venues. Hoang took the film to 16 countries, including a tour of Spain in 2011 and 2012 tour of Vietnam for the US State Department and American Documentary Showcase. The film is currently available to view on Netflix and Amazon.com.

Reception

Awards and nominations

*Grand Jury Prize for Non-Fiction Feature Film – Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, May 2008 *Best Documentary Award - 42nd Brooklyn Arts Council International Film Festival, May 2008 *Best Brooklyn Film - 42nd Brooklyn Arts Council International Film Festival, May 2008 *Best of the Fest – Austin Film Festival, February 2008 *Best Documentary Nominee - San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, March 2007 *Grand Jury Prize Nominee – Vietnamese International Film Festival, April 2009

References

External links

* * {{IMDb title, 1158302 Documentary films about families Documentary films about refugees Documentary films about the Vietnam War Autobiographical documentary films 2007 documentary films Vietnamese documentary films American documentary films 2000s Vietnamese-language films 2000s English-language films 2000s American films 2007 multilingual films 2007 films American multilingual films Vietnamese multilingual films English-language documentary films