Two Weeks After:

It's still much too early to make any sweeping judgments on the revolution. Well, maybe there are a few we can make Political prisoners under Thieu are free. Among the former prisoners, AFSC staff have personally met student leader Huynh Tan Mam and artist Buu Chi. The only person we've heard of being jailed under the new regime is the Quang Ngai Police Chief, who we hear is in his own prison. It is very peaceful, relaxed, pleasant in the city, Foreigners have freedom of movement within the Saigon area, and Vietnamese have complete freedom of movement.

There has been absolutely no "bloodbath', whatever that abused term really means. The new government is being cautious, keeping its defensive posture against possible outside attack again. Vietnamese who we meet day to day seem for the most part happy, looking forward to the future, and some are wondering how they II make their living if their former one depended on American trade The beautiful north, which southerners and northerners alike say is the nicest part of Vietnam, is now available to those in the south.

Husbands and wives are meeting for the first time in 21 years, families are coming together. Tomorrow, May 15, is the first day of a three day victory celebration, and many soldiers will have the days off to go visit their relatives and friends. May 19 is Ho Chi Minh's birthday, and another celebration. Downtown the soldiers are building a bandstand for tomorrow's gathering, and there's an air of festivity.

In PRG aread before liberation and in the north there is no haggling over prices and people don't overcharge. So when the liberation soldiers reached Saigon, the goal of how many years, they had their pictures taken in front of the Assembly building, and bought souvenirs. But the Saigon sharks, jumped right in and began selling fake watches broken watches, at outrageous prices.

It was already difficult because of the difference in value of South Vietnamese and North Vietnamese money. (The North Vietnamese money is pegged to the value it had 20 years ago.) The sharks would tell sad, and fake tales of being very poor and needing to sell the watch so they could go home, or feed their children. Some soldiers were so embarrassed that they bought the objects at the outrageous prices. This was bothering us tremendously, and Ken her and I were relieved to hear a sound truck going around one day telling the soldiers not to believe what they were told about the watches, to only buy in real stores where they get honest receipts, and to not believe the stories of the sellers.