abrupt end in 1975. Long before then, many Americans were questioning the purpose of the war. People in both North and South Vietnam were traumatized by a war that had crippled the economy and separated families. They looked forward to the day when they could enjoy a meal without worrying about their safety. They dreaded waking up to bomb explosions, the cries of injured children, and the sight of corpses being carried away. Most of all, they yearned for peace. The National Liberation Force(Vietcong) took Saigon in April 1975 with little resistance from the army of the Republic of Vietnam, thus ending the war and reunifying the country. 1976, North and South Vietnam were reunified, and the country In July was renamed the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh City Audrey Seah, Culture of the World: Vietnam