Editing Nguyễn Văn Thiệu (section)

===Communists close in and Thiệu resigns===
By this time, the North Vietnamese Politburo no longer felt it necessary to wait until 1976 for the final offensive, and they sought to secure victory within two months, before the monsoon season began.<ref name=w256>Willbanks, p. 256.</ref> On 7 April 1975, [[Lê Đức Thọ]] arrived at General Văn Tiến Dũng's headquarters near Loc Ninh to oversee the final battles.<ref name=w265>Willbanks, p. 265.</ref><ref name=df112>Dougan and Fulghum, p. 112.</ref> General Dũng prepared a three-pronged attack, which would seize the vital highway intersection at [[Xuân Lộc]],<ref name=df116>Dougan and Fulghum, p. 116.</ref> the capital of Long Khánh Province and "the gateway to Saigon",<ref name=w264>Willbanks, p. 264.</ref> before heading for Biên Hòa.<ref name=df142>Dougan and Fulghum, p. 142.</ref>

The week-long fighting that erupted on 8 April [[Battle of Xuân Lộc|in and around Xuân Lộc]] was the most significant engagement of the entire offensive.<ref>Willbanks, pp. 265–67.</ref> The South Vietnamese eventually committed 25,000 troops to the battle, almost one-third of their remaining forces.<ref name=w266>Willbanks, p. 266.</ref> After conducting a valiant defense, the 18th Division was overwhelmed by a 6:1 numerical ratio, and the communists encircled Saigon.<ref name=w267>Willbanks, p. 267.</ref><ref>Hosmer, Kellen and Jenkins, p. 133.</ref>

On 10 April, Ford went to Congress to request a US $722 million supplemental military aid package for South Vietnam plus $250 million in economic and refugee aid but Congress was not impressed.<ref>Isaacs, p. 408.</ref><ref>Dougan and Fulghum, p. 127</ref> On 17 April the discussion ended—there would be no further military funding for Thiệu.<ref>Willbanks, pp. 267–68.</ref>

On 21 April 1975, Thiệu, under intense political pressure, resigned as president after losing the confidence of his closest domestic allies.<ref>Dougan and Fulghum, pp. 100, 138–41.</ref><ref>Willbanks, pp. 268–69.</ref> In his televised farewell speech during which he was close to tears, he admitted, for the first time, having ordered the evacuation of the Central Highlands and the north that had led to debacle. He then stated that it had been the inevitable course of action considering the situation, but still blamed the generals.<ref name=df138>Dougan and Fulghum, p. 138.</ref><ref>Vien, p. 142.</ref>

In a rambling and incoherent speech,<ref name=nyt/> Thiệu went on to excoriate the US, attacking "our great ally, [the] leader of the free world". "The United States has not respected its promises" he declared. "It is inhumane. It is not trustworthy. It is irresponsible."<ref name=w270/><ref name=df139>Dougan and Fulghum, p. 139.</ref> He added, "The United States did not keep its word. Is an American's word reliable these days?", and "The United States did not keep its promise to help us fight for freedom and it was in the same fight that the United States lost 50,000 of its young men."<ref name=bbc>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/21/newsid_2935000/2935347.stm|work=BBC News|title=1975: Vietnam's President Thieu resigns|date=21 April 1975}}</ref>

Thiệu bemoaned the American funding cuts, which he equated to desertion, saying, "You don't fight by miracles, you need high morale and bravery. But even if you are brave, you can't just stand there and bite the enemy. And we are fighting against Russia and China. We're having to bargain for aid from the United States like haggling for fish in the market and I am not going to continue this bargaining for a few million dollars when your [South Vietnamese soldiers and civilians] lives are at stake."<ref name=tel/>

He criticised the American policy, saying, "You Americans with your 500,000 soldiers in Vietnam! You were not defeated...you ran away!"<ref name=tel/> He lambasted US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger for signing the Paris Peace Accords, which the communists violated, and which he regarded as an American abandonment, stating "I never thought that such a good Secretary of State would produce a treaty that would bring us to our death".<ref name=tel/> Thiệu also blamed the local media and foreign broadcasting organisations for lowering the morale of the military and the population by reporting on the corruption and setbacks of his government.<ref name=indep/>
Immediately following the speech, Vice President Trần Văn Hương took the presidency.<ref name=w270>Willbanks, p. 270.</ref> However, the Communist tide could not be stopped. They overran what was left of the ARVN within nine days and took Saigon on 30 April 1975, ending the war.<ref name=indep/>