INFORMATION BRIEF

HAU NGHIA PROVINCE

VIETNAM

PHU DUC DUC HUE •

HAU• • DUC HOA CU CHI e

USOM/VIETNAM HAU NGHIA

TABLE OF CONTENTS

l. WCATION l 2o PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION l a~ Shape & Size l bo Terrain l l) Natural Characteristics l a) Land Mass l b) Vegetation 2 c) Rivers & Streams 2 2) Man-Made Characteristics 2 a) Area Characteristics 2

c~ Soil 3 d. vJeather 3

3 ~ DEMOGRAPHY 4 a. Population 4 b~ Ethnic Composition 4 c., Language 4 d., Religion 4 4., HISTORY OF PROVINCE 4 a. General 4 b. Individual District 5 5. ECONOHIC SITUATION 8 a. Basic Infrastructure 8

l) Roads 8 2) Bridges 10 3) Airfield 10 4) Canals 10 5) Communications ll 6) Electrical Power 12

b. Agriculture 12 c. Industry and Handicraft 13 d. Future 14 6. POLITICAL - ADMINISTRATIVE SITUATION 15 a. General Problems and Considerations 15 l) Security 15 Page

2) Other Problems 18

b. Basic Administrative Structure 20 c. Personnel, Functions, and USOM Role 24

1) Organization Chart 22 2) Provincial Council, Roster 23 3) 25th Division, Roster 24 4) Province Chief, Deputies, Roster 25 5) Provincial Service Chiefs, Roster 26 6) Sector Team #43, Roster 26 7) GVN District Personnel, Roster 26 8) MACV Sub-Sector Personnel, Roster 27 9) USOM Personnel, Roster 27 10) Services and Activities 33 a) Rural Reconstruction Service 33 b) Education Service 35 c) Chieu Hoi Service 37 d) Agriculture Service 38 e) Animal Husbandry 39 f) Public Health 39 g) Refugee Relief 41 h) Self-Help 44 i) Military/Paramilitary SUpport 46 ) J. . Resources Control/Police 47 k) Public Works 48

7. LOCATIONS OF IN TEREST , HAU NGHIA 8. COMMODITY DISTRIBUTION

9. FINANCIAL STA~EMENT lo LOCATION

Hau Nghia Province is located west-northwest of the capital, extending from Gia Dinh Province on the east to the Cambodian border on the west. Its other neighbors are Binh Duong Province to the north east, Tay Nirth to the northwest, Kien Tuong to the southwest, and Long An to the south and south-southeasto l"':ost portions of the boundary are artificial and even those stretches demarcated by streams or canals for the most part constitute no rr~aningful obstacle to passage. This is particularly true of the 27 kilometer frontier with Cambodia.

Hau Nghia's southwestern corner at its closest approach (next to Cau Xang) is 13 road kilometers from the center of Cholon and 21 from downtown Saigon.

2. PHYSICAL DESCIUPI'ION

ao Geographic shape & size:

While a few portions of Hau Nghia are irregular in outline, especially in the south, the province as a whole is a fairly compact entityo Shape is roughly pentagonal, with a slightly flattened apex pointing northo Extreme north-to-south distance is about 43 kilometers; east-to west, So. Total surface area is 1227 square kilometers (about 480 square miles), virtually all of which is land.

bo Terrain:

l) Natural characteristics:

a) Land mass:

Most of the province is rather low and flat, typically upper Mekong Delta in appearance. In the extreme southwest and west the land table is very close to sea level and fairly swampy; this area marks the northwestern terminus of the Plain of Reeds (Dong Thap l1uoi). The central portion of the province is generally a bit higher and better drainedo As one moved on to the north east the land, after dipping again in a narrow band extending diagonally southeast to northwest, rises to a maximum elevation of a few tens of meters. This is the first, almost imperceptible, step in the transition belt leading from the delta to the mountainso

- l - b) Vegetation:

Vegetation covers virtually· the entire land surface of the province. Most of the natural cover has been replaced by rice. There are occasional deep, swampy grasslands in areas not yet drained for cultivation or once cultivated and now abandoned. The most prominent of these zones are in the western and southern parts of the province and again in a 5 kilometer-wide strip to the northeast extending diagonally northwest to southeast across Hau Nghia. Indigen­ ous forest remains only in the extreme northern and northeastern portions of the province (Boi Loi Woods), although there are patches elsewhere and most of the older hamlets are well-shaded. Vegetation general~ does not present as dense or as lush an appearance as in much of neigh­ boring Binh Duong, owing to lesser rainfall.

c) River and streams:

The one major river is the Vaico Oriental, which flows across the province from northwest to southeast, separating it into two regions, one (to the north east) twice the size of the other. Other than this river there are only a few tiny and unimportant feeder streams, mostly to the Vaico Oriental and Saigon rivers. There are no lakes or arid land. Abouth one-third of the province is swamp or semi-swamp.

2) Man-made characteristics:

a) Area characteristics:

117 Area covered by population centers: underterminable, but miniscule 127 Area under culti vation (1964) 67,228 hectares. /al Rice 58,795 hectares /bl Sugar 5,590 hectares /Cl Rubber 823 hectares

/d7 Pineapple, fruit trees 240 hectares /81 Peanuts 1,200 hectares !f7 Beans, other legumes 160 hectares fil Tobacco 290 hectares /hl Lettuce 820 hectares

- 2 - ~ Sweet potatos 340 hectares LJ.7 Manioc 380 hectares

c. Soil:

Average composition is typical of the delta; layering is usually as follows:

Surface

Silt Sand

Clay

Sand & Water

Pebbles

There are, however, many local variations; especially in swamP,Y areas. Except for the latter, fertility is high, though tending to decrease again with additional elevation.

d. Weather:

1) Temperature (average):

A.M.: 27°C (81 ° F)

Noon: 32°C (91° F)

P.M.: 30°C (86o F) Seasonal variations are those typical of the delta, with extremes ranging from about 6ooF winter lows through lOQOF highs in April and May.

2) Rainfall: Average: 1889 m/m or 74 in. per year.

The rainy season usual~ begins in mid-May and ends in the latter part of November.

- 3 - 3) Wirrl: Prevailing winds are from northwest to southeast during the dr,y season, reversing direction during the west. There are few typhoons (on the average one once every ten years), and little resultant damage.

3. DEMOGRAPHY

a. Population: approximate~ 228,000. No census has been taken since 1956.

b. Ethnic composition: very large~ lowland Vietnamese (some Khmer admixture) with scatterings of Khmer (150 persons) and Chinese (1270). c. Language: Vietnamese is spoken universally. Most of the non­ ethnic Vietnamese also speak their parental tongues, Khmer and Cantoness. French and English are wide~ used as second languages by the educated. d. Religion: Provincial records indicate that 54% of the population is Buddhist, 18% Roman Catholic, 10% Gao Dai and 28 Taoist­ Animist-Confucist (ancestor worshippers). Reported breakout by district of the first three categoties is as follows:

District Buddhist Catholic Gao Dai Trang Bang 52,392 7,432 8,393 Cu Chi 32,630 3,146 6,084 Due Hoa 24,223 3,526 2,209 Due Hue 13,392 5,290 7,016

The actual percentage of Gao Daists is probablY somewhat greater and that of Catholics considerablY less than the figures quoted above, which are neither current nor complete for most of the localities in question.

4. HISTORY OF THE PROVINCE a. General:

Hau Nghia was established as a province on 15 October 1963 b,y presidential order. Composed of Due Hoa and Due Hue Districts, formerlY

- 4 - of Long An Province; Trang Bang, of Tay Ninh; and Cu Chi, of Binh Duong; Hau Nghia before becoming a province had been a tactical zone. The zone was created primarily to coordinate military activities on the two sides of the Kinh Tay swamp previously, VC units operating on either side of the then Long An-Binh Duong provincial boundary (which ran lengthwise through that swamp) could flee to the other side with the almost sure knowledge that there would be neither pursuit nor meaningful, coordinated GVN response from the neighboring tactical zone.

The area was and continues to be of great importance to the VC. The main liaison and supp~ routes between their principle bases in Zone D and the Plain of Reeds Cambodian bor der area, and from the latter to zone C in Tay Ninh pass through Hau Nghia Province. In addition, Hau Nghia is a major source of rice for export to units operating elsewhere.

Khiem Cuong, the new provincial capital, was established at a small hamlet previously named Bao Trai and still called that or Hau Nghia by nearly all the local Vietnamese. Although Bao Trai was once a VC hamlet and was smaller and more primitive t han any of the district capitals, it was chosen over them to be provincial headquarters. This was primari~ because of its central location and theoretical capacity to maintain liason with and render tactical assist ance to each of the district towns; secondarily, to avoid off ending three di strict towns by selecting a fourth to be provincial headquarterso Khiem Cuong is 48 road kilometers from Saigon VIA Cu Chi; in peacetime , VIA Due Hoa the distance is 34 kilometers. bo Histor ies of Individual Di stricts:

l) Cu Chi

Cu Chi apparently took its name from an enormous tree of this variety located at t he site of the present district capitalo Reputed to have been more than 100 feet tall and 7 f eet in diameter, it provided a large shaded area which became a natural gathering place for exchange of local produce. The surrounding area at t his time was part of Hoc Mon District, which then belonged t o Gia Dinh Provinceo In 1946 during the fight be t ween the Viet Minh and the French, the latter moved forces into Cu Chi, ordered the removal of the Buddhist pagoda, and chopped down the big tree. As time passed, many administrative changes occurredo In 1957 Cu Chi was estab l i shed as headquarters of a district of Binh Duong Provinceo At that t i me Cu Chi District contained two cantons and f ourteen villages. With the creation of Hau Nghia, the district was divided. The northeastern cant on remained with Binh Duong; the southwestern, Long Tay Ha (six villages), was incorporated into the new province and constitutes t he present Cu Chi District. The district town is about 35 road kilometers from Saigon.

2) Due Hoa

- 5 - Formerly Khmer (Cambodians) lived in the area; they were later driven out by the Vietnamese. (There still exist traces of Khmer occupancy in the form of a large lotus pond over a deep hole lined with bricks.)

In 1905 Due Hoa District was administratively part of the Cholon Metropolitan Area; in 1909, Cholon became a Province. No basic change affecting Due Hoa occurred until 1956, when it was incorporated into newly-formed Long An Province. In October of 1963, it became the nucleus of Hau Nghia Province. Finally, in 1964, three of its villages were lost to the enlarged district of Due Hue (after almost the entire remainder of the original Due Hue had fallen into VC hands.)

In June of 1964 the VC overran most of the district town, but failed to take the headquarters compound. Since then, the security situation in that immediate area has improved. Due Hoa is 20 kilometers from Cholon, 29 to 38 (VIA Hoc Mon) f rom Saigon.

3) Due Hue

Due Hue, west of the Vaico Oriental River and bordering on the Plain of Reeds, was established as a separate district of Long An province in 1959. Its capital at that time was the , MY Quy agroville. In October of 1963, the area was transferred from Long An to newly­ formed Hau Nghia. In 1964 MY Quy was abandoned to the VC, who had had predominant influence in portions m· the sparsely populated and swampy district since French resistance days and who had begun to assume overt military as well as political control of most of the area by 1960-61. The capital was reestablished at the Hiep Hoa sugar mill (Hang Duong Hamlet). Three villages o£ Due Hoa - Hiep Hoa, Tan MY and An Ninh on the east bank of the Vaico River-were added to Due Hue at this time; the only portion of the original Due Hue district presently in GVN hands is the tiny hamlet of Don g Hoa Bac. Hiep Hoa is 63 kilometers from Saigon by presently accessible roads.

4) Trang Bang

Trang Bang, according to tales of the local elders, was founded more than a century ago, and was primarily the work of a mandarin of Marshall Le Van Duyet named Dang Van Tuoc. After driving out the re-irnvading Cambodians, Truoc stationed troops at the present location of Trang Bang (which he named for the then-dense virgin forest covering the site). Despite the dangers and hardships afforded by the tree cover, he reputedly encouraged the people to exploit it for fuel and to eventually clear much the area for farming. He also developed handicrafts, such as the making of mats and straw carpets. His efforts loomed sufficiently large in the minds of the people of Gia Loc village (which contained Trang Bang) that after he died (of drinking poisoned

- 6 - water at Cu Chi) they built an altar to his memory, Administrative~, Trang Bang in its early days was part of Tay Ninh, which in turn was a canton of Gia Dinh Province. After the French invasion in 1858 Tay Ninh was incorporated into the Saigon administration and two French military units were stationed in the areaa At this time Tay Ninh had on~ two districts - Thau Binh and Trang Banga Part of the latter was amputated in 1948 to form the separate district of Go Dau Ha; in 1955 this segment was temporarily reabsorbed. In 1959 the names of the two reseparated districts were changed; in 1961 they became three districts with the Trang Bang area itself now called Phu Due. Final~, in 1963, Phu Due was absorbed into Hau Nghia province and in 1965 its original name of Trang Bang was restored. The district capital is 51 kilometers from Saigon.

- 7 - 5. ECONOMIC SITUATION

a. Basic Infrastructure:

l. Roads:

There is only one n•tional highw-.y in Hau Nghia; however, it is of great strategic and commerci-.1 importance. This is Route #l, which passes through Cu Chi and Trang Bang districts, linking S-.igon with Cambodia and with Tay Ninh province. It is an all-Keather surfaced road, and the section in Hau Nghia for the most part can be driven at moderately high speeds. Traffic currently :ls subject to occasional delays in early Morning hours by VC trenches, roadblocks ~. nd sabotage of bridges. There are also infrequent ambu&hes. (The section from Cu Chi to Trang Bang is considered particularly hazardous, most notaky between Phuoc Hiep and Suoi Sau (An Duoc). However, commercial travel by Vietnamese has not been seriously hampered and all portions of the road receive heavy usage. USOM travels \'lithout escort on most occasions.

Lesser roads include:

Provincial Houte i/8 :

Running from the Vaico River through Rao Trai and Cu Chi and on to Vinh Cu, crossing from there into Phu !loa Dong District, in peace time this road links Hau Nghia with the Binh Duong capital of Thu Dau Not. The portion between Bau trai and Cu Chi is currentl y receiving a laterite and stone sub­ surface (about half the job is completed) and already is an all-weather road drivable at 60-80 km/h. Although subject t o occasional minings and ambushes it is regularly traveled during daylight hours by both civilian and military traffic,. US and Vietnamese, and is generally considered more secure th;m Route #l above Cu Chi.

Security is expected to improve further in the next few months.

The section from Cu Chi to the Binh Duong border is paved and usually is passable as far as Vinh Cu, which has a GVN PF post. However, VC roadblocks in the latter area are very frequent and t he VC usually control most of Vinh Cu Hamlet itself. At present, travel by Americans past Bac Ha is not recom­ mended unless with large military esc crt. From Bao Trc;d south to the Vaico River, the road is usually i.u"lpassable and ~xtremely hazardous except within half a kilometer of Bao Trai ~ itself. It should not be attempted.

Provincial Route #10

Formerly constituting most of the principal land route between the Hiep Hoa sugar mill and Saigon, and linking directly Due Hoa with Tr~ng Bang and Bao Trai, this road is still open from about one krn north of Tan ~ to one km south of Bau Trai,. and again from Due Hoa to Cholon. Elsewhere it is physically inter­ dicted and no 4-wheeled commercial traffic has moved on these stretches for more than a year. Most usable portions were at one time paved, but have reverted largely to dirt. The mixture of the latter with remaining hunks of pavement makes driving at high speeds risky to impossible. The portion of road from Bao Trai to Tan Mf is presently considered somewhat more hazardous than route #8 from Bau Trai to Cu Chi; that from Due Hoa to Cholon is about the same.

- 8 - Commercial traffic and USOM regularly uses what is left of the road without escort and it remains passable throughout the rainy season.

Provincial P~ghway #9

From Due Hoa to Hoc Mon this. road is presently the main militar,y transport link between the former town and the outside world. Its 18 kilometers part desintegrating pavement and part dirt are passable, but rough. Reconstruction from MY Hanh to Due Hoa is underway but proceeding very slowly. wbile there are sporadic incidents, security as far as Due Hoa itself is usually better than on any other road in the province, except possibly Route #1 from Tan Phu Trung to Cu Chi during mid-day. The road should not be attempted below Cau Ca Hamlet, as the area near the river is in VC hands and the principal bridge is out.

Local Highway #2:

Located in Cu Chi district it is presently impassable or next to impossible along virtually its entire lenth from Tan Phu Trung to near Trung Lap, and most of the surrounding area, particularly to the north is a VC stronghold. No portion of this road should be attempted. Provincial Highway #6

Running from the Vaico Oriental river through Loc Giang north to Loc Hung and the province boundary in Trang Bang district the road is entirely blocked except for a few kilometers in and (intermittently) just to the north of the district capital. This short stretch is pavdd and resonably secure within the Trang Bang perimeter itself. No travel should be attempterl to the north of the juncti.on with interprovincial Route #18 without checking first at district H.Q. To the southwest of Trang Bang, the road enters an area (Loc Giang) which politically GVN has never firmly controlled.

Provincial Highway #7

This road is open from the Hiep Hoa sugar mill to Tan MY, and again from Phuoc Hiep to Trung Lap. The first section, once partially paved, has largely reverted to dirt, and is rather rough going. It is moderately hazar­ dous, but is used regularly by USOM and commercial traffic unescorted and is open all year, except for intermittent roadblocks, bridge sabotage, etc ••• The portion from Phuoc Hiep to Trung Lap is probably the most hazardous driveable road in the province. From the stand point of both security and physical condition it is cleared only intermittently and should not be driven without prior inquiry at Cu Chi District to insure that it is in fact open and(hopefully) flanked by troops. The surrounding area is one where adults still do a double-take at seeing an American, and where children tend to hide rather than shout the usual "hello, 0. K. 11 From Tan .Hy to Phuoc Hiep the road is physically interdicted, the first roadblock at the latter location usually being about 200 meters from the junction with National Highway #1. When last seen, it already sported a healthy crown of vegetation.

Interprovincial Route #19

Leading north-northwest from Trang Bang to Tay Ninh at a slight angle to Highway #1, this road normally is blocked just outside the Trang Bang city - 9 - limits. Within the district capital itself it is secure and passable.

Provincial Route #56

Located at the extreme northern end of Hau Nghia province in the Boi Loi forest, the 4km of this highway cannot at present be reached from the outside, let alone driven. The road is reported used by local traffic for about half its length.

In sumrn.ry, ignoring urban streets and minor rural spurs and village networks, there are about 223 kilometers of road in Hau Nghia which, if re­ paired and peacetime conditions obtained, would be passable to 4-wheeled vehicles. Of this total, at least 66 km were at one time paved, about 36 rock-surfaced and 84 la.terited. At present, 106 km of which 42 are paved, are actually passable to co~mercial traffic and to USOM.

2. Bridges

There are numerous small bridges of (about 20) various types, nearly all of which have been sabotaged at one time or another (some six or seven times) a.nd which, even where repaired, c..re generally in poor condition. Eleven are normally usable). There "~s also one mediwn-sized bridge, connec­ ted Due Ho•. and Ben Luc (Long An province) but this was destroyed in June 1965. There are no bridges across the Vaico River within the province.

J. Airports Due Hoa, Bau Trai, Hiep Hoa and Trung Lap all have runways adequate for light planes. Except for Trung Lap, caribous and C-123 can also get in and out with some pilot luck and skill. The Hiep Hoa field is under the con­ trol of the Vietnam Sugar Company; the others are military. There are no scheduled commercial flights or service facilities. Advance word should be given in the case of intended landings at Bao Trai so that the strip can be secured first. (The adjoining hamlet is under part-time VC control). Routine refueling is possibl~ only at Due Hoa. In addition to the above airstrips, all district towns and the provinci~ capital have chopper pads. A new airstrip is being built at Trang Bang, but is not yet unable.

4. Canals

Owing primarily to the pr~sence of the Vaico Oriental River, the raising of sugar in that vicinity, and the presence of a sugar mill on the river bank, Hau Nghia has a great number of canals of various sizes. Host of these, however, are short, shallow, and only local significance. Among the more important commercial canals:

a. The Xang. Southwest of Due Hoa district to~~, which enters the Vaico river at Luong Hoa (Long An Province) and forms part of the Hau Nghia Long An and Hau Nghia-Gia Dinh boundary.

b. The Cau-Ha-An. Extending along the Gia Dinh-Hau Nghia border south from Tan Phu Trung past }fy Hanh village to Cau Xang, then west to Huu Thanh, where it joins the Vaico.

- 10 - c. The Tra Cu Canal at Binh Hoa village Due Hue District, now used principly by the V.C.

d. The Kinh Tay{West Canal), with the adjoining Trang Bang canal runs 38 km diagonally across the entire province from northwest to southwest. At present it is blocked and resultant lack of drainage has prevented cultivation of more than 10,000 swamp,y hectares which otherwise could be converted into rice land. For security reasons, however, the canal will prbably be left in its present condition for the time being.

e. Other smaller canals ("rach"):

Due Hoi. Distri. ct: Due Hoa Village: Song Tra & Lang Vua

Huu Thanh Village: Ba Hi.ch & Ong Tuc

Hoa Khanh Village: Tho Mo, Gian X~ and Hoc Thorn Tan Phu Thuong Village: Nhum, Ba Hanh

Due Hue District:

:t-1y Quy; Tram

My Thanh Dong: Goc Trang Bang District:

An Hoa: Trang Bang Gia Binh: Binh Thuy, Rong Tuong 5. Communications: Postal delivery is made to the province and the district capital, and to the major GVN village headquarters, as indicated below:

DISTRICT VILLAGE Due Hoa Due Lap My Hanh Tan Phu Thuong (Khiem Cuong)

Cu Chi Tan Phu Trung Trung Lap Phuoe Hiep Tan An Hoi (Cu Chi) Trang Bang Gia Binh Gia Loe (Trang Bang) An Tinh An Hoa

Due Hue Hiep Hoa - ll - There is no commercial cable facility. ~lilita~, police, and USOM radio and radio/telephone/teletype circuits provide the only means of rapid communication.

6. Electrical Power

Other than l~CV facilities, there are only local generators in the locations and of the capacities listed below:

Due Hoa - two 15 KW Cu Chi - one 30 KW, two 15 K}l .Bao Trai - one 30 KTtl, one 15 KVI Trang Bang - one 10-15 K\'1 Due Hue - private generators (power unknown)

There is also a operating private generator in Bac Ha, Cu Chi District. b. Agriculture Hau Nghia is at present principally an agricultural province with rice and sugar cane the main commercial crops. Typical annual acreages and outputs of these and other farm products are:

Acreage (ha) Output (tons) Yield

Rice 51,500 65,000 (1964: 73,065) 1.21 tons 1965: est 90,000) Sugar cane 5,590 215,400 1.40 ton per ha (only 140,000 in 1963 and 130,000 in 1964 owing to security situation in the sugar cane area) Pineapple and other fruits 240 960

Manioc 380 200 Sweet potatoes 340 2,200

Peanuts 1,200 1,050

Rubber 823 410

Tobacco 345 290 Lettuce 820 9,050 Timber negligeable Negligeable

(\fuat little wood cutting is done takes place in northeastern Trang Bang and northern Cu Chi districts is presently of no commercial importance, and cannot be measured accurately owing to VC control of these areas.)

- 12 - Known exports of rice products in a typical month amount to 10,000 kg of paddy, 2650 of kernals and 1,000 of rice straw; the actual figure almost certainly is far greater.

Hau Nghia is one of the few provinces north of Saigon which has surplus not only of rice but also of cattle, pigs and poultr.y for export. Estimated numbers of livestock in the province in early 1964 were:

Water buffalo 25,400 Cattle 15,300 Horses 1,400 Pigs 69,BOO Chickens 298,100 Ducks 2,188,000 Despite the above figures, only 248 cows and 972 water buffalos are reported to have been sent to Saigon to be slaughtered in the first 9 months of 1965. The 1964 population of these animals may have been reduced as much as 10% by war depredations, but large numbers believed to be illegally exported are also a possible explanation of the seeming anomal~ between number of animals last year in the province and number exported this year. Known exports of live pigs totalled 1973 animals; of butchered, 69. Again, actual numbers were almost surely greater. Production of pigs, chickens am ducks is definitely rising despite the war. c. Industry and Handicraft

Most of the non-farm industries and handicraft centers are small, family, most are also dependent upon agriculture and agricultural products. 'J.Ihe following list is as of the end of September 1965: Rice mills: 45 Peanut mills 8 Large sugar mills and refineries 1 Small mechanical mills 26 Small animal-driven sugar mills l Tile factories, machine l Tile factories, hand l Electrical generating plants 2 Ice cream plants 1 Sawmills: 7 Light bulb cleaning establish- ment 1 Rubber plant: 1 Scale manufacturing plants 1 Ox-cart manufacturing plants 1 Peanut-oil pressing plants 1 Bukeries 13 Total emplo.y.ment for all the above, excepting the Hiep Hoa sugar mill is probab~ about ·500. In addition to those listed, there are unknown but snail numbers of family manufacturers of boats and rough furniture. Carpem­ ters, seamstresses, mason, electricians, plumbers, smiths, etc., working out of their homes, also fabricate various small items. - 13 - ~ far the most important industrial establishment in the province is the Hiep Hoa sugar mill and refiner.y. In a good year, it m~ produce 10,000 tons of white sugar, as well as an unreported quantity of rum. While sugar production has been decreasing over the past two years, it still amounted to some 8,300 tons during 1965. The mill normally gives direct emplo,yment to about 1,500 persons (roughly two thirds of whom are laborers and one third semi skilled laborers and technicians, clerks and mangerial types) while it is operating (from December through June). During the rest of the year, this figure drops to about 700 free company housing, much of it quite good by local standards, is provided for about 300 families. The mill pays 150 of its own PF as a supplementary guard force. Among its heavy equipment complement are such items, rarely found elsewhere in the province, as bulldozers, mechanical planters, cranes, fork lifts, large trucks, tug boats (40, each capable of hauling up to 50 barges) and barges (100 capacity of one barge: 40-60 tons of cane).

Formely, most transporting of cane to the mill and of sugar to Saigon was by company barges, but deteriorating security in the area has cut down drastically their ability to use the Vaico River. The mill, the largest in Vietnam, was owned by the French until 1960, when its control passed into Vietnamese hands, notably those of the Ngo family. It is at present 51% GVN controlled, and the government is in the process of trying to buy out the remaining private owners. The mill provides livelihood for several thousand families raising cane on both sides of the river, most of whom are under VC control. At present, defoliation operations are taking place on the lower west bank and are expected to convert at least hundreds of these families into refugees. This is being done ostensibly to lessen chances of ambush along the river and to encourage the ARVN to operate there. (In the past, troops have been most reluctant to move out into the cane fields) and a special Forces camp was overrun in November 1963 near the sugar mill. d. Future: Long term economic prospects for the province remain bright, once security has been restored. Its location along main highway, river and canal arteries in the back yard of the heavily populated Saigon Cholon-Gia Dinh area makes it a natural candidate as an overflow region for the latter within a few years. The soil is fertile and population density low. Only one rice crop is raised per year, whereas with adequate irrigation, two would be possible. Tens of thousands of hectares of semi-swampland) much of it once productive, could be reclaimed after a few months to a few years leaching of the soil at least 10,000 hectares through the redredging of a single canal.

- ili - G. POLITICAL - ADMINISTRATIVE SITUATION

a. General Problems & Considerations Affecting Administration

1. Security:

GVN control g~nerally extends only to the effective fire radius of armed forces installations and the areas im­ mediately surrounding the four district capitals and Khiem Cuong that is, to about 25% of the population. (60% is under VC control). The province has a long history of rebel acti­ vity. Even in French days, little continuing political control was exercised beyond the road network and a few key military installations and administrative centers. Parts of Cu Chi District were notorious long before 1961, when this area again began to become an overt trouble spot. Nearly all of Due Hue District and much of upper Due Hoa and portions of Trang Bang were under VC military control by 1962, and in most of Due Hue as well as some parts of the other three dis­ tricts (particularly LocGiang, An Vinh, Phuoc Vinh Ninh villages), there was never an effective GVN political presence to begin with. In 1962 and early 1963 a concerted effort was made by GVN to clear and pacify much of the area Flanking Highway one, particularly in Cu Chi district, as part of the original Stl!a.tegic Hamlet program ("Operation Sunrise"). Al­ though many kilometers of perimeter fences were thrown up and thousands of people relocated there was very little ge­ nuine pacification in terms of the rooting out of VC poli­ tical infrastructure and the creating in its place of a viable GVN control mechanism based on popular support. Except along Route #1, military forces were also inadequate. &J late 1963, overt military slippage was already apparent and during 1964 it proceeded at an alarming rate. Due Hoa was attacked and partially overrun in June; the Due Hue district capital of My Qui was evacuated, along with Tra Cu, leaving tiny Dong Hoa Bac, opposite the Hiep Hoa sugar mill, as the only GVN presence on the west side of the Vaico River. La Cua post was overrun and most of the hamlet abandoned to the VC, expo­ sing the route between the Hiep Hoa mill and Bao Trai to great VC pressure. The Hoa Khanh area was given up, cutting the direct road link between the province capital and Due Hoa. The area north of Trang Bang and along the road from Phuoc Hiep to the Trung Lap training center in Cu Chi passed into-or,more correctly, back into VC hands.

The arrival of the 25th Division apparently re-secured the immediate Due Hoa area and the over-all, over military decline was temporarily arrested in late November of 1964. It began again in the late spring of 1965 as a result of renewed heavy VC pressure and is still continuing in parts of the province. The So Do and Giong Giang posts were destroyed

- 15 - and the PF units there disbanded, eliminating all continuous GVN military presence and uncovering two flanks of the province capital. The Due Lap village area was later brought under heavy attack and harrassment, threatening to isolate Khiem Cuong com­ pletely. Security also has deteriorated throughout Cu Chi District and numbers of roadblocks, minings and incidents all along routes National #1 Provincial #8 and portions of Provincial #9+10 have climbed far above their early 1965 lows. Since 1963, at least 29 strategic, combat and New Life hamlets once at least superfi­ cially in GVN hands have been lost or practically lost.

At present, the security situation on a district-by-district basis is roughly as follows:

Due Hoa:

Improvement has been and is taking place in the vicinity of the district capital and My Hanh village, although minor VC har­ rassment continues. Progress, however, is slow and is likely to become more so as attempts are made to pacify hamlets not on Route #10. In the area around the province capital, the recent trend has been down to the point that the latter was recently in danger of being overrun. and is not yet out of the woods. For the time being, t he situation appears to have stabilized, and may already have bounced up a bit from dead bott om in the nearby Due Lap village complex. A significant i mprovement hopefully is in the offing.

Cu Chi:

After a long, gradual decline, conditions appear to have stabilized. Except for Cu Chi itself, the Trung Lap Ranger training center outside the immediate vicinity of a few portions of Phuoc Hiep and Tan Phu Trung, GVN control PF posts is tenuous even in daylight hours and all areas are subject to VC harrassment. Two PF posts, Thai My and Vinh Cu, are presently little more than prisons in basically VC-controlled hamlets. Guer~llas in the Cay Tram-Phuoc Hiep-Suoi Sau area are particularly aggressive and prone to ambush civilian vehi cles of opportunity, not just mili­ tary traffic. The entire district northeast of a narrow strip bordering Highway #1 and Trung Hoa hamlet is and has long been a VC redoubt.

Due Hue:

There has been occasional moderate VC pressure in the La Cua and Dong Hoa Bac areas, but limited largely to ambushes, harrassing fire, minings and small-scale attacks. No major assaults have been mounted recently, although the district town could probably be taken

- 16 - easily if the VC so wished. Economic and political considera­ tions on the part of the enemy - chiefly various taxes collected on the growing, processing and transporting of sugar, and the dependence for livelihood of the people of the surrounding area on the sugar mill - have probably served to protect what is left of Due Hue to a greater degree than has GVN troop pre­ sence.

Trang Bang:

The situation is largely static, with increasing VC road harrassment being offset by slow pacification progress in and around Trang Bang and An Hoa. Host VC activity is guerilla in nature and minor in scale, and the more developed social fabric-particularly in Gao Dai and Cat holic areas - in compa­ rison with other districts has both helped maintain G'ffl presence and limit VC political inroads except in such VC core control areas as Loc Giang and the fringe of the Boi Loi Forest.

The history and current security situation of the area now const ituting Hau Nghia, described above, gives some indication of the difficulties facing any GVN administration trying govern and pacify the area. There is hardly a spot in the province - or an official - not vulnerable to VC attack or harrassment at any time. Even Khiem Cuong has been mortared at least nine times in eight months, and VC concentrations of regimental size and above, including elements of the famous 5o6th Long An Battalion and the Dong Thap Regiment, often pass at ni ght within a kilo­ meter ortwo of the capital, uncontested by g round action and often undetected, to strike suddenly and usually very effecti­ vely at fixed concentrations of GVN troops. Hau Nghia has a deserved reputation as a meat-grinder, and the known inability of GVN to date to destroy the VC base areas and their respect­ ive units flanking the province to the west and northeast breeks a feeling of helplessness on the part of both GVN popu­ lation. These objective ARVN military weaknesses are compounded and institutionalize by a tangled command structure which results in three semi-independent entities - the 25th Division, the 49th Regiment, and Province - whose activities are hard to coordinate militarily and administratively and still maintain good working relationships.

Moving down to the military level, except in Trang Bang, sufficient RF and PF units cannot be formed to by themselves secure even hamlets undergoing pacification or already paci­ fied at least to the degree required t o allow rural construc­ tion cadres to operate with reasonable safety. Nor seemingly can even the main roads be secured by paramilitary forces from frequent minings, and roadblocks appear within 100 meters of outposts with monotonous regularity. (In the absence of effect­ ive local Forces regular ARVN units are tied up guarding fixed

- 17 - positions rather than going after and trying to dest:i."oy the enemy's main force units.) There is very little adequate military housing and no recreational facilities, breeding troop discontent, indiscipline, and occasional abuse of the population, as a result of which the population sometimes t ends to be hostile (which leads to further troop misbehavior and so is a vicious circle). Small wonder, then, that many civilian cadres and most military unit commanders tend to view a Hau Nghia assignment as one step short of exile and try to remove themselves as soon as possible.

Because of the above factors, recruitment and retention of qualified personnel is peculiarly difficult. other problems:

Additionally, there is the problem of establishing a com­ munity consciousness. As a provi nce pieced together from remnants of others, Hau Nghia 1 s component parts still maintain many of the old patt erns of affiliation. For example, the Cao Dai of Trang ~ang have close t i es to the Holy See and the po­ pulation of neighboring Tay Ninh. Much of Cu Chi still has stronger ties to Binh Duong and Gia Dinh than to the remainder of Hau Nghia. Due Hoa's ties economically are to Gia Dinh and Cholon.

Hau Nghia, in other words, i s politically inarticulate. Religious minorities - Catholic and Cao Dai - exist, but are not as well organized as they might be or as politically ac­ tive. There have been few, if any, instances of meaningful activity by the national political parties among them.

In view of the enormous obst acles facing Hau Nghia even in 1963, it would have seemed that a special effort was called for to provide a running start in terms of personnel and logis­ tical support. In fact, the province began operations without funds, administrators, or central institutions of government. Lines of communication, then as now, were thin and fragile. The small hamlet chosen as its capital, despi te considerable expan­ sion,is still essentially a rural hamlet, lacking all of the a western frontier town, complete with O.K. cottal episodes. (The permanent capital site nearby is still in the planning stage.)

Considering all of the above, the wonder is not that things are still bad in Hau Nghia, but that there has been any change at all for the better. Actually, despite a continuing drift downward in the over-all security situation, there has been no dramatic collapse, and with the exception of a few areas such as rubber and sugar production, the economic trends - especially in and around Due Hoa have been steady to rising. The recent

- 18 - impact of inflation and defoliation may soon create some sizeable difficulties, but at present these are minor and limited largely to public construction activity and sugar pro­ duction respectively, in focus, and to a small segment of the urban and rural populations in impact. Commerce moves nor­ mally along all roads not long physically blocked, and all district capitals plus all GVN controlled hamlets and all but three or four PF posts are routinely accessible by road. Much new construction is in evidence despite rising prices. There is little apparent relationship between security and the local economy, as the VC seem interested in little more then getting enough rice for themselves, transporting it, and occasionally knocking off GVN military and police units. They do not yet interdict remaining principal roads to a degree that consti­ tutes more than a minor nuisance although they certainly have the capability of almost stopping commerce altogether any time they choose.

Another somewhat anomalous and even ironic improvement has been the progressive willingness of GVN officials at all levels to use the roads, which have become increasingly hazardous. Eight months ago, such travel was exceptional; now it is beqoming the rule.

Finally, there has been a rather dramatic improvement in recent months in the effectiveness of the Gm~ provincial ad­ ministrative machinery. It appears that by December 31, 1965 more than twice as much Rural Reconstruction money will have been spent from thd 1965 budget as was spent from 1964.

There is reason to believe that unless inflation gets completely out of hand considerable progress will be made next year, perhaps even on the military side. At Due Lap, in October, for the first time in provincial history, the VC got their noses badly bloodied, and with the anticipated addition- al troops large segments of the province can be cleared of VC military units above squad and platoon size. Political progress is also possi ble. The VC admittedly have an extensive political and military structure and in some areas are deeply rooted - i.e., Loc Giang, Due Hue, t he Vaco River and the Cu Chi Binh Duong border areas. \rJi th . the exception of such locations (particularly the latter, which has in depth cadres of sufficient potency to export to Saigon to organize intellectuals. As well as blow-up billets) the VC control structure appears to be more extensive then intensive. It seems to depend more on familial relations, agent systems, a clever but rather rigid logistical set-up, and sheer military presence, than upon the strong, full­ blown ideologically-oriented formal political apparatus that might be found in a typical central Vietnamese VC combat hamlet. The VC in much of Hau Nghia Province, like the o-~l, appear to lack the sophisticated cadre depth necessary to completely offset the pragmatic mental cast of t he adult local peasantr.y, which is usually not too amenable to the t i ght political control system

- 19 - of anyone and to whom the all-important question is more likely to be who's winning rather than who's right. There is some­ times a striking contrast in world-views captured local gueril­ las, some of whom would be hard put to tell one where Hanoi is, and regulars of the 506th Battalion, who are often quite modern in outlook and well-informed. Regulars are formidable enemies. On the other hand, the author has been in a room talking with a hamlet chief while at the other end of the same room the VC village platton was holding a meeting - without the latter seeing anything unduly amiss and later proudly showing off the results of the USON pig-corn program to their guest imperialists. This is admittedly an extreme example of poor, VC troops ITE, but it did happen and similar experience have been reported by others.

There are in Hau Nghia areas where the VC have tried to carry aut land reform and failed - despite no GVN interference­ because the attitudes of the population - including respect for the landlord and private property - were too traditional and the VC political machine not yet up to the task. Finally, the VC do not seem to be able to effectively control population movement even in some of their base areas.

All of this is to suggest that lvhile the GVN has control problems, so do the VC, qnd much of their own set-up is highly vulnerable to a change in the prevailing security wind, once detected by a traditionalist and pragmatic population. In summary - pacification, once underway in depth, may progress more rapidly in most of Hau Nghia than in some more politically developed rural areas, especially those in Central Vietnam. Prospects - at least short-range - given an increase in troop strength and improvement in utilization, are believed better than a superficial analysis of the past record of Hau Nghia might indicate.

Basic Administrative Structure:

Hau Nghia is comprised of:

4 districts 4 cantons 24 villages (11 with administrative committees 13 with pacification committees) 201 hamlets

There are GVN village administrative committees of one kind or another for all villages, though many are in exile. 126 New Life Hamlets, not necessarily coincidental in name or boundaries with the older hamlets from which the 201 figure above was de­ rived, are scheduled to be pacified under the Hop Tac and Chien Thang plans. Of these, 40 have GVN hamlet chiefs, of wham about 15 have proved able to function effectively in their hamlets on

- 20 - a continuing basis. A district-by district administrative breakdown through village level is given below:

Cu Chi Population 57,152 Area • 173 Sq. lan Canton Village Village population Long Tay Ha Tan An Hoi 17,189 (population 57,152 area 173 sq. km.) Thai My 4,584 Trung Lap 1i956 Phuoc Hiep 12,882 Tan Phu Trung 9,048 Phuoc Vinh Ninh 5,493 Due Hoa Population: 61,554 Area: 335 sen. km. Canton Village Village population Due An Thuong Due Lap 7,747 (population 15,475 Area 79 Sq.km) Tan Phu Thuong 7,728 Due An Ha Due Hoa 23,948 (population 46,079 area 26 sq. km.) Hoa Khanh 9,907 Huu Thanh 4,309 Ivly Hanh 7,915 Due Hue Population: 41,484 Area ; 585 sq. km. Canton Village Village population None My Thanh Dong 7,080 My Quy 4,123 Binh Hoa 7,163 An Ninh 8,222 Hiep Hoa 9,862 Tan My 5,034

- 21 - ADMINISTRATIV~ ORGANIZATION

25th DIVISION ~U 'i_G'11A

--..j rr'ELECOMMUNICA TION PROVINCE SERVICE

C H IE F TAX H SERVICE ~DUCATION 1- SERVICE HEALTH 1- SERVICE PROVI NCE I DEPUTY PROVINCE DEPUTY PROVINCE / lA ND 1-- SERVICS CHIEF CHIEF FOR ADMINISTRATION FOR SECURITY AGRICULTURAL 1-- SERVICE

I RECONSTRUljTION ~ SERVICE

PUBLIC WORKS I ~ SERVICE OAH A s F s E s 1R c o s s POSTAL F DE D E I E c E U 0 F E E ~ FMA M R N R 0 R R N F c R SERVICE I I D I v A v N v AS I u v C N Q N I N I 0 I L T C R I .N A C 0 E I U I c c c M c R E I c H S A s E E E I E u T E YOU i'H 0 T R T c c y H SERVICE R T IF R T CHIE.1J HOI I A E A f-- SERVICE T R T 0 I S I N I ANI MAL HUSBANDRY 1- v v I SERVICE E E NATIONAL l I l I ~ SERVICE p p v a· v E HE H p D rr -n ~ 1: IT TJ INfORMATION I E I R DEC I 0 U I ~ I ~ l u I SERVICE ~ H L N L 0 U A 0 L L .J s N s s c s L E L v C L N t I T G 'I p 'I T ....__ RUH.AL HEALTH A R A t AT 0 T T f R R IH R k R SERVICE G A G T H M A I ~ ] B l I I b I E L E A I I R c ~ c ~ c c ~ c • c 0 c y A 'I ~ 1 'I T A A A c N L D D c 0 M M c u I I 0 N -22 N N ij 5 - -- USOM OFFICE OF PROVINCI AL OPERATIONS Monthly Provincial Financial Report PROVINCE __H_a_u_N.-g~h_ia __ _ on the GVN Rural Construction Budget Month Ending November 30/65

- Approved Total Obligated for Expenditures Available for BUDGET Budget (1) Expenditure (2) {Cumulative)(J) &xpenditure(l-2+3) REr1ARKS

NLH Mobile Cadre 2.388.9501$00 2,388.950.00 2,311.~_ 9 76.66 (1) plus 910t000$00 check sent o di s- trict Chief Due Relocation/Resettlement 7,41.6.300.00 7,416,300.00 ~QOOO.OO(l' - Self Help Project for Hoa for payment Hamlet Development l,o5o.ooo.oo 1.050.000.00 1.091,586.50 to dependents 38th Battalion Ranger S~plementary Prov. Dev. not cashed. Obliga tions reported are Tran~~rtation Support 919,000.00 919,000.00 539,287.64 believed not all legally binding Rural Education Project 6,424,400.00 6,424.400.00 4.743,721.00 Some Chieu Hoi, Irrigation and Roads and Bridges 8,ooo.ooo.oo B.ooo.ooo.oo 1,.638,384.91 Self Help Money will revert and Chieu Hoi Project 1,350.000.00 1,350.000.00 378,148.50 6,000,000 for roads will be carried Agriculture Irrigation J?o,ooo.oo 320.000.00 16,380.00 over into 1966 because of failure Animal Husbandry 1,548,000.00 1,548,000.00 1.354.327.09 of contractor to deliver crushed Agriculture Exbension 699,500.00 699,500.00 251,700.42 rock. Seed Improvement 1,307,528.00 1,307,500.00 865, _196.50 Fishery Project 302,000.00 302,000.00 117,349.00 Montagnard Development

TOTAL 31,725,678.00 31,725,678.00 15,860,471.65

TOTAL JUNDS RELEASIID TO PROVINCE BY DGnFA 1 31,7251 000$00 / Prepared by Douglas K. Ramsey

- 23 - Trang Bang

Population: 68,217 Area : 133 Sq. km

Canton Village Village population

Ham Ninh Ha (popu­ Gia Loc 15,122 lation 68,217 Area 133 sq. km.) Gia Binh 6,286 An Hoa 6,554 An Tinh 21,364 Loc Hung 9,800 Loc Giang 9,091 Personnel, Organizations, Functions, and USOM Role

Following are an organization chart rosters of GVN officials, USOM and MACV personnel; and a cursory description of some of the various provincial administrative organs and/or their functions as related to the Rural Reconstruction Budget and the USOM role, where applicable. Provincial Council, Hau Nghia NANE FUNCTION DISTRICT

Hoa Van Tien Chairman Due Hoa Huynh Van Ti Secretary II II Tran Van Ro Member Trang Bang Pham Van Ca II II II Vo Van Pho II Cu Chi Le Van Thuoc " II II 3) 25th DiviS.ion

Commander, 25th Division: Col. Phan Trang Chinh Deputy Comdr. 25th " : Lt Col. Le Van Luyen Senior Advisor Col. Jesse G. Ugalde Deputy Advisor : Lt Col. Donald A. Seibert 49th Regiment:

Commander, 49th Regiment: Lt Col. Nguyen Van Nguu Senior Advisor : Major Clifford J. Landry

- 24 - 4) Province Chief + Deputies

Province Chief: Lt. Col. Nguyen Tri Hanh 26 April 1965 -

Former Chiefs: Lt. Col. Le Van Tu 20 July 1964 - 3 March 1965

Major Sam Tan Phuoc 23 Oct 1963 - 19 July 1964 Deputy for Administration: Nguyen Thai Nguyen

Deputy for Security: Maj. Doan Gong Hau

Biographical Notes, Lt. Col. Hanh:

Age : 45 years old Status : 1-iarried Build: Short, heavy-set, appears to be about 40 Dependents: 10 children (9 girls) ranging in ages from 7- 27; close-knit family. Religion: Roman Catholic, Converted Former Posts: Formerly Deputy for Security and for short period of time Province Chief, Long Khanh Province Area of Origin: Lai Thieu District, Binh Duong Province, from moderately well-to-do family which has produced many local officials. Wife came from same area with well-to-do but not wealthy family. L~guages: Aside from his native tongue, speaks fluent French and good English. Special Traits: Good sense of humor, good judge of subordinates, likes ceremonial propriety. Well-informed. Leanings: Pro-American in his voiced opinions. Other Comments: Wife is strong-willed, personality in own right; a good friend of wife of Chief of State General Nguyen Van Thieu. Hobbies: Photography

5) PROVINCIAL SERVICE P&RSONN~L SERVICE CHIEFS SERVICE NAME OF CHIEF

Finance Nguyen Phu Huu Administrative Pham Ngoc Chuc Economic Phan Dinh Tinh Security Pham Thanh Trung Primary Education Nguyen Van Thang Youth Vo Thanh Phong Psywar/Information Pham Ngoc Thuan Chieu Hoi Hoang Van Suu Public Works 1~guyen Huy Cuong

- 25 - 5) PROVINCIAL SERVICE PERSONNEL SERVICE CHIEFS SERVICE NAME OF CHIEF

Land Service Lam Van Nam Reconstruction Service Nguyen Vinh Hien Animal Husbandry Service Nguyen Van Nghia Provincial Health Le Van Trang Rural Health Duong Thu Phong Taxation Nguyen Khac Niem Postal Nguyen Loc Tho Agriculture Nai Ngoc Thach Police Tran Van Phuoc Rural Construction Nguyen Quang Trieu 6) MACV SECTOR TEAM #43 Sector Advisor - Lt. Col. William Lueck, Artillery Assistant Sector Advisor -Major Robert w. Pierce, Inf RF /PF Advisor -Capt. J.J. Kernan, Arty RF/PF S-4 - Capt. A.T. Buswell, Ord Intelligence Advisor - Capt. R. L. Moody, Arty Psywar. CA Advisor - Capt. J .J. Mclaughlin, Armor Asst. RF /PF 11 - lst Lt. R. A. Belke, Arty Sr. Enlisted 11 - E-7 P.C. Trauer, Unsg Intel Sergeant Advisor - E-7 J .W. Pacheco, AIS A/L Co Advisor - E-6 E. G. Magdic, Ord Supply Specialist - E-6 E. E. Gambrell, QM I•led. Spec. Advisor - E-8 W. ~i. Walker, Ameds IS Radio Operator - E-6 P.P De Sarno, Sig IS Radio Operator - E-3 D. W. Higby, Sig IS Radio Operator -A F C. B. Hooley, Sig Admin Spec. " - E-7 T. D. Frechette, AG Hess Steward - E-7 J.W. Eder, QMG Scty Guard - E-4 P. E. Nichell, Inf II . II - E-4 J. ~1. Carter, Inf II II - E-4 C. W. Jackson, Inf " " - E-4 R. L. Patton, Inf II II - E-4 M. M. Belt, Inf MP Advisor - E-5 G. D. Green, MPC Engineer Advisor - E-7 R. L. Dotson, Eng

7) GVN DISTRICT PERSONNEL DISTRICT CHIEFS ADHINISTrt.ATIVE DEPUTIES

Cu Chi : Dai Uy Tran Ngoc Quan Nguyen Thien Trinh Due Hoa: Dai Uy Ho Van Hiep Dang Van Minh Due Hue : Dai Uy Le Dang Sy Nguyen van Hoan T. Bang: Dai Uy Tran Gong Nghiep Nguyen Sy Thinh

- 26 - USCl-1 PERSONNEL STATUS HAU NGHIA

NAME TITLE

Douglas K. Ramsey USOM Prov. Rep Tony Quintos Civic Action Bui ~an Khuong Area Specialist Huynh .N goc Cac Secretary Huynh Van Mi Mechanist JUSPAO REP - DON BESON

8) MACV SUBSECTOR (DISTRICT) PERSONNEL

CU CHI SUB-SECTOR

Senior Advisor -Capt. Edward c. Truman Deputy 11 - Capt. James M. Cushman Medic - E-6 F. Shieffler Infantry Advisor - E-5 E. Urmaneke DUG HOA SUB-SECTOR

Senior Advisor - Major James M. Rapkoch Deputy 11 - Capt. James E. Walsh Hedic - E-6 W. B. Woody Infantry Advisor - E-6 A. J. Conner TRANG BANG SUB-SECTOR

Senior Advisor -Major George J. Reudelhuber Deputy " - Capt. Kurt z. Keene Medic - E-5 J. A. Wilson Infantry Advisor - E-6 H. s. Bunting

- 27 - 7. Locations of Interest in Hau Nghia

Due Hoa District (Due Hoa Area):

Binh Thi (Due Hoa Proper):

A rapidly growing town of about 4,000 (with suburbs, 16,000), Due Hoa is the headquarters of the 25th Division, ARVN. A refugee resettlement hamlet has just been established on the southeast edge of t cMn. Due Hoa is accessible by road, light plane or chopper.

USOM-Supported Projects:

(1) Refugee hamlet.

(2) Two elementary classrooms for refugee children.

(3) Self-Help reading room.

(4) Self-Help maternityroom (outstanding job).

(5) Electrical system.

(6) PF Housing.

Other Sites of USOM-Supported Projects:

(1) Binh Ta Reading room (self-help). (2) Tan Voi Elementary classroom and reading room (self-help).

(3) Binh Huu --Reading room (self-help).

(4) My Hanh (Tram Lac and Binh Thuy Hamlets -- Two elementary classrooms, dispensary (under construction December 1965).

Due Hoa District (Khiem Cuong Area):

Khiem Cuong (Bao Trai A & B): Province capital, formerly a VC hamlet, it still has many aspects of a frontier town. Population is about 3,000.

USOM-Supported Projects:

(1) Elementary classrooms.

(2) Housing for civil servants (16 units built; nine more about to get underway).

(3) Water storage facilities.

(4) Jail visiting r ~ om.

(5) Medical warehouse. (6) Youth Center. - 28 - (7) Provincial Headquarters building.

(8) School latrine.

(9) Public latrine.

(10) Sidewalks, curbing.

(11) Provincial Conference Room.

(12) Provincial Warehouse and garage.

(13) Hamlet office.

(14) Chieu Hoi kitchen.

(15) Communications bunkers.

Other Sites of USOM-Supported Projects:

(1) Giong Giang -- Elementary classrooms.

(2) So Do -- Elementary classrooms.

(3) Due Lap -- (Site of Rand Corporation's study on evolution of a village) -­ Elementary classrooms; hamlet administrative office.

(4) Due Hanh A -- (Reconstruction) Elementary classrooms, dispensary (latter abandoned because of VC action).

Due H9e District:

Hang Duong (District Capital): Site of the largest sugar mill in Vietnam. Accessible by road, light aircraft and chopper. Special Forces camp overrun near here in November, 1963.

USOH-Supported Activities:

(1) Cooperative Restaurant.

(2) Police housing (under construction, December 1965).

(3) Village administrative office.

(4) Hamlet office.

(5) Reading roqm.

(6) Vehicle shelter.

- 29 - Other sites of USOM-8upported Projects:

(1) Hiep Hoa (Van Hiep, Tan Hoa, Rach Chanh Hamlets) -- Elementary classrooms, hamlet offices, reading rooms, police cheCkpoints, refugee housing.

(2) Dong Hoa Bac (on west bank of Vaico River) -- PF Housing, hamlet office.

(3) Tan My (Nha Hoi) -- Classrooms, village office, hamlet office.

Trang Bang District:

Trang Bang (Loc Du, Gia Huynh, Loc 'Ihanh, and Loc An Hamlets) : An older, shaded, pleasant, well-developed town of about 12,000 -- the largest in Hau Nghia and most sophisticated as well. A Cao Dai center. Featured attractions: Cao Dai Temple, refugee relocation area in Loc Du--clean, attractive, well organized. Can be reached by road or chopper. Airfield under construction December 1965. USOM-Supported Projects: (1) Elementary classrooms (including one self-help).

(2) Refugee housing for 99 families.

( 3) PF housing -- about 50 units. (4) Six secondary classrooms.

(5) Police sub-station.

(6) Three self-help reading rooms/offices. (7) Old peoples' home (Catholic-run, construction just started December 1965. (8) Orphanage (Cao Dai sponsored, construction just started December 1965. Trang Bang District:

An Hoa Village: Predominantly Catholic village. Principal two hamlets are very well organized, clean and relatively prosperous, with adequate PF. Can be reached by road. USOM-Supported Projects:

(1) Village dispensary/maternity. (2) New refugee relocation site.

(3) Elementary classrooms (including one self-help). (4) Cooperative pig-raising self-help project (in initial planning stage).

- 3'0- Other Sites of USOM-Supported Projects:

(1) Gia Binh --Elementary classrooms and reading room/office (self-help).

(2) An Duoc (Suoi Sau) --Elementary classrooms and hamlet office (repair).

(3) Gia Lam* -- Elementary classroom.

(4) Loc Trac* ~- Two elementary classrooms. Cu Chi District: Cu Chi A Don & A T : Capital of Hop Tac Pilot District site, astride junction of National Route 1 and Provincial Route #8 to Bao Trai and (in peacetime) Thu Dau Mot. Population is about 5,000. Nearby is headquarters of the 49th Regiment. There are numerous rubber trees in surrounding area. Cu Chi is accessible by road or chopper USOM-Supported Projects:

(1) Market.

(2) Electrict lighting system.

(3) Reading room.

(4) Elementary classrooms. (5) Four secondary classrooms.

(6) Police sub-station.

(7) Bus station (self-help, under construction December 1965).

(8) School latrines.

(9) Pig-chicken demonstration sites. e

(10) PF Housing.

Other Sites of USOM-Supported Projects:

(1) Bac Ha -- (Catholic resettlement area, currently under heavy VC pressure) school repair, chicken rasing center, handicraft training center (construction about to start December 1965) and road repair.

(2) Phuoc Hiep -- PF housing, elementary classrooms, dispensary/maternity, village office and police checkpoint.

(3) Bao Tre -- elementary classrooms. *Require military escort to reach.

- 31 - (4) Mui Lon -- Elementary classrooms, shrine repair, dispensary repair (scheduled to begin in December 1965) , RF-PF training center (construction i~ at a standstill owing to VC activity) •

( 5) Xom Hue -- Elementary classrooms.

(6) Tan Phu Trung -- Elementary classrooms, village office, pig-chicken demonstration plots, youth hall, and school latrines. {Ap Moi I and II, Son Loc, and Tan Bac Hamlets and Tan Thong area.)

8. Commodity Distribution (January 1 to November J), 1965):

Roofing, Aluminum 15,752 sheets

Roofing, Fibro-cement 3,438 sheets

Cement 29,745 bags

Corn 1,345 bags

Bulgur 38,634 bags

Milk 38,634 boxes

Oil 4o, 969 gallons

- 32 - SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES

A} Rural Reconstruction Service - (Formerly New Life Hamlet):

Chief! 1st Lieut. Nguyen Quang Trieu

At present there are employed 99 of the 112 authorized cadres; 33 are women. They are divided by district as follows:

Due Hoa Due Hue Cu Chi Trang Bang

No. teams 3 1 2 1 No. team leaders 3 1 3 1 No. cr dinary cadre 20 7 13 12 Those working in and out of Khiem Cuong include 10 in the central office and 26 in a special projects team which operates in nearby hamlets. 48 hamlets of an ultimate 126, targeted in Hop Tac and Chien Thang plans, were scheduled to be secured in 1965. As of late November, only 6 had met the standard 6-point criteria according to u.s. standards and 12 according to GVN, as follows:

DISTRICT HAMLET GVN us

Due Hoa Bao Trai A) Khiem X X Bao Trai B) Cuqng X X Binh Thi (Due H~a) X X Lang voi X X Binh Huu X X

Due Hue Hang Duong (Hiep Hoa) X X

Cu Chi Ap Dong) X Ap Tay ) Cu Chi X Son Loc ) X Tan Bac ) Tan X Ap Moi I ) Phu X Ap Moi II) Trung X As of the same period the following hamlets were deemed to have sufficient GVN activity to warre classification as securing: DISTRICT HAMLET GVN us

Due Hoa Binh Tien I X X Binh Tien II X X Binh Thuy X X Tram Lac X X Giong Giang X So Do X X Ap Cho ~ Due Lap X X Ap Chanh

- 33 - Due Hue Van Hiep ) X X ) Hiep Hoa Tan Hoa ) X X Trang Bang Loc Du X X ) X X Loc Thanh Trang LocAn ) X X Bang Gia Huynh ) X X

DISTRICT HAMlET ....9!]: us

Cu Chi Binh 'I'huy I X X Binh Ta II X X So Do (Securing) X Due Hanh A X X Due Hanh B X X Cu Chi Tan Thong (Securing) X Xom Hue (Securing) X Mui Lon X X Bao Tre X X Due Hue Nha Hoi (Tan My) X X Trang Bang Ap Chanh (Gia Binh) X X An Hoi I ) X X ) An Hoa An Hoi II) X X

Btill controlled or retaken by the v.c: DISTRICT HAMLET -GVN us Due Hoa Tan Hoi X X Giong Giang (Securing) X Go Cao X X Cu Chi Nha Viec ) Phuoc X X Vinh Phuoc ) Vinh Ninh X X Vinh Cu )

It is highly doubtful whether more than about 20 hamlets will have been accepted even by the GVN as secured by the end of the year. The number, quality and newness of cadres and the security situation severely limit the degree of progress which can be made. With the new pay raise, equalization of pay, and the merger of formerly unrecruitable mobile administrative with r1!Lral political and mobile action cadres, it is hoped to incre- ase greatly the total number of cadres, next year. However, until the RF/PF protective force is considerably greater and/or main force VC units can be kept out of the working area by the 25th Division, progress will probably continue to be rather slow. This will be true in many portions of the province even with the new amalgamated armed cadre team concept in operation (though armi­ ng of the teams should prove a great step forward and allow conti­ nuous operation in marginal - 3h - areas where only sporadic forays occur now). The strength of the effort cannot be expected to approach that mounted in 1962-1963, let alone surpass it, for a long time to come at least in terms of area covered and sheer energy expended. It is hoped, however, that it may have its foundation more solidly rooted in tactics designed to win the repect or the people.

Salaries of this activity are presently part of the USOMP~ supported Rural Construction Budged. USOM Hau Nghia has also made the most extensive distributions of bulgur wheat, cooking oil, and milk in III Corps in support of New Life Hamlet cons­ truction. b) Education Service 'l'he Hau Nghia Service currently is responsible for 19 public elementary schools and 19 primary school. There are also 3 public, 2 semi-public, and 7 private high schools, plus 8 elementary and 3 primary private schools. The 38 Primary and elementary Public Schools are distributed by district as follows:

Cu Chi District

4 public primary schools ( 95 teachers 8 public elementary schools ( 5254 students Due Hoa District

3 public primary schools ( 92 teachers 6 public elementary schools ( 5482 students Due Hue District

3 public primary schools ( 38 teachers 1 public elementary school ( 2299 students Trang Bang District

9 public primary schools ( 124 teachers 4 public elementary schools ( 7167 students * The 3 public high Schools, showing mumber of teachers and student population, are: Cu Chi Public High School - - 4 teachers, 146 students Due Hoa Public High School --13 teachers, 140 students Khiem Cuong Public High School-3 teachers, 52 students

The 2 semi-public high schools are:

Cu Chi High School - 9 teachers, 215 students Dung Van Truoc (Trang Bang) -12 teachers, 313 students - 35 - Due Hoa District

1 private primary school - 2 teachers & 102 students Cu Chi District

1 private primary school ( 10 teachers 3 private elementary schools (555 students

~ang Bang district

1 private primary school (10 teachers 3 private elementary schools (530 students 7 Private 8igh Schools are as follows: Cu Chi District

Hinh Tan High School - 10 teachers, 209 students Van Hoc High School - 6 teachers, 43 students Due Hoa District

Tri Tan High School - 7 teachers, 200 students Nguyen Van Nho High School - 4 teachers, 140 students

Trang Bang District

Minh Due High School - 14 teachers, 460 students Thanh Khiet High School - 11 teachers, 275 students Chi Thien High School b teachers, 150 students The education program, beginning from a narrow base, has grown very rapidly over the past 1 ~ years and popular demand for further expansion seems insatiable. 48 elementary class­ rooms were built in late 1964 and early 1965 under the uso~ backed 1964 hamlet school construction program. By the end of November the 1965 program, involving the training of 65 tea­ chers and the building of 58 elementary classrooms had been completed except for 4 rooms not yet started and 7 under cons­ truction • (Price difficulties were overcome in the Khiem­ Cuong area and part of Trang Bang by allowing the Education Service and teacher-parent student associations to handle the woDk, instead of commercial contractors. The work was as good as or better than that done elsewhere in the province and cost ran only 35,000- 40,000$VN per room.)

In addition to the above, six (6) 1965 high school class­ rooms (USOM-funded) are under construction, and 2 more (1964 · ministerial-funded) are expected to be started soon. USOM has also provided standard-series text books and teaching aids and is presently starting a school vrell and water storage project. Several latrines have been built as unfunded self-help projects in Cu Chi and Due Hoadistricts. Large quantities of cement and - 36 - roofing have gone to re.pair wind age, and VC damage at schools in Cu Chi, Tan Phu Trung (2), Mui Lon, Cay Trong, Bac Ha, So­ Do, Due Lap, Giong Giang, Tan My, Hiep Hoa, and Trung Lap as well as building bicycle sheds at Cu Chi and Phuoc Hiep and a drug room at Cu Chi. In summary, edu~ation has been a strong program in Hau Nghia, The population tends to resent VC clo­ sure of schools or interference with construction of new faci• lities am, except where it vlas thought GVN troops or officials were inside, and except for a bit of propagandizing of teachers, the VC have let the elementary schools operate normally even in areas '\'lhere there is no other vestige of GVN presence. c) Chieu Hoi Service

Organization at Provincial I~vel:

Provincial Chieu Hoi Committee

Chairman Province Chief Member Chief, Youth Service It 11 National Police " s - 2 " s - 5 Member Representative of Quy Chanh " Chief, Provincial Council General Secretary Chief, Chieu Hoi Service

Service Headguarters:

Chief 4 cadres Chieu Hoi Center: 1 cadre Armed Propaganda Platoon:

1 Platoon :Leader 1 Assistant Platoon Leader 2 Squad Leaders 2 Assistant Squad Leaders 25 Chieu Hoi

The Service has performed fairly "\~'Tell, considering the unfa­ vorable physical and psychological environment in which it has had to work - including lack of security for returnees after leaving the center, lack of reception facilities even while there, and the VC generally winning,to discourage defection in the first place. There were 95 returnees last year; this year, through Nov 22 there had been 170 and 30 weapons brought in. Tb encourage defection,

- 37 - emphasis is placed on exploitation of Chieu Hoi for face-to­ face contact with and letter-writing to friends and relatives of VC and VC themselves those in Hau Nghia are not too diffi­ cult either to find or to communicate with; virtually every rural family is a potential link.

The armed Chieu Hoi propaganda platoon has been notably successful in relation to its size and environment. Broken up into small groups operating at district level (alone and in conjunction with RF, PF and regulars), members have proved a valuable source of intelligence, advice and aggressive exam­ ple, and kill far more VC per man on offensive operations than do reeular military units;

Chieu Hoi Service (continuation): The current kill ratio is better than 20 to 1.

A Chieu Hoi center was built last year, but turned over to the Educati on Service ostensibly because its site was too close to the edge of tmv.n and thus subject to VC small arms harrasment and possible attack. Presently there is no center, and the returnees are using a borrowed building for both sleeping and studying. It is hoped tha.t a new center will be started next year, by hook or crook. USOM,,besides funding the program, has provided numerous food rations to returnees and armed Propaganda Platoon members, plus transportation, plus building materials for a self help kitchen. d) Agricultural S~rvice:

The A0ricultural Service, which begun operating in July 1964, is relati vely strong and effective. Its main difficulties apper.tr to be 1) convincing Saigon that help given to the people of Hau Nghia is not automatically help given to the VC:

.2 ) Keeping trained technicians from being drafted; and 3) lack of transportation facilit ies-rather than serious program defici­ encies. The one relativel y weak area is the Fish Service, which is new and barel y getting underl'fay in its 1-Tork.

The seed program is very active. Some 500,000 improved potato and Sh'eet potato cuttine; s and 200,000 sugar cane cuttings have been distributed, along with 11 tons of peanut s and 9000 fruit trees. Plant protection and extension programs are also functioning fairly well. Ao6tit 300 tons of free (USOM-contributed} fertilizer nas been handed out and 253 tons of subsidized fertilizer sold.

USOM also has supplied 12 pumps (lent to farmers), tools of various kirrls., cement for housing for the Chinese technici­ ans who 2.re to r1ork out of the Cu Chi Pilot District ,headquar­ ters and transportation for the various commodities mentioned above. - 38 - A U.S. agricultural advisor 1vould be useful, not because of the need to get the service on its feet, but because he would have something to work with and could count on making progress. e) Animal HusbandrY:

This is probably the strongest and most professional of the provincial technical services. Its cadre and extension training and innoculation progr:uns r1re all well established and relatively effective. USOM 1 s main focus in this field has been the pig-corn prograrn, which i n 196h involved 100 fanilies and this year double that number. (Last year, 100 pens '\vere cons­ tructed, usinc; 800 bags of cement, and 300 pigs wef'e distributed.. In 1965 to date 1600 bags of cement have been harried out and the pens built but only 135 anima.ls distributed. The holdup on pigs has been caused by the i:1J11.'3.l gama.tion of MACO, Tay Ninh and Hau­ Nghia, preventing loans for pig purchase but t his p!'oblem is eJqJected to be resolved shortly. b) Public He alth:

As in other provinces, t he GVN adrninistra.tive structure is divided into two parts - Provincial and Rural Health. The latter receives USOM empbasis. Most of USOH 1 s logistical and professional advisory relationships at present l ie directly het1.,een the 'Ministry of Health and USOM, Saigon. However, USOM Han Nghia has provided cement and roofing for ne1-r village mc.d .er­ nity/dispensaries at A.n Hoa (Trang Bang District), Phuoc Hiep (Cu Chi District), a.nd Hiep Hoa (Due Hue District). It has also constructed and is constructinc;, under the self-help program, a nu.rnber of srllc.'lll hamlet dispensaries <.1nd maternities, and has :)rovided salvage beds and mattresses for v<:trious facilities. Finally, it has provided or organiz,ed transportation for drugs, equipment, and injured personnel upon seve't'a.l occasions.

The foll.oNing i s a presentation of rural health facilities and personnel in Hau Nghia as of Novemb~r 30, 1965:

(T) - Hamlet Aid Stations

(A) Due Hoa District:

(1) Binh Huu-Lang Voi Privately owned, with one He~lth Worker. (~) Ap Binh Tien II ditto - (3) Binh Thuy ditto - (4) Ny Hanh Privately mmed; Health \~orker drafted. (5) Due lap Government 01-med, Health Worker drafted

(B) Due Hue Distri~t:

- 39 - (I) Hamlet Aid Stations

(A) Due Hoa District:

(1) Binh Huu-Lang Voi- Privately owned, with one Health \'lorker. (2) Ap Binh Tien II - ditto - ( 3) Binh Thuy ditto - (4) My Hanh - Privately owned, Health ~lorker drafted. (5) Due Iap - Government owned, Health Worker drafted

(B) Due Hoa District:

( 1) Van Hiep - Privately owned, with 1 Health Worker (2) Tan Hoa - Government owned, 1 Health Worker; is planned to be District Dispensary (3) Hang Duong - Privately owned, Health \'iorker has just resi.:;ned. (4) Rach Chanh - Privately owned, Resighed Health Horker has not been replaced yet.

(C) Trang Bang District: ( 1 ) An Hoa - Gov 1t owned with 1 Health Worker (2) An Tinh - Privately owned with 1 Health \'lorker (3) Suoi Sau " II It tl It II (4) Gia I.oc - Govermnent It II II It It (5) Gia Huynh - Privately II It " II It (6) LocDu II It 5! II " n (D) Cu 6hi District:

( 1 ) Tan Phu Trung - Privately owned with 1 Health Worker (2) Bac Ha II It II If II II (3) Hui Lon It II II II II (4) Phuoc Vinh Ninh - Goverrunent owned, Health Worker Killed by VC on 16, no Replacement yet. The follovling additional Hamlet Aid Station are planned to be built and/or operated if security is improved:

(1) Due Hoa - Due Hanh A & B (stations exist) (2) Cu Chi - Thai My, Phuoc An (3) Due Hue - Tan My (has neither station nor Health Worker) (II) Village Facilities:

There are three newly-built (1965) village maternity­ dispensaries located at Phuoc Hiep, An Hoa, and Hiep Hoa. Of these, only the latter qualified is operating full-tLme and has both midwife and qualified health worker At An Hoa,a local - 40 - hamlet health worker uses the facility to dispense drugs. The Phuoc Hiep dispensary is still inoperative. The amount of 30,000$VN released to Hau Nghia for purchase of furnitive has not been spent because no contractor will agree to furnish the specified items for 10,000$VN per maternity dispensary. In addition to the new facilities mentioned above, there is a village ~evel maternity at Tan Phu Trung, with a midwife and a janitor.

(III) District Facilities:

(A) Due Hdla District:

(1) Thirteen bed maternity - 2 Ml.d-vrifes (2) Seven bed Dispensary 4 Meidcs & 3 Janitors

(B) Due Hue District:

(1) No facility 1 fvledic

(C) Trang Bane District:

(1) 1 Health Exam. I-Iouse - 3 Public ffealth Assistants (2) 1 Six bed-Naternity 1 National Midwife, 1 Rural Midwife & 1 Janitor.

(D) Cu Chi District:

( 1 ) Health Exam. House + Maternity 1 male nurse 1 female asst. Nurse 1 mid\vife. 1 asst. Hidwife 1 II II for hamlets 2 janitors

(E) Khiem Cuong: (1) No dispensary. In the office there is one Health Technician and one Health District Cadre. A leanto is used for treatment.

There is no provincial hospital and there are no civilian doctors in Hau Nghia. Each District has one ambulance, and Khiem Cuonc t 1i'fo. Refugee Relief:

This fu..r1ction in Hau Nghia, as elsewhere, is a divided one, with temporary (usualJy 30-day) relief a responsibility of the Social Welfare Team and the payment of relocation allowances and provision of a 6-month rice supplement falling to the ttural Reconstruction (New Life Hamlet) office.

The first activity has been spotty. There is as yet no officia~efu f. ee processinb center ortemporary housing at any - 41 - district town or at Khiem Cuong. The normal pattern is for new refugees to live in boats or with relatives or as squatters in fragile lean-tos until the district can provide them with sites to relocate and some material assistance in building houses.

The probable situation as to payment of per diem is (as of early November) roughly as follows:

DISTRICT NO .. OF FAMILIES NO. OF PERSONS* AMOUNT

Due Hoa 345 1543 l08,0lO$VN Due Hue 79 540 37,800 1 Cu Chi 30 15 )J 10,850 Trang Bang 163 773 51 2110 TOTAL bi7 3011 207,770$VN

Note: The above-mentioned persons have received o~ 70$VN each to date; they are entitled to 210$VN (7$VN x 30 days) if not yet able to return home.

II. Number having been approved to receive per diem payments but not having been paid yet:

DISTR~ CT NO. OF FAMILIES NO. OF PERS ONS~:~:-

Cu Chi 45 243 The former Social Welfare Chief recently resigned and is under investigation for padding of recipient lists. It is hoped that his successor will be more successful in getting full payments out to people on a timely basis. Resettlement, ironically, has proceeded more smoothly than initial processing and payment of per diem. This is especially true in Trang­ Bang District .. Out of an estimated 7500-8000 1965 refugees in Hau Nghia, about 5500 had received their 3500$VN allowances as of late November. A district-bydistrict break-out is given below:

DISTRICT NO. OF FAMILIES NO. OF PERS)NS~~ AHOUNT Due Hoa 445 2403 1,557,500$VN Due Hue 321 1733 1,123,500 Cu Chi 99 535 364,500 Trang Bang 152 821 53~00 TOTAL 1017 "%92 3,577,505$VN

About 400 individual family housing units have been

~~ Estimate based on assumpti

~:- Estimate based on average of 5.4 persons per family.

- 42 - constructed by relocatees in sites organized by the various district chiefs. USOM has contributed an average of 5 bags of cement per family and in some cases roofing, as well.

Present organized resettlement areas are as follows:

DISTRICT HAJI1LET NO. OF UNITS

Due Hoa Cau Ca 200 Trang Bang LocDu 99 An Quoi, An Phu 36 Due Hue Van Hiep

The Trang Bang sites are particularly well-organized, clean, and well-kept.

At Cau Ca, a new settlement , there is a t,~ro-room school for retugee chidren, built with USOH assistance. Wells are being dug cmd a drainage system has just been completed.

Refugee Relief: (continuation)

Except for a fm-.r families in Cu Chi District) nearly all Hau Nghia. refugees are from within the province, though inten­ sified military activity in neighboring Binh Duong and defo­ liation in lon,g An may change this.

There are many problems faci ng the local refugee relief effort. No GVN rice has clS yet been distributed. Ivfany persons, especially those relocated in 1963 a1n 1964, have never been pA.id anythin,s . In both Trane; Bang and Due Hoa district refugees hc>.ve been resettled on land vrhich neither they nor the GVN o'l-m and which cannot possibly gro~·.rn en.ough of anything to paovide full s11pport, Except possibly in Tran~ Bang.. 'rhere are not eno­ uc;h full-time jobs available to allow t hem to sustain themsel­ ves on a lone-term basis in non-agricultural pursuits •. At Due­ Boa, the RMK milita!"J housing construction prograrn has provided many persons temporarily with adequate ar.d even lucrative emp­ loyment, but the district is finished unless something can be found to take i ts place. Here and elsewhere, many relocatees before long will have no economic cho ice but to work their old land from a distance ( \-rhere the distance is not prohibitive)

Refugee Relief: (continuation)

Or return there to live. In parts of Cu Chi and probably other locations as well, some relocatees still go back and. forth to plant and harvest rice, and/or divide the family, \-.rith at least one member staying behind to make sure no one takes over the old holdings. This sort of thing presents major resou­ ree control problems, but such cannot he avoided until a lone;er­ range solution or series of solutions to the refugee problem is adopted.

- 43 - Most refugees simply have no marketable skills and as yet there is no training program to provide such skills. Yet they lack political organization, weapons, motivational trai­ ning and security umbrella to return home with any prospect of remaining under GVN control. Most are subsisting on savings, help from relatives, part-time work, sale of possessions, and USOI-1 and Catholic Relief bulgur and cooking oil. This situa­ tion is not a stable one, and something probably will have to give before long. Only in Trang Bang do the refugees appear to be becoming integrated into both the socisty and the economy in a half-way viable fashion.

Self-Help:

Self - help has been a difficult program area in Hau Nghia, owing to the newness of the province, weakness in or total lack of local a_9ministrative structures apathy on the part of the population, and lack of security. In 1964, only one project was completed out of 127 programmed (another seven from the 1964 program 1-vere carried out in 1965). Hovrever, i rn.provement has been ree;istered in recent months. As of Hoverrtber, .30, 1965 ten projects had been completed and thrrteen more had either been started or were scheduled to get undervray vrithin a ·Heek. The year ani cut-off. Lack of security probably will prevent 5 - 7 from being realized.

A list of planned 1965 projects follows: lDCll.TJON TYPE OF PROJF&'£ STATUS OF PROJECT Due Hue District:

Van Hiep Hamlet Reading room Completed Tan Hoa Reading room Completed Nha Hoi School repair 8: furniture Completed Hang Duong II If II Completed

Self- Help (continuation~

LOCATION TYPE OF PROJECT STATUS OF PROJEC~

Due Hoa District:

Binh Thuy-Tran Lac Dispensary (combined for Under construc- 2 hamlets) tion Binh Tien I well Not started yet Lang Voi Reading room Completed Binh Huu Reading room Completed Binh Thi ~~ternity Completed Binh Ta I Reading room Completed Cau Ca Classroom Completed

Bao Trai (Khiem Cuong); - 44 - Bao Trai "An Drying slabs for grain Will start soon Bao Trai "B 11 Reading Room II It II Ap Cho & Due Chanh 1·1aket ( combined for Not yet Started 2/hamlets)

Trang Bang District:

An Hoi I Classroom Under Construction An Hoi II Hog raising project Not yet Started Ap Chanh Reading room Under Construction Loc An Reading room t;ompleted Loc Thanh Reading room Under Construction -Gia Huynh Reading room Completed Loc Du Classroom Under Construction An Duoc Reading room Not yet Started

Self-Help ( Continuation)

LOC .fi..TI ON TYPE OF PROJECT STATUS OF PROJECT

Cu Chi District:

Tan Bac Reading room Not yet started Ap M:oi I Reading room n n 11 Ap Hoi II Reading room 11 n n Ap Dong-A.p Tay Bus Station (combined) Under Construction Mui Lon Health aid Station (repai~ Not yet Started Ba.u Tre Reading room n " " Xom Hue Health aid Station " If II Tan Thong Haternity " II II Vinh Cu lvfaternity II It II Son Loc School repair It " " Much remains to be done in the field of self-help. Too many projects - perhaps t he majority - appe3.r to reflect the arbitrary vdshes of hamlet, village or district officials more than those of the populations concerned. Nevertheless, experi­ ence has been gained, and the administrative and funding me­ chanisms are finally working after a fashion. It is believed that personnel will be a vailable next year to democratize and exploit the potential of the program in accordance with its original design. :Many non-prot:ramed Hau Nghia projects would quali~y as"un­ funded selfhel p using criteria adopted by several othet nearby provinces; For 1965 a patial sw1wary, not counting village offices, PE quarters, ~nd military construction would include the follo- \'Ting: BAO THAI AREA: ·r of 4 damaged pagodas and shrines; construction of Re pa1. t Kh · Cuong elementary janitorial housing and storage room a 1.em - h5 - school; construction of latrine for Khiem Cuong school; repair of Due Lap Village offices; repair of jail and construction of visiting room, repair of Giong Giang, So Do and Due Lap schools; construction of public la trine, Bao Trai; conversion of confe­ rence room into surgical suite, Bao Trai.

CU CHI DISTRICT:

Repair of 5 fire-damaged houses at Bao Tre; repair of Hui­ Lon shrine; repair of VC bomb & mortar damages to victim's houses at Cu Chi; construction of bicycle shed and drut:; room 8.t Cu Chi school; repair of fire-damaged houses at Phuoc Hiep; repair of school & building of latrines at Tan Phong; repair of school floor, Cu Chi; repair of school Trung Lap; extension of chicken-raising pen at Bac Ha; road repair at Bac Ha.

DUC HOA DISTRICT:

Rpair of Buddbist school; prov1.s1.on of cement floor for 40 refugee houses; reconstruction of lighting system.

DUO HUE DISTRICT:

Repair of Tan My school; repair of La Cua school; housinr; for 20 refugee fa~ilies; repair of Hiep Hoa school floor.

TRA NG BANG DISTRICT:

Construction of refueee model homes; co nstruction of r efuge e housing, Loc Giang are a. for 99 f amilies; const ruction of refugee housine An Hoa Village for 36 f amilies. In addition, cement and/ or roofing have been issued to needy dependents of deceased PF to build houses.

Hilitary/Pare.mili.ta. ry Sm:roort:

Owing to the exceptional primacy of the mi1itar:r problem in Hau l\T ghia and l ack of facilities and vmrking military lo gisti~ cal systems, conside rable co;mnodity support has been given by USOM to projects that normally vrould receive little or no atten­ tion. Among the various unit s and projects involved have been: Po uular Forces:

Around 100 housing units have been built or rebuilt in four districts using USOM cement and (in some cases) roofing. Popular forces dependents and Motivational Training cadre have continued to receive USOM buleur, cooking oil and milk. 50 bags of cement have been sup:r>lied to start the training center (the VC have haJ­ ted work temporarily).

Regional Forces:

- 46 - A 60-unit housing project for RF/PF a~ police is now starting in Due Hue District.

Engineering Company:

USOM has supplied block-making (CINVARAM) machines arrl cement for the production of blocks used for both military and civilian projects.

Engineering Company (continuation):

Among the former have been co.rrmunications an:::l occasionally anmunition bunkers, and a fev mortar shelters, plus post repair and additional reinforcement in outlying hamlets.

Civic Action: USOH has supplied cement to u.s. and GVN units for cons­ truction of wells at Due Lap, and school and latrine repair at several locations. It orovided site renovc>.tions and acquired tools for the Philippin~ sureical/medica.l teams of the mixed-na­ tion psyFar ba.ttation. (74 surgical cases Nere handled as a result.)

War "Jidovrs:

Cement and roofing are gi wm, as supplies per1nit, to ina­ dequately-housed 1ridows of GVN paramilitary personnel - particu­ lf'l.rJ.y PF - killed in action. There persons also receive USOM food suppJ ements.

Resources control in Hau Nghia presents enormous difficulties ol-ring to present police inability to cover more than a small fra­ ction of the knmm and likely channels of enemy supply. The VC completel~r control the roads at night and their freedom of move­ ment at this time is usually limited only by sporadic friendly military action, most of it artillery fire, and often based on less-than-timely intelligence. The overall security situation does not allow disposition of ordinary police in small numbers be­ yond the limits of the secure towns and the major highways even by day. As it is, police have been hard-hit even in relatively secure areas. Since January 1, 16 have been killed in line of duty and 20 wounded. 5 are missing and presumed dead.

In Hau Nghia, the police tend to be most effective in their combat role, used in conjunction with other sector forces.

Since the departure of Mr. Hanscom there has been very little USOM police advisory effort. Hith the arrival of Hr. v'lells it appeared as if a ne1'f start would be made on resources control, but he 'vas killed in a plane crash. Since that time there has been no advisory effort at all, owing to USOM personnel shortages. A nearly full time resources control/intelligence specialist is about to arrive and is very badly needed.) - 47 - National Police, Hau Nghia

Total police strength in the province is 627, distributed as follows:

Location

PH.OVINCE . . . CAPITAL . CU CHI DUC HOA DUC HUE . TRANG BANG . REf·f.\RKS ' ~08 113 89 40 . 77 .•

I I SPECT~ 1litSOURC~ C'OMBI\T ' ORDER &, REMARKS : PPOUCE : CONTROL . POLICE TRAFFIC .• L...... · ·;u1;l ...i ."il ". ; ~:;··. ; .• t t I .! . . . 100 69 1 15 178 28 137 .• . (radio, motor . . pool, prison, . . . . Clnd 1nisc •

Distribution of 308 Polic~ in t he Prov1· nc1· al Cap1,a · t 1 : (Accordine; to type of job )

- --·- oFrrcg SPECD_t COMBAT ORDEH & . REMARKS P0LICf:'.: ~~~~R~£E fOTICE . TRAFFIC

89 J6 25 120 • 9 29 . . radio,mot.o r . . pool, prison . . and misc •

No. of fixed check points: 12 No. of mob i le check points: 5

Pliblib Works (Roads and Bridges): In ad0ition to its various other functions, the Public Works Service is responsible for t he construction and major repair of several roads under the Rural reconstruction budget. Projected for 1965 Has the laying of la­ terite and stone on Provincial Route #8 fronl Khiem Cuong to Cu Chi and its renovation from t here to t he Dinh Duong border. Significant progress v.ras made earlier in the year on the khie.m Cuong-Cu Chi stretch; from there on, security problems have rm de vmrk impossible. Failure of the contractor to deliver crushed rock has prevented any noteworthy progress on those portions of Route :#9 and Route :#-10 (Hoc Non) i.fy Hanh t o Due Hoa and Due Hoa to Cau Xang ( ChoLon) lying 1·1ithin Hau Nghia and scheduled for reconstruction this

- 48 - year. Much Public Works time and effort are spent clearing VC road blocks and repairing dama ge from mines to both roads and bridges.

The Reconstruction Service has had formal responsibility for a number of funded and unfunded supplementary development and provincial projects to which USOM has contributed construc­ tion mati'3Tials. Among these have been the Cu Chi market, the Hiep Hoa market, cadre housing, enlargement of the provincial admi!li strative headquarters, and building

- 49 - ,JUPPLEIVIENTARY INFORNlATION SHEET FOR PROVINCIAL BROCHURE OF

H.A U NG ~-IIA PROVINCE

1. PROVIr-.TCE CHIEF MP~JOR NGUYEN VAN NHA

Date of assu:i.T1. ption. : 2 :3 Jan. 33

2. IViA CV S.t; CTOH .A DVISOR L T C')L CLA l . '"!_' .. BUCKINGHAIV·.

Date of assu:rllpticm : 1'/ Jan :~;: _:;

3. USAID PR'JVINCE R E PRESENTATIVE F RANK • H. YOUNG D ate of assur.r.:. ption : 1 Feb. Go

4. .ASSISTANT PROVINC ~E: R E P TONY • A. Q.UINTOS Date of assumption : 1 Nov. '3 5