Those Who Stayed: A Vietnam Diary

An American Eyewitness in Vietnam at the End of War and Beginning of Peace

By the end of the Vietnam War in April 1975, almost all Americans and thousands of terrified Vietnamese had left Saigon, fearing the bloodbath predicted by many if the Communists took over. But Claudia Krich and a few other humanitarian aid volunteers chose not to leave. They had no weapons, no cement barriers, no bomb shelter, and no safety, but they were determined to remain in Vietnam to see what happened next.

Those Who Stayed is Claudia Krich’s personal firsthand account of the collapse of the South Vietnamese government and the beginning of the new Provisional Revolutionary Government. Her vivid impressions of those intense, historic days emerge primarily from her journal, capturing the uncertainty, fear, and excitement as the North Vietnamese soldiers arrived. She intertwines personal, sometimes heartbreaking episodes with major historic events.

Several short pieces by others with unusual firsthand knowledge enliven and contextualize the book. Fascinating and unique, engaging and entertaining, Those Who Stayed is the extraordinary story of an adventurous young woman in the right place at the right time to chronicle a pivotal moment in history.

Claudia Krich was co-director of the American Friends Service Committee medical relief program in Vietnam from early 1973 until July 1975.