Festive mood with beefed up security in Vietnam
HO CHI MINH CITY - The old US Embassy is just a memory.
Only its white walls remain, a
reminder of the chaotic
evacuation when hundreds of
Vietnamese rushed the gates to
get aboard American helicopters
in the face of a communist takeover.
As the 25th anniversary of the fall of Saigon approaches
Sunday, hundreds of Vietnamese queue up patiently at the
new US consular office next door, still trying to escape to
the United States - this time in search of better education
and jobs. But some things never change.
Even now, a quarter-century after the war ended, there is
still the threat of attack, although anti-communist dissidents
are the suspects. Le Thanh Hai, deputy mayor of Ho Chi
Minh City, downplayed security concerns at a news
conference Thursday. He said no extra police or troops
would be deployed leading up to the anniversary, but would
not elaborate on whether this would be the case on Sunday.
"The reality is that on the occasion of big events, there are
bad elements who wish to disrupt the smooth celebrations
of the people," he said. "The security personnel do their
jobs. I cannot elaborate. With tight measures and people's
awareness to maintain security and order, I think everything
will go smoothly."
Vietnamese troops armed with machine guns have been
seen taking up positions at night in Lam Son Square, the
center of the downtown area. And the government has
scaled back on previously announced plans for a massive
street parade. Hai acknowledged the parade would be
limited to Reunification Palace. But he cited the palace's
historical significance and cost savings of $70,000 instead
of security concerns. The 10th and 20th anniversaries all
were citywide with the parade moving outside the palace,
and the anniversaries for the fall of four other cities over the
last two months featured large street parades.
The US State Department last month alerted Americans
working in Vietnam and tourists of possible attacks on
foreign businesses aimed at disrupting the celebrations. A
suspected bomb plot by Free Vietnam, an opposition
group, was uncovered in February in Cambodia; one
member was arrested with explosives and propaganda
materials near the Thai-Cambodian border, officials
reported. Hai ignored questions about this.
Just the same, the threats have not dimmed the air of
festivity for the Saigonese, who have always lived on the
sidewalks for breakfast, lunch and dinner. For many
Vietnamese, Sunday will be a day of real happiness, with
20,000 expected to march in the dawn parade, the
centerpiece of festivities marking Vietnam's ouster of
foreign troops and the then-divided country's reunification.
There is no way to know for sure whether many are sincere
in joining the celebrations or are simply being
accommodating and pragmatic, as they were when they
cheered the communists who rolled into Saigon and
renamed it Ho Chi Minh City. City streets are filled with
bright colored bunting proclaiming the anniversary of
Vietnam's victory, along with North Vietnamese and
Communist Party flags and photos of the legendary
communist hero Ho Chi Minh. A monument on the
sidewalk outside the embassy, which was torn down two
years ago with the land left vacant, is dedicated to the
"commandos who bravely fought and died in the attack on
the US Embassy during the Tet offensive on January 31,
1968." That attack, and later, the scenes of Vietnamese
crowds trying to crash the embassy gates in frantic efforts
to force their way onto American helicopters as the
communists closed in, came to symbolize the war's futility
and frustration.
But Thursday, instead of a panicky mob being beaten back
by US Marine guards, the line is orderly as people wait for
interviews in hopes of resettlement visas. Lined up at 7:30
am were Khong Bich Chau, 17, and her parents, who want
to join relatives in Los Angeles. "I want to enroll in college,"
said Chau, who knows little of the war. Her father, Khong
Minh Quan, 41, said he will stay at home on Sunday, which
also is the anniversary of his nephew's death years later. "I
will prepare a meal and pray for him," he said.
Reunification Palace, known at the Presidential Palace
when North Vietnamese tanks broke through the gates,
was bustling with activity Thursday. Workers were painting
the walls and installing telephone lines for live national
television coverage. "I'm very excited because we are
celebrating national reunification," Nguyen Cong Hien, a
security guard at the palace. But for Khanh Siu, 26, of
Seattle, who grew up in Vietnam but left for the United
States when she was 17, there was no interest. Returning
for vacation, she planned to spend the weekend at
Vietnam's beaches.
Associated Press - April 28, 2000.
|
|