Cách đây đúng 40 năm, vào ngày 29 tháng Ba năm 1973, Hoa Kỳ chấm dứt can thiệp vào tình hình chiến sự tại Việt Nam, 10 năm sau khi đưa quân sang tham chiến.

Mặc dù chiến tranh vẫn kéo dài thêm 2 năm, miền Nam Việt Nam không còn được sự hỗ trợ của Hoa Kỳ như trước.

Theo các số liệu do báo chí Mỹ loan tải hôm 29 tháng Ba, tổng cộng có hơn 58,000 binh sĩ Mỹ tử trận trên chiến trường Việt Nam, và hơn 300,000 người khác bị thương.

Chiến tranh Việt Nam đã gây ra những chia rẽ sâu xa chưa hoàn toàn được hàn gắn trong xã hội Mỹ và thay đổi vĩnh viễn phương thức hành động của quân đội Hoa Kỳ.

Giới truyền thông Mỹ đặc biệt đánh dấu kỷ niệm 40 năm từ khi quân đội Hoa Kỳ rút khỏi Việt Nam.

Báo chí tường thuật rằng không như những đoàn quân viễn chinh trước đó, các binh sĩ Mỹ hồi hương từ Việt Nam không được chào đón nồng nhiệt với những cuộc diễu hành ăn mừng chiến thắng, mà ngược lại, đã trở thành mục tiêu của các cuộc biểu tình phản đối của thành phần phản chiến.

Tuy nhiên 40 năm sau, có một số dấu hiệu cho thấy cái nhìn của dân chúng Mỹ về chiến tranh Việt Nam đã xoay chiều. Các tiểu bang trên khắp nước Mỹ, trong đó có Alaska và Missouri, tuần tự tuyên bố ngày 29 tháng Ba, và 30 tháng Ba là Ngày Cựu Chiến Binh Việt Nam, để tri ân những sự hy sinh to lớn của các quân nhân Mỹ từng tham chiến tại Việt Nam.

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In this March 29, 1973 photo, In a curious ending to a bizarre conflict, American troops board jets under the watchful eyes of North Vietnamese and Viet Cong observers in Saigon. As the last U.S. combat troops left Vietnam 40 years ago, angry protesters still awaited them at home. North Vietnamese soldiers took heart from their foes’ departure, and South Vietnamese who had helped the Americans feared for the future. While the fall of Saigon two years later — with its indelible images of frantic helicopter evacuations — is remembered as the final day of the Vietnam War, Friday marks an anniversary that holds greater meaning for many who fought, protested or otherwise lived it. (AP Photo)

In this March 29, 1973 photo, Camp Alpha, Uncle Sam’s out processing center, was chaos in Saigon. Lines of bored soldiers snaked through customs and briefing rooms. As the last U.S. combat troops left Vietnam 40 years ago, angry protesters still awaited them at home. North Vietnamese soldiers took heart from their foes’ departure, and South Vietnamese who had helped the Americans feared for the future. While the fall of Saigon two years later — with its indelible images of frantic helicopter evacuations — is remembered as the final day of the Vietnam War, Friday marks an anniversary that holds greater meaning for many who fought, protested or otherwise lived it. (AP Photo)

In this Thursday, March 30, 1973 photo, As the last 55 troops to leave Vietnam debarked their Air Force C-141 at Travis Air Force Base. As the last U.S. combat troops left Vietnam 40 years ago, angry protesters still awaited them at home. North Vietnamese soldiers took heart from their foes’ departure, and South Vietnamese who had helped the Americans feared for the future. While the fall of Saigon two years later — with its indelible images of frantic helicopter evacuations — is remembered as the final day of the Vietnam War, Friday marks an anniversary that holds greater meaning for many who fought, protested or otherwise lived it. (AP Photo)

FILE – In this March 29, 1973 file photo, the American flag is furled at a ceremony marking official deactivation of the Military Assistance Command-Vietnam (MACV) in Saigon, after more than 11 years in South Vietnam. While the fall of Saigon in 1975 — with its indelible images of frantic helicopter evacuations — is remembered as the final day of the Vietnam War, March 29 marks an anniversary that holds greater meaning for many who fought, protested or otherwise lived the war. (AP Photo/Charles Harrity, File)

In this April 2, 1973 photo, President Richard Nixon and South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu are in profile as they listen to national anthems during arrival ceremonies for Thieu at the Western White House in San Clemente, Calif. As the last U.S. combat troops left Vietnam 40 years ago, angry protesters still awaited them at home. North Vietnamese soldiers took heart from their foes’ departure, and South Vietnamese who had helped the Americans feared for the future. While the fall of Saigon two years later — with its indelible images of frantic helicopter evacuations — is remembered as the final day of the Vietnam War, Friday marks an anniversary that holds greater meaning for many who fought, protested or otherwise lived it. (AP Photo)

In this March 27, 1973 photo, Viet Cong and North Vietnamese members of the joint military commission, foreground, shoot photos of U.S. troops as they board an Air Force plane for the flight home from Saigon’s Tan Son Nhut Air Base. As the last U.S. combat troops left Vietnam 40 years ago, angry protesters still awaited them at home. North Vietnamese soldiers took heart from their foes’ departure, and South Vietnamese who had helped the Americans feared for the future. While the fall of Saigon two years later — with its indelible images of frantic helicopter evacuations — is remembered as the final day of the Vietnam War, Friday marks an anniversary that holds greater meaning for many who fought, protested or otherwise lived it. (AP Photo/Neal Ulevich)

In this March 28, 1973 photo, a Viet Cong observer of the Four Party Joint Military Commission counts U.S. troops as they prepare to board jet aircraft at Saigonís Tan Son Nhut airport. As the last U.S. combat troops left Vietnam 40 years ago, angry protesters still awaited them at home. North Vietnamese soldiers took heart from their foes’ departure, and South Vietnamese who had helped the Americans feared for the future. While the fall of Saigon two years later — with its indelible images of frantic helicopter evacuations — is remembered as the final day of the Vietnam War, Friday marks an anniversary that holds greater meaning for many who fought, protested or otherwise lived it. (AP Photo/Neal Ulevich)

FILE -In this Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2009 file photo, Jan Scruggs, founder and president of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, points out where grass is growing out over the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington. As the last U.S. combat troops left Vietnam 40 years ago, angry protesters still awaited them at home. North Vietnamese soldiers took heart from their foes’ departure, and South Vietnamese who had helped the Americans feared for the future. While the fall of Saigon two years later — with its indelible images of frantic helicopter evacuations — is remembered as the final day of the Vietnam War, Friday marks an anniversary that holds greater meaning for many who fought, protested or otherwise lived it. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)