Most stayed on Bidong a few months or longer and were resettled abroad in third countries, especially the United States.

On 30 April 1975, the Vietnam War ended with the evacuation of the American Embassy and the fall of Saigon to the North Vietnamese Army.

By January 1979, there were 40,000 Vietnamese on the island and by June 1979 it was said to be the most densely populated place on earth with about 40,000 refugees crowded into a flat area hardly larger than a football field.

In addition, the governments of Malaysia and other Southeast Asian countries discouraged refugees from landing on their shores.

"[3] But the refugee population was well organised and many small businesses and an efficient food and water distribution system was set up.

Immigration officials from many countries visited the island to interview refugees for resettlement abroad.

President Jimmy Carter raised the quota for permitting Indochinese into the United States from 7,000 to 14,000 per month and other countries followed suit, especially Canada, Australia, and France.

[5] After the departure of the refugees, the Marine Research Station of Universiti Malaysia Terengganu's was established on the island.