Getting Out of Saigon, Ralph White
Getting Out of Saigon, Ralph White
List: $25.99 | Sale: $18.20
Club: $12.99

Getting Out of Saigon
How a 27-Year-Old Banker Saved 113 Vietnamese Civilians

Author: Ralph White

Narrator: Mark Bramhall

Unabridged: 9 hr 58 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/04/2023


Synopsis

A “captivating” (The Washington Post) true story of “courage, resolve, and determination” (The Christian Science Monitor), author Ralph White’s successful effort to save nearly the entire staff of the Saigon branch of Chase Manhattan bank and their families before the city fell to the North Vietnamese Army.

In April 1975, Ralph White was asked by his boss to transfer from the Bangkok branch of the Chase Manhattan Bank to the Saigon Branch. He was tasked with closing the branch if and when it appeared that Saigon would fall to the North Vietnamese army and ensure the safety of the senior Vietnamese employees.

But when he arrived, he realized the situation in Saigon was far more perilous than he had imagined. The senior staff members there urged him to evacuate the entire staff of the branch and their families, which was far more than he was authorized to do. Quickly he realized that no one would be safe when the city fell, and it was no longer a question of whether to evacuate but how.

Getting Out of Saigon is an “edge-of-your-seat” (Oprah Daily) story of a city on the eve of destruction and the colorful characters who respond differently to impending doom. It’s a remarkable account of one man’s quest to save innocent lives not because he was ordered but because it was the right thing to do.

About Ralph White

In 1973, Ralph White joined the Chase Manhattan Bank and worked as a business development officer in Thailand and Hong Kong; during his tenure in Thailand, he was temporarily assigned to Vietnam to close the bank’s Saigon branch as the city fell. Upon return to Chase’s New York headquarters in 1981, he worked in the International Strategic Planning Division and was a Vice President when he left. White subsequently worked as a business development officer with three foreign banks and earned an MBA at Columbia University. In 2009, he founded the Columbia Fiction Foundry, a writing workshop for alumni of Columbia University. Having served as the organization’s president for its first decade, White now serves as its Chairman. He lives in New York City and Litchfield, Connecticut.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Tommy

Great book. Ordinary American bank manager sent to Saigon to run their Chase bank branch, about 15 days before Saigon eventually fell. Why they didn’t close the bank sooner is beyond me but this guy got all the employees out and safely to America, despite bureaucratic setbacks. True hero.......more

Goodreads review by Janalyn

When Ralph White was asked to head up the Chase Manhattan Bank in South Korea he knew it wasn’t because of his great mathematical skills or because of his long career it was because they couldn’t get anyone of a higher rank to do it. Being up-to-date on the politics and atmosphere in Seguin he was a......more

Goodreads review by Greg

There’s a little tongue-in-cheek ditty that goes like this: “Jesus puts his money in the Chase Manhattan Bank. Jesus saves. Jesus saves. Jesus saves.” In this instance, it is not Jesus who does the saving but Ralph White. It’s hard not to admire Ralph White. He starts out as a naïve young guy lookin......more

I just finished reading this powerful book and wanted to share how much I enjoyed it. The book follows the real-life story of a banker who saved a group of Vietnamese civilians. From the very beginning you will want to turn the page to see how the rescue began, played out and was completed. Some peo......more