GZERO WORLD WITH IAN BREMMER: 50 Years After The Vietnam War

By Jennifer Robinson / Web Producer

Published June 30, 2025 at 3:06 PM PDT

Richard Jopson Photography. Courtesy of American Public Television

Host Ian Bremmer

Thursday, July 3, 2025 at 11:30 p.m. on KPBS TV / Stream now with the PBS app

This episode includes guests Viet Thanh Nguyen (author of "The Sympathizer") and Mai Elliott (author of "The Sacred Willow").

It's been fifty years since Saigon fell or was liberated, depending on whom you ask. Two Vietnamese Americans with personal ties to the war reflect on the milestone anniversary. Viet Thanh Nguyen is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "The Sympathizer," now an HBO TV series, and Mai Elliott is the author of "The Sacred Willow" about a Vietnamese family over four generations.

It's been fifty years since the last U.S. military helicopters left Saigon, signaling the fall of the country or its liberation, depending on whom you ask. Two Vietnamese Americans with personal ties to the war reflect on the milestone anniversary.

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PODCAST: Revisiting the Vietnam War 50 years later, with authors Viet Thanh Nguyen and Mai Elliott

Fifty years after the fall of Saigon (or its liberation, depending on whom you ask), Vietnam has transformed from a war-torn battleground to one of Asia’s fastest-growing economies — and now finds itself caught between two superpowers. Ian Bremmer breaks down how Vietnam went from devastation in the wake of the Vietnam War to become a regional economic powerhouse.

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On GZERO World with ‪@Ian_Bremmer‬, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen shares what it was like growing up as a Vietnamese refugee in the US—and how the Americans around him often misunderstood the emotional toll of displacement.

Ian Bremmer, a renowned political scientist, entrepreneur and bestselling author, shares his perspective on recent global events and interviews the world leaders, experts and newsmakers shaping today’s international politics.

Credits: Presented by Creative News Group LLC. Distributed by American Public Television

GZERO WORLD WITH IAN BREMMER: 50 Years After The Vietnam War

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