~ Le Viêt Nam, aujourd'hui. ~
The Vietnam News

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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.