During the early morning of May 1, 1975, from La Salle Duc Minh, Brother Colomban wanted me to drive him on a Honda motorcycle back to Thu Duc. The traffic was so heavy that arriving at the Phan Thanh Gian Bridge, I couldn’t advance nor back up. More than a half hour later, I could swerve through several lanes returning to La Salle Duc Minh School.

While the Juniors and other people were watching the bo doi practicing a military parade, perhaps preparing for the great celebration of the victory over South Vietnam, Brother Michel Hong, alone and really disappointed, sat on a student chair in the classroom. It was truly in contrast with his regular optimistic and joyful behavior.

***

I had known Brother Michel since 1963, at Mont La Salle, Nha Trang. He had a very healthy body. He was very talented in different fields: a good painter and musician, quite resourceful with youth activities like Scouting, especially in the martial arts, guns and bullets [He could assemble or replace different parts of any gun and rebuild it like new.]

After his third year of the Scholasticate in 1971, Brother Michel was assigned to the Junioriate in Thu Duc as a professor. Two events that happened will describe how dangerous his tendency of enjoying his playing with guns could end in tragic results.

1. On a beautiful morning, a sound was heard like a grenade exploding. Brother Archange came out of the rest room area with his hand bleeding. That’s because he had seen some small fuses displayed there. Being curious, he took one of them, and manipulated it. Suddenly, it exploded and injured his hand.

After this event, the staff of the Junioriate recommended that Brother Michel stop playing such a dangerous game, or at least hide all of that "stuff" in a safe place where no one could find them, and especially forbid the Juniors touching any of these items. The Juniors were not allowed to play in his room or around his room. When he was not present and when there are guns or any "stuff" like that, the Juniors were not to go near them or touch them.

2. Several weeks before the Lunar New Year of 1975, we had been eagerly preparing for the Tet Show in honor of the Juniors’ parents and their relatives and friends. It was the first Show of this kind within the Junioriate. [The staff at the Junioriate had decided to remodel certain rooms on the first floor of the building to make it a large hall with a built-in stage. That was the project in order to welcome more often students and friends of the Juniors. They would be more comfortable in discussing and sharing with each other their "problems", and it might be the best opportunity in germinating the idea of vocation to the Christian Brothers. The hall was completed. The staff and the Juniors wanted to dedicate it on the occasion of Tet.] Brothers Michel and Pierre Tam were in charge of folklore dances, Brother Antoine Dong trained the Juniors in solo, duo and group chants. I took care of the "Little Band" and directed a play that I had translated and adapted from "Le Pendu Deùpendu."

Suddenly, a very big explosion was heard from the second floor. Some Juniors ran downstairs, shouting: "Sinh was shot..." while some others proceeded to carry the victim. I immediately drove him to the hospital. He was really lucky that, when one of his friends pointed the "garant" gun from Brother Michel’s room towards him, thinking that there was no bullet in the gun. But when he fired - just for fun, and because the "garant" gun is very strong and hard when fired, the bullet projected not in the aimed direction but moved down to the floor and reflected on left leg of Sinh.

***

Brother Michel welcomed me by shaking his head, really disappointed for what just happened to our country. We sat down side by side, talking about anything. A bo doi, wearing a red brassard on his left arm stopped by. He entered the room and, acting as if he were a close friend of ours for a long time, sat down in front of us. Without any expression on his face, he asked, "Is this building a school?"

" Yes.""

" Is it a college or university? Why is it so large?"

" No, it is just a high school. It’s still very small school if you compare it with other larger high schools in Saigon."

"Wow!" He looked at us, amazed and somewhat suspicious, an then continued, "Back in Hanoi, there is no high school larger than... " And he stopped short. I knew something wrongwith his revelation. I said, "If so, tell us about the education system out there."

Having the opportunity to boast, he exalted Uncle Ho for his care about the education system for all people, from toddlers to adults. He said, "Uncle Ho recommended that ‘you have to learn, to learn more, and to learn always.’ He opened schools everywhere, from the most isolated villages to the large cities..." Brother Michel asked, "If that is so then, in the North, there is no more illiteracy?"

" Of course! he promptly replied. To be recruited as a bo doi, one must be at least a high school graduate!"

Brother Michel and I looked at each other and laughed. I asked, "If those bo doi down there were high school graduates, you must be..."

- Sub-PhD!

Brother Michel and I were really surprised hearing about such a diploma degree "sub-PhD!" I sighed as I had thought of "lying or exaggerating like the V.C. (Vietnamese Communist)."

I took the chocolate box I had bought yesterday, gave Brother Michel some of it, and then I invited the bo doi to take some of it. He refused. I said, "It’s American chocolate! It’s very sweet and tasteful," but he still shook his head. I took one piece and put it into my mouth. At that moment, one of my Juniors came by, I told him, "Hoang, take this and share it with your friends!" Hoang came to pick it up, saying, "Thank you, Brother!" When Hoang attempted to move out, the bo doi said, "Give me some!" Without waiting for a response, he took into his two hands lots of pieces of chocolate. Humorously amazed, I said, "It’s capitalist chocolate!" He promptly replied, "But it’s good!" We all laughed.

***

On the morning of May 2, 1975, Brother Colomban insisted that I drive him back to La Salle Mossard, Thu Duc. I had been eager to go back home, too. The traffic was now much lighter than the previous morning. When we arrived at Hang Xanh, there were many people there. Many journalists, with all sorts of equipment, gathered around the big bulletin board containing these words on it:

Do not listen to what the communists say,

Rather look at what they have done.

President Nguyen Van Thieu

Under that big bulletin board, lots of opened rice bags had been displayed. With curiosity, we stopped at a corner and watched. A line of people, bringing baskets, or boxes, or pails, marched towards the bulletin board. To each one, a bo doi was standing nearby, opening bags of rice and then giving about 10kg of rice to each person while journalists took photos or videos. When all the rice bags had been emptied, the crowd dispersed. On the road back home, I recalled to Brother Colomban the passage I had read from the collection of speeches of Morris L. West "Can You Believe in Communism?"

"... After my talk about the communist ideology and its government, a woman student said, ‘If what you said is true, why don’t people, under the communist regime, revolt to change it?’ I replied, ‘For example, to attract you to come to listen to my speech, I had promised to every one of you that, after my speech, I will give you perfumes for women, and cigarettes for men.’

"When I had finished speaking, you would require from me the perfumes and cigarettes which I had promised. In reality, I didn’t have perfumes nor cigarettes. What can I do?

"I would order all doors to be closed. Then, I would point the gun straight onto your faces and say, ‘here are perfumes, here are cigarettes!’ I challenge all of you: who dares to stand up and oppose me? - That’s the communist system!"

In the afternoon, I brought the car to pick up all the Juniors from La Salle Duc Minh and take them back to Thu Duc. Passing by Hang Xanh, the bulletin board, which had been there this morning, disappeared and nobody knew what happened to it. Arriving at the Phan Thanh Giang Bridge, I saw a newly painted portrait of Uncle Ho on the rear wall of a high building on the other side of the bridge. The portrait showed Uncle Ho raising his right open hand with 5 fingers seeming to greet or welcome all of his "nieces and nephews" to Ho Chi Minh City. [Immediately after the victory over South Vietnam, the name Saigon was changed into Ho Chi Minh City.] Inspiration from this portrait was discussed among the people, and a quartet was to be whispered, very quickly, too:

(In) The Democratic Republic of Vietnam

There are more women than men

When the Revolution succeeds,

Uncle Ho allows one man to marry five wives.

***

All the refugees who had come to La Salle Mossard in Thu Duc on April 29 returned home almost immediately when President Duong Van Minh had finished his address of capitulation to the Front of the Liberation of South Vietnam. The exception was the family of Affiliate Tran Chinh, and that of Affiliate Vong. They had been accepted as Affiliates to the De La Salle Institute in 1970. Brother Superior General, Charles Henry had given, in person, the certificates of Affiliation to them. A few days later, the two families returned home to Nha Trang where they continued to live with the Brothers.

All 20 Juniors, who didn’t get any information about their families since the war began, were finally in contact with their parents. There was one excepton, Hung, from Dalat. Brother Michel Hong agreed to lead him back home to Dalat. For travel security, I provided them with documents attesting them as being teacher and student at the "Faculty of Religious Studies of De La Salle Mossard" who were returning home in Dalat. As mentioned above, and also because the seal was the most important proof of "legal authority," I stamped on these documents the seal of La Salle Mossard School, and it worked fine!

Arriving at Bao Loc, all the passengers had to get off the bus. Each one had to present his or her documents to the officials. Hung passed the control, but Brother Michel Hong was so distracted that instead of presenting his legal ID card, he showed his Religious ID card! He was ordered to stand at a corner, waiting for further control inspection.

All the passengers but Brother Michel were ready to go. Hung came to his side and told to him that he could go home alone. Brother Michel Hong said, "Go ahead! I’ll try to look for an other way. If you arrive at Dalat first, wait for me for 15 minutes on Hoa Binh road. If after 15 minutes I am not there, just go home. Safe trip home!" The bus departed.

A young man, wearing a red brassard on his left arm, came and greeted Hong, "Hello, Brother!" Astonished at being called "Brother," Brother Michel Hong said, "How do you know I am a Brother?" The young man smiled and said, "I saw your Religious ID card and heard your student address you as ‘Brother,’ so I am convinced that you are a Brother. I am a 12th grade student at La Salle Technical School this school year of 1974-1975. It’s very difficult to go to Dalat right now, and that’s because of an order from the government, ‘No religious, priest in to and out from Dalat!’ But don’t worry, I’m trying to help you." At this moment, there was a truck enroute toward the direction of Dalat, and the young student asked the driver, "Where are you going?" The driver replied, "Dalat." The young man said, "Good! My ‘teacher comrade’ is going to Dalat, too. Please drive him to Hoa Binh Road."

On the road to Dalat, both the driver and Brother Michel Hong didn’t exchange any words. Not even an "hello!" But a few minutes before stopping at Hoa Binh Road, both of them laughed, joyfully and cordially. They shared to each other who they were, and the driver was more than enthusiastic and proud to say that he was, too, a former student of the Brothers at La Salle Adran!

Brother Michel Hong arrived at Dalat before his Junior, Hung, at least by 10 minutes. They entered Hung’s house. His mother and a man that he didn’t recognize were talking in the living room. Brother Michel Hong saw the man and, surprised for a few seconds, failed to greet that man as "Brother!" That man was truly Brother Corentin who had stayed at La Salle Technical School while all the other Brothers had left Dalat for Saigon.

When Hung had known that his mother had been engaged to "Brother" Corentin, he was really confused and ashamed. He resolutely demanded to follow Brother Michel Hong back to the Junioriate. But neither one could satisfy his demand.

Before Brother Michel Hong left, Hung’s mother said, "Thank you, Brother, for having taken care of my son. I know that, at least at this moment, you’ll experience difficulty on the road back to Thu Duc. But never mind, I’m giving you this small medal. It’s an award medal that Uncle Ho, in person, gave me a few years ago. Pin it on your shirt pocket. I assure you that no one will dare make trouble for you."

Having left Hung’s house, Brother Michel Hong thought that it would be his opportunity to stop by at La Salle Adran to say "Hi" and to spend over night with Brother Michel Hai. They recalled to each other the many things that had happened to the La Salle Schools in Dalat during these difficult times.

***

While Brother Michel Hong and Hung had left La Salle Mossard for Dalat, Brother Colomban Dao and I stayed at the Junioriate, Brother Fidele and two other Brothers stayed at La Salle Mossard. One morning a group of 5 policemen came to the Junioriate "just for a visit," said the chief of the group. Because Brother Colomban had had his leg injured by an accident and thus confined to his bed, I had to lead the group on a tour on the Junioriate property.

The chief police asked me, "There are no women and girls in this home. All of you are single men living together?"

" Yes, and we all have volunteered to a life committed to the service of young people."

" Who is paying for your living expenses?"

" None of us pay attention to salaries. We put everything in common, and any expenses for collective or personal use are commonly shared."

I realized that they could not understand what I was saying. However, I made a joke, "We are more like communists than you are!" At this joke, the chief police glanced at me and mumbled "Hum!"

We entered the kitchen. Some of the policemen put their hands on the cooking-stove. The chief of police asked me, "How many people are there in this home?"

" Right now, there are three persons."

" Only three persons? Why this huge kitchen?"

" Right now, only three, but before April 30, 1975, there were more than one hundred people."

" Where are they now?"

" ???"

I could not imagine the reason for which they came to the Junioriate property. When they had left, I immediately went to the La Salle Mossard School property to meet Brother Fidele, in order to inform him about the "unwanted visit" of the policemen.

Brother Fidele informed me, too, of the visit of a woman who had been working as a laundress for the community and its boarders for over 10 years before the event of ‘75.

"You know what?" he recalled, "The laundress just came to see me this morning. A bo doi drove her in a Jeep! ‘Good morning, Brother Director!’ she said. ‘Do not be afraid! I just stopped by to see you and to thank you for your hiring me for several years. I am afraid I’m not able to work for the Brothers, anymore. I do appreciate you and the Brothers at La Salle Mossard School. Although this school is for rich people, yet, you never show dislike for poor people. On the contrary, you came to assist poor people on many occasions, like collecting money for the victims of disaster and calamity..."