Mea culpa for oversimplifying a hell-hole, as you say. And everything is a matter of perspective. Mine comes from talking with one young lady who was a refugee at 17, whose family put her on a boat with her 10 yr old sister. Both survived to come to Canada and make lives for themselves. She has returned to Vietnam since, to see her family, and she found things much, much better. But it's all a matter of comparison. If you have lost everything, and then been given even a little bit back, the world looks better. But indeed you are right -- so much hell. Extrapolate that to our present situation, and there's the argument for not pulling out.
Nan, the poor girl was there as a visitor. Had she anything bad to say upon her return to the West, it would not have gone well for those relatives still in country. Had she caused any "discomfort" to officialdom while she was there, she might very well have been arrested. It has happened.
BTW, did you know that since we left, there was a short, sharp "border war" with the CHICOM, and that there is smoldering rebellion and a great deal of small-scale guerilla warfare going on along the Laotian border? A bit too much going on to call "peaceful!"