After reading these 3 combinations, he looked at me, more or less angry, and said, "Are you joking? OK! I am giving you the name ‘Nabuchodonosor Con.’" I failed to laugh, and then smilingly, I answered, "Thank you, Brother Director!" He gave me the name of "Valery Thinh."

Today, as the newly elected Brother Visitor had to deal with many conflicts and concerns for the good of the District and the good of each Brother. It was a very sensitive situation for the Vietnamese people in general and particularly for the District of Saigon. Following were some of his commendations and recommendations to the Brothers who were still in Vietnam:

At the end of the meeting, Brother Visitor officially created a new kind of community: A Community in Diaspora which was composed of the Brothers, whose daily life was within their families, ie. living and working, with their family members. They also have to gather at least once a week for common prayer, meditation, and the sharing of anything on spiritual life and experiences within the District and of the Institute.

A community had been formed which composed of three Brothers: Bruno Bang, Philippe Hao and Antoine Dong. The location of this community was the house of Brother Visitor’s sister who temporarily offered her home for the use of the District.

A few months later, another community was created at the home of Captain Nguyen Minh Nguyet. This community was composed of two Brothers, Emilien Vuong and Theodore Hung.

Later many of the Brothers returned to their previous communities.

***

April 30, 1975 at 3:00P.M., I went again to Thong Nhat Blvd. People had gathered on the plaza before the Independence Palace. Bo doi gathered around some "kitchens" created by the "mothers of bo doi." They cooked rice in a huge caldron so that they could feed their "beloved bo doi." These young men might "have to fast" for a long time and thus, their consumption would be like that of Gargantua et Pantagruel de Rabelais.

I continued walking on Tu Do Street. Then I passed by Nguyen Hue Blvd. I arrived at Le Thanh Ton Road and then made a tour of the Ben Thanh Market. People seemed to act as though everything was normal: buying and selling as if nothing had happened. I stopped by a candy booth and bought 2 boxes of chocolate. It was all the money I had brought with me in my pocket.

I returned to Thong Nhat Blvd. at about 5:30P.M. It was much more crowded than a few hours before. I stood behind the Notre Dame Cathedral, and I suddenly noted that there was something like a parade from the Zoo towards the Independence Palace. There were lots of multicolored flags. It reminded me of Buddhism. "Whose funeral is that?" I wondered. That’s because I recalled exactly 12 years ago, on April 1963, the fighting against President Ngo Dinh Diem took place in Hue, in the Center of Vietnam. During a march against the government, there were many people injured and one person dead. The rebel laid the dead man on a cart and pushed the cart over the Truong Tien Bridge. I was at that time 16 years old. I had no idea about politics or paying attention to political matters, but in seeing the multicolored flags that people carried and one 7-color-flag of Buddhism which covered the corpse of the dead man, I still remember that event.

The parade passed by the United States Embassy and then approached the Independence Palace. A group of Buddhists led by some monks and nuns holding the 7-color-flag and accompanied six persons carrying a sedan chair. On the sedan chair was the portrait of Ho Chi Minh, decorated around by 4 big artificial lotuses on 4 corners . The parade shouted, "Live the Revolution!" or something similar to that. Many journalists, local as well as foreign were present . Among the foreign journalists, one could recognize some Americans. Were they pacifists, or "anti-war" like Jane Fonda?

I returned to La Salle Duc Minh School at 9:00P.M., hoping to go to bed. Suddenly I heard a huge sound like a grenade explosion. It happened behind a classroom on the 3rd floor. I ran up to the 3rd floor. Brother Michel and Duong Hoang, a Junior, arrived almost at the same time. We found 2 brand new Marine uniforms and 2 brand new hats. "Maybe it’s from our neighbor," Duong Hoang said. We looked to each other, wondering "What do we have to do?" The three of us agreed to burn them all. For the sake of safety!

Brother Phong had recalled, "When the Community of La Salle Pellerin had arrived to Son Tra, Da Nang, in the end of March, 1975, the bo doi gathered all people, lecturing to them the policies of the Front of the Liberation of South Vietnam. There were many topics, I remember just onethat was to boycott everything that belonged to the capitalist U.S.A; clothes, books, magazines, food, etc. included. For the uniforms and weapons of the South Vietnam Armies, bring them all to the government of the revolution."

***

We decided to setup our reed mats and mosquito nets along the passage-way on the 3rd floor. I had fallen into a deep sleep when, suddenly, I heard the sound of footsteps. Still drowsy, I opened my eyes and realized that people were coming toward the classrooms, but I did really not know who they were because it was quite dark. A flash-light suddenly shined onto my face. I screwed up my eyes straight ahead and saw "bo doi’s sandals." I felt awful and tightly closed my eyes. I started trembling even though I had not totally awakened yet, still thinking that it could be a dream or nightmare.

A few minutes later, everything seemed to return to normal, i.e. quiet and calm. Still sleepy, I opened my eyes. It might have been about 2:00A.M. It was still dark. I looked below and above me, and to my surprise, I couldn’t find any of my Brothers who had set up their reed mats and mostiquo-nets a few hours before. "Where were they?" I said to myself. I didn’t dare to move, but I tried to fall asleep again, hoping that I had been dreaming.

I woke up again and it was near daylight. My first thought was to look around and found that my Brothers were not there. "It’s not a dream," I said to myself. I got out of the mosquito net, looking into the classrooms and surprisingly detected many bo doi still sleeping on the tables. I crept along the corridor and entered the last room where I found my Brothers still sleeping, too. I took a deep breath, satisfied and at peace because my Brothers "didn’t forsake me" as I had thought.

"And there was daytime, and there was evening" - April 30, 1975. A Historic Day. An Unforgettable Day.