The People of Vietnam |
The following sequence of photos are from collections of fellow veterans. They were taken between Aug. 1966 and Aug. 1967. We have tried to selected photos that were representative of the everyday life of the Vietnamese people. For the most part their everyday life and surroundings are today, the same as they were in 1967. What is not seen here is the "Countryside at War," with themselves ..... and those of us who tried to help. The evidence of that effort is located on the Memorial Pages connected to this Web Site. These photos will hopefully give a clearer view of the other side of the Vienamese people, showing that not all Vietnamese were at war with those of us who tried to help. An old Vietnamese farmer said to me once that, "For a thousand years people have been coming into my country for war, we don't want you here as we didn't want the others, but you are the best for me ......... at this time." |
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A Vietnamese family tending their field of Tapioca in Tay Ninh Province 1967 |
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A Vietnamese farmer and daughter Tay Ninh Province 1967. Cattle carts were the method of transportation and work truck for a farmer. It was also his wealth. |
The kids, they were always there. Everywhere you went, they were there. The Innocent of all Wars, the kids .... They were always there wanting to help with whatever you were doing, but always getting in the way, or begging for cigarettes, their favorite past time. They always had something to sell, whether you wanted something or not. You never saw teenagers or 20 year olds. Those men and boys were either drafted into the Vietnamese Army, kidnaped to serve the Communist, or went away on their own to serve the Vietcong Communist Guerrillas to rid their land of Foreign Soldiers. |
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" The Kids of Tay Ninh, South Vietnam, 1967 " |
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Typical Vietnamese farmer's home 1967 |
Anywhere there were roads in Vietnam, there were shops, especially in the area of the larger cities |
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Tay Ninh City 1966 |
Tay Ninh City 1966 |
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Rice fields in Tay Ninh 1966. It was hard to believe sometimes that a war was going on in such a beautiful country |
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In sharp contrast to the simple huts of the Vietnamese farmer thoughtout the country, there were French built Villas, a reminder left over from the "French Colonial Days" when the French ruled Vietnam and it's resources. It was these contrasts of rich and poor that led to the influence of the Communist form of government in South East Asia. |
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When the Communist Guerrillas blewup the bridges the army rebuilt them with military ones. Waterways were a prime transportation route of the Vietnamese people. This particular one was located out side of Chu Chi, northwest of Saigon |
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A busy water route outside Chu Lai in the Northern part of South Vietnam 1967 |
CWe have tried to present the most accurate of infor |