INSECURITY

INSECURITY

By Van Nguyen

Black April

    On March 21, 1965, a conference took place at La Fayette Hotel, Paris, in the presence of French prominent political figures among who were former Prime Minister Giscard d’Estaing, Pierre Messmer, Jacques Chirac, and others. Former France Ambassador to Vietnam Merillon disclosed his attempts at establishing a regime of political neutrality in South Vietnam prior to the fall of Saigon on April 30 1975. He had maintained close contacts with the last US Ambassador to Vietnam Martin after the fall of Phan Rang province in the Center. On March 18, 1875, Martin duly said that the United States would abandon Vietnam,  He assumed himself the role of a faliitator, to help South Vietnam successfully resist the Communist invasion and establish a regime of political neutrality.South Vietnam could still stand with a politically non-aligned government. Red China, on the other hand, agreed with France to establish a tri-partite politically non-aligned government in South Vietnam with the inclusion of the Front for Liberalization of South Vietnam. The ultimate decision belonged to the generals who were in command at the Communist headquarters of the Ho Chi Minh Campaign at Long Khanh. 

  France was then in favor of a coalition tri-partite government comprising the nationalists, the neutralists, and the pro-Chinese members in the Front for Liberation of South Vietnam among whom were Truong Nhu Tang, Nguyen Thi Binh, General Le Quang Ba, and General Tran Van Tra.  To the utmost disadvantage of France the general Secretary of the Vietnamese Communist Party Le Duan was at that time all-powerful and pro-Russian, and, thus seemingly constituting an irreversible situation to the scheme.

     On the morning of March 24, the French Ambassador to Vietnam sent for General Duong Van Minh for a meeting at the France’s Embassy in Saigon. The former four--star general, accompanied by a large entourage among whom were Huynh Tan Mam, Hoang Phu Ngoc Tuong, Pham Thi Thanh Van alias Madam Ngo Ba Thanh, Buddhist Nun Huynh Lien, Ly Quy Chung, Vu Van Mau, and Ho Ngoc Cu. The ambassador presented a three-phase government strategy so that he and the general would discuss the matter. 

    Plans were projected for a transfer of power. On the political plane the coalition government was established. At the head were Duong Van Minh and Tran Van Tra as Co-chairmen; Vu Van Mau, Trinh Dinh Thao, and Vo Chi Cong, Co-Vice Chairmen. Other members of the government were General Pham Van Phu, Minister for National Defense, Nguyen Thi Binh, Minister for Foreign Affairs; Truong Nhu Tang, Minister for Justice; Vu Quoc Thuc, Minister for the Interior; Nguyen Van Hao, Minister for Finance; Le Quang Uyen, Minister for Commerce; Tran Ngoc Lieng, Minister for Labor. To mediate differences of political diversity within a ministry, a principle is predestined, If the Minister is a nationalist, the vice minister will be a member of the Front, and vice-versa. An Advisory Council beside the government would include Nguyen Huu Tho, Huynh Tan Phat, Buddhist Monk Tri Quang, Luong Trong Tuong, Ho Tan Khoa, Reverend Chan Tin, and former Prime Minister Tran Van Huu.  Duong Van Minh and his close entourage were assured that twenty-four hours after the proclamation of the coalition government, France and the world and Europe and non-aligned government leaders would recognize the new government, and thus halting the Soviet tanks to enter Saigon. On the military plan, the military corps would still be capable of detaining the communists for ten months. France would play the role of mediator, promoting the policy of political neutrality, exerting pressure on North Vietnam to affect a cease-fire. Duong Van Minh would have time to redress the army and choose able generals to counter attack the enemy. The Armed Forces of the Republic of Vietnam would surely withstand, and the Communist North would not easily win.

Concerning diplomacy, the government of political neutrality would declare to establish diplomatic relations with China and other socialist countries including the Soviet Union. China would then send its ambassador to Vietnam to Saigon in 24 hours. He would hand to the coalition government an aid of 420 million dollars, an aid which China had previously promised to grant North Vietnam. The coalition government would ask China to force Hanoi to engage in the talks for an immediate cease-fire. China had been in good terms with the Front for Liberation of South Vietnam, and thus fostering its influence in Indochina, a term that the Front also wished to realize to get out of the Communist North Vietnam’s orbit. Accordingly, France would transfer to the coalition government an aid of 3000 million dollars to perpetuate the regime of political neutrality. At the same time, it would canvass support from its allied countries in Europe a sum of 200 million dollars through programs of economic aids.

  The plans came to no result, nonetheless. During the week between April 23-28, while the Communist troops flanked by tanks were advancing as far as Xuan Loc, a hundred kilometers north of Saigon, French Ambassador Merillon was actively shuttling between President-designate Tran Van Huong and General Duong Van Minh. Efforts were made to push for a transfer of power from the president-designate to the General, although it might well be too late. The ambassador saw President Huong at least once and usually twice a day that week. At every meeting he urged the preside-designate to give way to the general. At almost every meeting the latter managed to work with the idea that history had apparently chosen the general to play the role of Petain in a Vichy South Vietnam. Attempts for a coaltion government proved to be futile’ 

Terror and confusion followed. By April 26, the communist had cut Saigon off from the adjoining areas and bombarded the city. On 27; heavy bombs fell on Tan Son Nhat Airfield. Communist planes swept down and bombed the base.  Sixty thousand (60,000) soldiers of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Vietnam inside Saigon shored vigilance. On April 28, when General Duong Van Minh and his entourage prepared a celebration to officially accept the transfer of power from the president-designate Tran Van Huong to General Duong, Van Minh. The French ambassador really lost heart. He had had words from the American Ambassador that the latter would be leaving, The French Ambassador, in fact, had already agreed to attempt to act as caretaker for American property. He was then occupied himself with conducting a security meeting with about thirty figures of the French community about the evacuation of some 15,000 French nationals out of South Vietnam.  Earlier, in the middle of April, he had quietly closed the schools.

On April 28, the North Vietnamese divisions tightened siege around Saigon when General Duong Van Minh became the third president in replacement of President-designate Trran Van Huong, who assumed power as president for seven days after the resignation on Nguyen Van Thieu. Thousands of people gathered in front of the American Embassy. Waves of people headed to the center of the city, along Nguyen Hue Boulevard and the adjoining streets leading to wharves and docks on Saigon River banks. The North Vietnamese divisions were thirty miles north of Saigon. The U.S. Air Force had flown 43,479 people out of Saigon.  The agony of the capital really began, Early in the morning of April 28, rockets and mortars were raining on Tan Son Nhat Airfield. For hours, Marshall Nguyen Cao Ky was unable to fly to Can Tho to lead the resistance. Thousands of boats were sailing around the American fleet in the East Sea.

April 29, the situation was hopeless. The North Vietnamese divisions were apparently moving to take Saigon. Prime Minister-designate Vu Van Mau went on the radio to make public the government’s order that all American personnel and military officials must leave the country the next twenty four hours. The evacuations of U, S. officials and Vietnamese employees and families accelerated. Around 8:00 o ‘clock, a Chinook escorted by Cobra gunships appeared like dragonflies above the American Embassy compounds. The last U, S. officials and Marines left the roof of the American Embassy. They were then on board of CH46, flying out of Saigon. At 10:00, Radio Saigon broadcast the announcement by President Duong Van Minh, saying that “to avoid the bloodshed, the President asks the soldiers of the Republic to put an end to all hostilities, be calm, and remain where they are to save the lives of the people and do not open fire.” He also called on the troopers of the Provisional Revolutionary Government not to open fire. He was waiting to meet with their representatives to discuss the orderly takeover of power, both civilian and military without causing senseless bloodshed to the people.

The surrender announcement created confusion and panic. Chaos intensified. People in mass sought to leave Saigon. Thusands of escapees crowded itto wharves and docks. Desperate escapees looked for departures at seashore beaches in Vung Tau, Can Tho, Rach Gia, and Phu Quoc.  Looting spead and ravaged the city, Pillage broke out in Binh Dong, Cho Lon (Saigon Chinatown), Khanh Hoi, in residential quarters in Tan Binh Precinct, at abandoned American offices in the center of the city, and at warehouses in Tan Cang (New Port), Binh Thanh District, Gia Dinh Province. Amid tumult, columns sifter columns of North Vietnamese troopers from Binh Chanh, Hoc Mo Cu Chi southwest of Saigon streamed into the city. Abandoned South Vietnamese soldiers left their positions on the battlefronts northeast of Saigon ran along the Bien Hoa Highway, leaving arms and uniforms on either side of the road.  

At noon, North Vietnamese tanks from Bien Hoa Highway roared into the city and proceeded up to Indepenlance Palace on Thong Nhat Boulevard. In a moment Soviet-made tanks rammed the gates. The infantry and tank crews joined, inundating the lawn. A Privy government flag appeared on the balcony. Guns were fired into the sky while two North Vietnamese troopers were waiving their flags. General Duong Van Mimh was waiting for the newcomers to turn over the government. At the headquarters of various military zones, Generals Nguyen Khoa Nam, Le Quang Hung, Pham Van Phu, Le Nguyen Vy, and Tran Van Hai committed suicide. They refused to haul their flag. Pockets of resistance still continued here and there in various regions in the South.