We were transferred to the re-education camp K3 in Xuan Loc. Some former
soldiers of South Vietnam Army recognized that had been Phuong Vi Hill, the head
quater of the Divisional Artillery.
60 “new students” were put in a kind of quarantine, i.e. locked door during two
nights and a day into a barrack about 20meters long and 5meters large. The first
dinner was for all of us like a nightmare: each one received a cup of boiled
slice manioc which caused everyone diarrhea. How could people outside a locked
room imagine what had happened within a quarantine room where all detainees got
diarrhea, but there was no restroom? If the Soviet Re-education Camp under
Stalin was described by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn as “The First Circle”, then I
really didn’t know how to label the quarantine room #9 as what ad hoc “Circle?”
The time of quarantine had passed. Sixty “new students” were divided into two
equal groups. Our “La Salle Community” was lucky to be together in one group and
assigned to the same room #9. Brother Gervais Ha was assigned chief of the
group. For the sake of security, these groups were regularly changed so that
after several months, the “La Salle Community members” were dispersed into
separated groups. However, we could meet each other from times to times during
“free time”.
The whole re-education camp K3 was composed of three sections, separated about
3km away from each other. The section where I lived was the main section,
because the “Cadre of officers of the camp”, i.e. the headquarters, was nearby.
This section was composed of 30 groups. The groups #1 to #20 were political
prisoners, i.e. they had been arrested for being so-called reactionaries, or for
unsuccessfully fleeing overseas, or for not presenting themselves to the new
government after the events of April 30. The groups #21 to #30 were as former
soldiers and officers of the former governement of Saigon, who presented
themselves to the new government immediately after the events of April 30, but
“because nearly all of them were not good students, they had to continue their
studies.”
The main duty of “the students” at K3, and at all re-education camps as well,
was “forced labor”. The daily schedule was:
. 6:00 AM = personal hygiene - breakfast
. 7:00 AM = labor
. 11:00 AM = lunch - free time
. 1:00 PM = labor - visit from families if any
. 5:00 PM = dinner - free time
. 6:00 PM = room door locked - indoor activities by group
. 9:00 PM = quiet time
A policeman called “instructor officer”, bearing a revolver that we used to call
a “short gun”, was in charge of the works of each group. Two other policemen
called “guard officers”, bearing an AK guns that we used to call “long guns”,
were in charge of the “safety” for working prisoners. These two “guard officers”
changed their tour of duty every day.
***
By September, some Juniors and Brothers received the first visit from their
relative families. A few weeks later, Brother Francois received visit from
Sister Hoai Chau and Brother Lucien, Visitor. On the road to labor field,
passing through the reception house, I saw Sister Hoai Chau and Brother Lucien
waiting for Brother Francois. I raised my hands to greet them. Sister Hoai Chau
saw me and made sign to Brother Lucien who glanced at me. He wide opened his
eyes then frowned at me. I didn’t dare say or make any other gestures. To tell
the truth, I felt at that time “like a motherless child”, knowing that my close
relatives were far away - my oldest brother was in re-education in the North,
another brother was in the re-education in Kontum, and my sisters were in Hue,
Vietnam Center - and even if they wanted to come to visit me, they couldn’t do
it because they were so destitute for for living.
About 10 days after the visit of Brother Francois, the “instructor officer”
called me apart to meet him while other prisoners still continued to work. He
sat on a chair, just like a”teacher” at his desk and ordered me, his “student”
to sit down, face to face, on the ground about 3 meters from him. I suddenly
remember the event that had happened just a week before to one of my
“classmates”, Mr. Thien, a lawyer of former Saigon. Mr. Thien was called to be
“instructed” I didn’t know what about. He wore heavy eye-glasses and sat down on
the ground in front of the “teacher”. I didn’t know what they were talking
about, but the “instructor officer” suddenly kicked Mr. Thien straight at his
face, and a few seconds later, Mr. Thien moved his eye-glasses. From that time I
decided not to wear eye-glasses anymore, even though I had wore them since my
high-school years.
The “instructor officer” pulled out an unfolded letter from his shirt pocket,
looked at me more or less challenging, then said, “Do you intend to test my
knowledge in foreign language?” I was confused, wondering “what does he mean by
that?” He continued, “I have learned the French in high school. I got diploma
from the Hanoi University. Do not think that we are idiots and only people in
the South are intellectual!...” The more he talked and argued, the more I got
confused. I remember the conversation with the chief bo doi in May 1, 75 at La
Salle Duc Minh, I was wondering what the “instructor officer” wanted do tell me.
I showed no reaction, even looking not at him, as indifferent as possible.
About 5 minutes later, he tendered the letter still unfolded at my face, but
when I raised my hand to pick it, he refused. Then he said, “Your relative sent
you this letter, using code. For which intention and goal are you using these
codes?” “What the hell he is talking about?” I said to myself, becoming
impatient. However, I tried to be calm and said, “Officer, I really don’t
understand what you’re talking about. Code? Which code?” In turn, he became
impatient, then overwhemingling asked, “What does it mean ‘gon...go...tha’ and ‘can..va..ri..o’?”
I got more confused, thinking for a while “Who could be writing this letter to
me?” In the end, I said, “May I read this letter?” He gave me the letter. I
glanced at the end and recognized that it was from Sister Hoai Chau. I also
recognized some words like Calvario and Golgotha. I understood.
I raised my head, looking at the face of the officer, then I said, “Officer, as
you know, the contents of the letter are to ecouraging to ‘study hard’ at the
re-education camp so that I can benefit from the clemency of the party and by
that I could get home soon. And the words ‘Golgotha and Calvario’ are nothing
relating to the ‘code’ as your pretend. They are just the names of the hill
where Jesus was crucified. My sister mentioned these names in intention of
reminding of following the steps of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Nothing else!”
***
I received the first visit at the end of November, 1978. I had been surprised
when I heard the names of my visitors. I couldn’t guess who they could really
be. Anyway, receiving a visit in such a situation was more precious than
anything else, materially and psychologically speaking. They were one of my
students’ mother and sister, Mrs. Sang, the former captain Nguyet’s wife, and
Ms. Duyen, one of her daughters.
Nearly two months later, there was the second visit. Mrs. Sang came with another
daughter, Ms. Hoa, older sister of Ms. Duyen. I knew later that at the first
visit, Ms. Duyen wanted to see me before fleeing overseas. Indeed, she succeeded
in fleeing overseas with her husband and his family. She was resettled in the
United States after a few months living at a refugee camp in the Philippines.
On a visit a few days before Easter 1979, Mrs. Sang informed me that there were
consecrated hosts (the holy Eucharist) in a plastic bag amidst cookies. I could
successfully import the hosts in the camp, and on that Easter, I shared with my
Catholic friends who were delighted receiving the holy communion, celebrating
the greatest Alleluia, even just “in spirit and truth.” There were about 300 of
them. The same way of “importation the consecrated hosties” was repeated many
times, especially before certain feasts like Christmas, the Assumption, Easter,
and Tet.
During free times on a Sunday, a helicopter pilot of the former Saigon Army
recognized me as his 6th grade classmate in 1958 - 20 years earlier, Mr. Minh.
We recalled to each other our Teacher Brothers, especially Brother Salvator who
had taught us French language at Pellerin School in Hue. When I received food
supplies from Mrs. Sang and Ms. Hoa’s visit, I used to share with him some dry
food like sugar and shrimps. He never received any visit from his family since
his “enrollment to the re-education” after the events of 75. He told me that his
wife had abandoned him to get married with a bo doi. To tell the truth, it was
not rare to hear such similar situations.
On a Sunday morning, I went to his “house”. I saw him bringing a can that might
contain some food he just cooked. I said, “Hello! What do you have there? Is it
something to invite me for brunch?” And I laughed. But I stopped laughing
immediately, noticing his face confused and ashamed. He showed me the can that
contains tender grass, and then he cried. “Too hungry,” he said, “I cooked
something eatable to fill my stomach.” He then cried loudly. I suddenly
remembered the words that Jesus replied to Judas’thought about wasting money on
perfums of Mary Magdalene, “You will always have the poor among you, but you
will not always have me.” I whispered, “Where are you, Jesus, right now?” My
friend Minh and I stood in silence and in tears for a while.
***
The Lunar New Year 1979, Year of the Goat, marked something very special to
be recalled.
Traditionally, on the New Lunar Year Eve - or Giao Thua, i.e. the last evening
of the current lunar year, the head of the re-education camp wished, “Happy new
year to every single ‘student’, and encouraged each one to study harder to meet
all criteria of Uncle Ho and the party, so that he could receive forgiveness and
grace, and so getting home earlier.” In turns, a representative of all
“students” expressed, “Thankfulness to Uncle Ho and to the party for showing
compassion and pity on those ‘delinquents and rebels’ against Uncle Ho and the
party; for forgiving them and punishing them not, but offering them the good
opportunity to study harder and harder,” then “wished the head and the staff,
officers of the re-education Happy New Year and Good Health for fulfilling the
hard jobs as re-education instructors and guardians.”
During the three Tet Holidays, the daily menu was much ameliorated: white rice
instead of boiled manioc slices, a small piece of pork meat and a small fish. A
group of artists - musicians, singers, “dancers,” comedians, etc - had been
formed and spent the whole month to practice at home instead of going to work,
for the entertainment at the camp on the 3rd day of Tet.
I didn’t know what had happened the previous Tet in the re-education, but on
this year of the goat, at midnight of the 30th of Tet, i.e. at Tet Eve, people
in every room at the K3 re-education started the New Year with songs more or
less “yellow”, then even the former national hymn of South Vietnam which was
repeated many times. It was really reactionary. Surprisingly, the guards didn’t
care about this anti-revolution actions of the students. Perhaps they were too
busy celebrating New Year’s Eve with fireworks and alcoholic drinks.
On the First Day of Tet, the entertainment group disguised in different
“international delegations”, e.g. Soviet delegation, French delegation, even
pacifist USA like Jane Fonda delegation, etc. came to visit “the poor children
of Mother Vietnam.” Each delegation spoke in its own language more or less
correctly, but the “interpreter” took an important role in expressing openly
what the delegation would like to say, an interpretation in a language that only
these “poor children of Mother Vietnam” could understand. There were lots of
fun.
The Second Day of Tet was rather risky and challenging. A young man volunteered
to disguise as “Mother Vietnam” and another as Military Police of the former
Saigon, and escorted by a group of “miserable people” came to visit those
“poorer than the poorest perople of Mother Vietnam.” While the group marched
from room to room, chanting many times the anthen of the former South Vietnam,
officer Chien entered the camp, locked the gate. He heard such a reactionary
crowd repeating “Mother Vietnam! Your poor children are still here!...” He was
really frustrated and hurt. He came nearby the “Mother Vietnam”, de-masking
“her” so that it displayed a head without hair. He then pushed him towards the
gate amidst protesting shouts of the prisoners who continued to chant “Rise up!
Rise up! Let’s march against injustice and oppression...”
At the gate, officer Chien seemed lose self-control. His hands even trembled so
that he could not unlock the gate. He attempted to climb over the gate, leaving
the prisonners inside. The guards at the watch-tower who, perhaps had been
asleep and were suddenly awaken, pointed the gun at the gate, ready to fire. The
prisoners regretted that while officer Chien climbed over the gate the guards
did not fire.
A few hours later, officer Vinh, political head of the re-education center K3,
spoke loudly on the loud speakers, “... We wish all of you enjoy Tet holidays,
but in order. We command all of you to comply with the rules of the re-education
camp, i.e. no yellow songs, especially no reactionnary behavior...”
On the evening of the 3rd Day of Tet, at the performance by the Theatrical and
Musical Group, the trumpet musician, Phat, was so excited that he performed some
yellow music. He was put in the closed cell with two legs cuffed, and lowed food
ration to 9kg/month, in company with the young man who had performed the role as
“Mother Vietnam”.
On the morning of the next day, thousands of “students” sat on the ground in
line by groups waiting for being called to go to work. Usually, the officer on
duty, Mr. Kieu, called group #20 and up to go first, but nobody knew why on this
morning, officer called “Group #4”. A young man sitting in front of group #4
stood up and shouted, “No working! No working!” at the astonishment of all,
officers, guards, and his “schoolmates” as well. The instructor-officer of group
#4 pulled out his revolver, pointed at Chuyen, the young man who dared protest
going to work, and then shouted, “What do you say?” while the guards outside the
gate were alarmed and rushed around the fences, pointing their guns towards the
prisonners.Chuyen responded, “We will go to work, responded Chuyen, only if you
released ‘brother’ Phat, the musician, and ‘Mother Vietnam’ from the closed
cell.” “F... you. Who do you think you are to command us?” Shouted the
instructor-officer pulling by force Chuyen’s shirt while the latter resisted and
his “classmates” and many “shoolmates” booed in protesting the officer.
Some officers ran back to the Cadre. Less than a minute later, the head of the
re-education and captain Vinh entered the gate and stood in front of the
“undisciplined students” who still sat on the ground. At the same time, many
guards brought heavy machine guns on the sentry-towers around the camp. The head
of the camp looked around, stopped at Chuyen for a while, and then shouted, “How
dare you protest against us? Don’t you remember that the so-called richest and
most powerful of the world, the capitalist Americans, were defeated by our
people armies?” He looked around then said, “Look! If I make a single sign and
our soldiers will fire on you. Don’t you think I dare not do it, do you?” He
angrily looked around again, and kept silence for a few seconds, and then he was
suddenly like cooled down, lightly smiled, pointed his finger to Chuyen then
said, “This guy doesn’t want to go to work. Leave him alone.” Then turning his
head to the officer on duty, he said, “Comrade Kieu, call other groups to go to
work. Who wants to work, let him go. Who doesn’t want, let him stay home. For
this guy, he pointed to Chuyen, he’ll stay here to rest, and I formally forbid
any officers or guards to touch him.”
Officer Kieu called, “Group #21.” The whole group #21 stood up and went to work.
The same thing happened to group #20 and up to group #30. I could hear bitter
whispering among the “students” from the groups #1 to #20, “We lost!...”
About the young man Chuyen, it was true that nobody tought him, but he was
pushed into the closed cell in company with his “brother Phat” and “Mother
Vietnam”, and only irons could touch him and tie his two legs and hands.
It’s good to know that not only at K3, “students” celebrated Tet 1979 in a way
really reactionnary. In many other re-education camps in the South, “students”
celebrated the New Year in the same way, too. The question was, “How come that
‘students’ in different re-education camps - completely separated from each
other - had the same idea?” I don’t have any clue even now.
***
More than a year in the K3 re-education camp had passed. We were more or less
familiar with the new style of life in prison. The whole “community of La Salle
Mossard” lived together at the same camp. Although dispersed in different groups
we still had the opportunity to gather on certain occasions like on the feast of
Saint De La Salle, or Christmas Eve, usually for “dinner” before being locked in
doors.
To celebrate Christmas Eve, December 24, 1979, we decided to gather everything
each one had received from his family’s visit, and to prepare the Reveillon as
“copious” as possible. Unfortunately, only a few (just 2 or 3) members of the
community had received visit from their families. We understood that the years
1978 to 1979 were the years of distress and hunger for the whole country.
Anyway, we shared what each one could, like sugar, soybean powder and some
ingredients.
I volunteered to “bring home” peanuts because my group was working on the
harvest of ground-nuts. And Brother Francois agreed to assure firewood.
My group was luckily assigned to peel raw ground-nuts that other groups had
harvested from the field. I prepared necessary pockets inside and outside of my
shirt, and two pockets along the legs of my pants. While peeling ground-nuts, I
glanced at the guards, and eventually put peanuts onto the pockets of my shirt
and pants. So far so good. Working time was over, the whole group had to be in 2
lines, roll-called, then went back “home.” The instructor officer suddenly said,
“Who has picked up peanuts for personal use, advance by one step.” I looked at
the right then at the left, some of my “classmates” stepped ahead. I still
hesitated to stepping up. The guards pointed at me, and then shouted, “That
guy!” I promptly emptied my two pockets on shirt, and then stepped up with about
10 other classmates. I prayed so that the guards won’t search on the pockets
along the legs of my pants. The chief of the group was ordered to collect
“illegal” peanuts. The instructor officer checked every pocket. When he stood
face to me, I showed him the empty pockets. He looked down on the ground:
nothing! He smiled. I smiled to him, too, and then I glanced at the guards. I
noticed that their faces expressed both surprise and astonishment. They were
even confused.
At the entrance gate to the camp, I saw Brother Francois working straight,
unable to bend his chest and legs. I understood where he could hide firewood. He
looked at me, smiling. I nodded my head and made sign that I had brought
something as promised.
At the Reveillon, we shared with each other a bowl of sweet soup. There were in
each bowl just 4 or 5 peanuts. Anyway, everyone felt full not of material food
but of joy and happiness to be together in our community of faith and love, and
on this so special occasion.
On January 1980, there was a big change in terms of remodeling the re-education
centers at K3. The re-education camp on the top of Phuong Vi Hill was moved down
at the foothill and renamed Z30A. About 3 km from Z30A, there were two more
re-education camps, Z30B and Z30C. All the members of La Salle Mossard community
were moved down hill at Z30A, except Brother Francois who was moved to Z30B.
It seemed that Z30C was reserved for the high rank officers of the former Saigon
Army who had been deported to the North at Hoang Lien Son camp. When Beijing
wanted to give Hanoi “a lesson” in 1979, they were moved to the South at Z30C.
***
Before the events of 75, rumor was spread out that, if North Vietnam
victoriously invaded South Vietnam, there would be a blood bath in the South.
Has it been true since ‘75? The Vietnamese communist system has been too “clever
as snakes” to be “trapped” into genocide criminals accusation by the free and
democratic world, especially by the Western countries.
Word manipulation on the so-called “New Economic Zones” and “Re-Education Camp”
can say it all.