For many Vietnamese gold teeth and jewelry served as a savings account.
Maidens
Bombshells were often used as water tanks. A pipe and faucet were screwed into
the belly of the bombshell to make a field shower.
The Goldsmith’s Daughter
The Cao Dai is a religious sect with a following of two million Vietnamese.
Their temple in Tay Ninh is filled with gold objects and is famous for a single
large eye behind the sanctuary. The Cao Dai’s patron saints are Buddah, Victor Hugo and Jesus.
The Chieu Hoi
Chieu Hoi means “open arms.” The Army instituted the Chieu Hoiprogram to induce
the Viet Cong to surrender. They were given amnesty in exchange for information or duty as scouts.
Many had been fighting in the jungle, living in tunnels and caves, since they were small children.
Many of them, too, were executed during the American withdrawal by their own people.
Benediction
The Angel’s Wing is a section of Vietnam near the Cambodian border, so called because of its shape on a military map.