Hoang Lan Chi-now living in US

Years 1954-1960

At that time, I was very young, floating on the last train to the South with my parents, not knowing anything. The trip was smooth, nothing worth mentioning.

I think the French are also decent.

The French on the ship were kind

They provide good food and drink. Oh, I understand why they have to spend everything to send migrants to the South? If they just let it go, would it be easy for the Northerners to come to the South?

First we landed at Vung Tau port, then the car took us to Saigon. We stayed temporarily at the theater that was later converted into the National Assembly building. A few days later, we had to disperse. The government subsidizes each person how much, I don’t remember because it’s too small.

Then the first place I stayed was Cay Queo, Ngo Tung Chau street. My family was the first Northerners to come here. Later, when I read the story, I learned that the North’s son was often “hugged” by the South’s son and teased him, “The North eats tree perch”. But my family is lucky, in the small hamlet, the Southern people are very kind. They treated us kindly. Sometimes I absent-mindedly think: maybe it’s because my family is a teacher, the spirit of respecting teachers is deeply ingrained in the Vietnamese people’s blood. They were very respectful and polite to my parents. One word to call my father is, teacher, two words to call also teacher.

The road to elementary school is lovely. In those days, we walked a lot and rode motorbikes like we do now. Walking to school is fun, jumping around, picking flowers and catching butterflies. Oh, why were there so many flowers and butterflies in Saigon that day?

On both sides of the road are hedges of beautiful red hibiscus flowers. Looking inside, every house has a garden, lush plants, and butterflies flying around.

The butterflies are of all colors, but yellow butterflies are the most numerous. If viewed on their own, yellow butterflies are not beautiful, but when flying among the green leaves, the yellow butterflies are so graceful, they seem to adorn a flower painting – I like to watch butterflies fly, I like to watch flowers bloom.

 

The school is moderately large, with well-lit classrooms. Every Monday morning we salute the flag. Stand at attention and sing the national anthem. “Hey citizens, stand up and answer the mountains and rivers…”.

Well, young people are always taught to respond to mountains and rivers-country.

We learned the first educational civics lessons and had them forever ingrained in our subconscious.

Enough to know how to say “chili” when they are still young is correct. The innocent age considers the words of teachers as golden rules: Do not destroy public property, do not litter on the street, must give up your seat to the elderly or pregnant women on the bus, must guide babies or elderly people across the street, must take off their hats when the funeral hearse passes by.

Then the memorized lessons are very simple and easy to remember; “A father’s merit is like a Thai Son mountain, a mother’s merit is like water from river flowing out, etc.”

On mornings when the pink sesame was shining brightly, shining on the mountains, rivers, villages, fields, and countryside, we sat quietly and listened to the teacher’s lecture during the national history class. The late hour dew finally struck, the young birds happily invited each other home, ninety days of dancing in the countryside.

That’s how we were taught and that’s how we did it.

Oh my Saigon.

Now I walk in the middle of the street and feel extremely lost when I’m the only one taking off my hat to greet the dead or standing on the sidelines when an ambulance passes by. Life at that time was so peaceful. There were no major robberies, and petty theft was not terrible. I remember drying clothes in front of the house was very safe, I didn’t have to watch over them.

I still remember that in many places the fields in the South did not have clear borders. I still remember that the Lai Thieu fruit trees did not have a fence. Village love is everything. It’s an insult to divide paths and fences. Country people know where their land is and their garden is. When you enter Lai Thieu, you can eat freely, only when you take it home do you have to pay. Oh how hospitable people were and how beautiful and peaceful life was back then!

Is it a small part of heaven and earth?

I remember a lot about the first national day in 1956. What a festival. Fireworks were jubilant and people went out into the streets with joy and cheers. No fighting, no jostling. Saigon at that time was spacious, Saigon at that time was not crowded and crumped.

In those days, Northern and Chinese women went to the market and still wore ao dai. The old habits still prevail. When going out, you have to be polite. When celebrating, you must wear black pants and ao dai, not white pants, because that would be disrespectful. I still remember a middle-class family being able to hire workers

Most workers are girls from the Central region. It’s true that my hometown is very poor. The dry land and rocky terrain caused many country girls to go to the South to help. At that time, Southerners often used the word “maid” while Northerners called them workers. The maids are often very loyal and polite to their hosts. The host’s sons and daughters are also respected. The landlady often lives in the house as a maid because every house has a large number of children. Initially it was 2, 3 children, then became 5, 6 children.

I still remember my father’s salary for a second-level professor, who teaches from third to first grade, is $5,200, his wife gets $1,200, and each child gets $800 (no limit on the number of children). A pretty good bowl of pho costs $5. Consider that a professor’s salary is 1040 bowls of pho. The maid’s salary is $300 (including meals and accommodation).

The Minister’s salary is 5 times the professor’s salary, and the captain’s salary is equal to the professor’s salary. If a popular bowl of pho costs $7,000 now, a high school teacher’s salary must be $7,000,000.

At that time, we took two exams a year called the first and second six exams yet. The exam questions are set entirely by the teacher (elementary school) or professor in charge.

Back then, there were no problems with professors or teachers taking students home to tutor or sell exam questions. Perhaps simply because the salary is enough to live, they don’t have to sell their conscience.

At the end of first grade, we have to take the elementary school diploma exam. Then take the entrance exam to the seventh public school. Those who fail will go to private school. Of course, you have to study well to get into a prestigious public school like Gia Long and Trung Vuong. Petrus Ky, Chu Van An etc.

My elementary school days were all about running around, playing more than studying, picking flowers and catching butterflies, hopscotch, playing tricks, and playing crosswords.

Exactly 3 months of summer is enough to play freely.

Oh how fun it is to play.

As for my elementary school days, I feel sorry for myself, I studied too much to get achievements for my teachers and school, and I smal girl never knew the 90 days of fun in the countryside.

Years 1960-1967

After passing elementary school, I took the entrance exam to Marie Curie and Gia Long schools. It should have been Trung Vuong exam, but I don’t understand why my father decided that. The first days of school at Gia Long were chaotic. The reason my father intended to let me study at Marie Curie, but at the last minute, he switched to Gia Long.

My luck is again. Ms. Bac Ky-Northen Area girl- is lost among the girls in Cochinchina without being divided or discriminated against.

Like in the past, the people of Saigon took care of my family in Cay Queo, from teachers to friends, no one wondered why I wore a dress. I am a French language student. The school has 7 English classes and 7 French classes. I am in seventh grade 14, the last grade. In my first years of high school, I rode the school bus. So the days of wandering around, the days of chasing butterflies and picking flowers are over, I only have to sit in the caravan and watch the streets through the window.

The school bus picks up female students in the morning and on the way picks up female students from the afternoon class.

While waiting for the car to pick me up, I often tie my ao dai and climb up the caviar tree in front of the house to pick fruit to enjoy and enjoy or bring to class for my friends. When I heard a car horn on the street, I jumped down and ran. My home is far away so I get picked up early and come home late. Now I remember the time when I tied my shirt and climbed a tree and felt happy. Playtime in school also involves tying shirts to hopscotch.

Truong Gia Long is very beautiful, the property is huge, there are 4 roads on 4 sides. At that time, the Government deliberately named streets, naming each region after famous literary and martial artists. Don’t leave it haphazardly. My Gia Long was surrounded by literary luminaries such as Ba Huyen Thanh Quan, Phan Thanh Gian, Doan Thi Diem and Ngo during the Nhiem period.

In the middle of the school is a beautiful paved road that we often jokingly call Bonnard Road. At recess, the female students walked hand in hand on that road, looking so cute.

 

Then my family moved to Van Kiep. In front of the house there is a bamboo bush and opposite is the landowner’s vast garden with straight areca trees. In the 1960s, I heard news about the Liberation Front or something, but I didn’t care… First, I had to study when I was young, second, everything had been put into order by the government at that time and the war was still very far away.

That was the peak time of the First Republic.

In those days there was no television, only radio. The program is quite rich. I like doing math while listening to music. There is also a program to select singers every week, but it must be said that most of them sing poorly, unlike in current competitions where the contestants sing quite well.

Newspapers flourished, anyone with money published newspapers. There is no need to be an agent of a government agency like now. I love reading newspapers, I’m hungry for news. That day there was a newspaper rental. If you sell newspapers at retail or at a newsstand, if you don’t sell them all, you can return them to the editorial office at the end of the day.

That’s why some newsstands have taken the initiative to rent newspapers. Readers only pay about half. Of course, that money goes into the pocket of the newspaper stand owner and the person who suffers is the newspaper owner. It’s like spending 1 to see 2 newspapers. Children’s newspapers are a bit rare. The opposition press is free to operate. Therefore, if there is anything bad about the regime or the government, those newspapers immediately point it out. As for the pro-government newspapers, they call opposition newspapers “promoting”…

There are many books of all kinds. Each publisher has its own unique characteristics.

When talking about La Boi, you immediately know all kinds of books about Zen, Buddhism…

Literary writers are flourishing, of course divided into many categories. There are writers who specialize in writing socio-psychological novels and are admired by housewives and small businessmen like Ms. Tung Long.

There are female writers who write quite boldly, like Nguyen Thi Hoang with her famous story THE ARMY OF A STUDENT. The content of the story is written about the love story of a teacher and her student in a confusing tone (in my humble opinion). There are Northern writers who write stories during the resistance war against the French very well, such as Doan Quoc Sy. At that time, there were many poets such as Dinh Hung, Vu Hoang Chuong, Du Tu Le, Nguyen Sa, Ha Huyen Chi, Hoang Anh Tuan, Muong Man.

Sagon’s poetry at that time was like a hundred flowers blooming and freely composed according to inspiration, without having to write according to any template, so it was very rich. But I like reading adapted or translated books (because I’m not good enough to read the original).

Every summer, I indulge in dozens of stories

Living prices have gone up, but only a little… It’s just my father working and my mother staying home to take care of the children. During elementary school, my mother tutored me in all subjects. In high school, she could not teach science subjects, but French continued until the Baccalaureate because in the past my mother had a Certificate of some kind.

Life was peaceful and peaceful until the year 1961, then it was no more. The road is often covered with bumpy rocks. There are more national and provincial highways. Local troops had to go out every morning to destroy the bumpy rocks. Once completed, people will dare to travel again. There were explosions and the entire bus was destroyed. Then, in the following years, there were explosions in dance halls where American troops often frequented. Of course, civilians are also affected.

I’m still obedient to books and lamps. Never had any boyfriends because my parents forbade me. At that time, Gia Long and Trung Vuong were the two most famous girls’ schools. Every year there is only one exam to select excellent high school students nationwide. Of course, the number of passes falls on 4 big schools.

As for the Hai Ba Trung ceremony, it was held quite grandly and two beauties, Gia Long and Trung Vuong, played the role of two women sitting on elephants in a parade (now in Vietnam we use the word parade?? I don’t understand why parade is used instead of acting). onion.

Exams for each subject are still in charge of the professor of that subject. I find that interesting. Nothing messy happened because at that time there was no problem of parents bribing teachers. It wasn’t until my freshman year that I took the same exam as the whole grade and there was trouble. For example, if Ms. Lan taught us the first philosophy exam of the semester, our class could do it, but the other classes could not…

Many people, after receiving a high school diploma, go to work and can work as secretaries. After Baccalaureate 1, some friends fell away. After Baccalaureate 2, some more dropped. If you are good at studying and have the conditions, you can continue on the university path. University entrance exams are managed by the schools themselves. Exam dates are different. Every school publishes the official and preparatory pass lists. It’s that simple. But perhaps back then, bribery to sell exam questions was not as terrible as it is now

Also due to the salary issue. When the salary is not enough to live, human personality also declines. The streets of Sagon in the 1963s still had mobylettes and cute and funny veo solex bike. The bike is lovely but has a big bulb in the front. Female students often ride this bike. When driving, the back of the ao dai puffs up and looks very happy. But most students still ride bicycles. There are very few motorbikes and so the streets of Sagon are still quite spacious.

In my third year, I stopped taking the bus and instead rode a bicycle.

It’s quite far but why didn’t I see anything back then, unlike now the schoolyard is filled with motorbikes and there are also large displacement vehicles.

When I was in my fourth grade, the Buddhist incident happened. Then the First Republic collapsed. I don’t hate Mr. Diem but I hate Mrs. Nhu, because of her insolent personality. Although Mr. Nhu founded the Can Lao party, he did not force it openly. They also suggested it, but if they didn’t join, that’s it. That’s not the reason why I have a bald forehead. Or in my father’s education industry, people are not blatant!!! I only know that if I study well, I will get a scholarship, without having to divide my background at all.

After 1963, schools had representative boards. That day I didn’t pay much attention to the candidates. But later, older siblings said that good students often preoccupied themselves with studying and rarely participated in the above activities. Therefore, the Communist Party installed people undercover in most representative boards. They are well trained so they speak fluently. As for good students, if they don’t have it, they should practice speaking.

My Saigon, after many days of heated struggle, after protests, and after the self-immolation of Venerable Thich Quang Duc, is calm again. But it’s not like before because of a succession of political mutations. General Nguyen Khanh’s reorganization, then soon the turn of General Thieu and General Ky.

I only know how to study and don’t pay attention to other things. Two consecutive years of taking the Baccalaureate 1 and 2 exams took up all my time. But I remember the Baccalaureate 1 program was cut back because of the war. Also from 1965 American troops poured into the east and caused chaos. American soldiers marry Vietnamese women. Most of them were dancing girls, at that time called ca ve girls or even girls who were originally maids. Me My-cheap girls married to US man- is the name people call these girls. The very name itself speaks of the people’s contempt for those girls. It’s pitiful to think. But it is also the green dollars that American mothers spend so freely that make prices in Saigon soar.

It was called green dollars because at that time the US government printed a separate type of dollar for US troops to use in Vietnam. Our workers married America and changed their lives. The lives of the middle class began to struggle. Any professor who teaches privately would be better.

My family limits all spending because my father does not teach privately and asks my mother to stay home and take care of the children’s education. Who has time to send love letters? Who sometimes wanders around restaurants? As for me, I don’t, I’m stuck studying. Go to school and go home immediately. That day, my sister and I both studied at Gia Long, so no boyfriend dared to come to our house.

I small girl to go to school by bicycle and tilted conical hat. Each cycle of the bike rotates slowly and small. The ao dai that day was worn very discreetly. We are required to wear leaf shirts inside and the supervisors are always careful to warn people who wear shirts that are too tight at the waist and those who brandish high heels. We wear sandals. Very cute.

I don’t like students who are too stylish, have low-waisted shirts or high heels. Which is strange, the majority Girls often study poorly and have boyfriends early. Good girls are the opposite. But there are also special ones.

I still remember that day, my friend Kim Dung, who was very pretty and studied well, was chosen to play Tay Thi in the year-end play…

There was no stilish at all. As for my class, there were only a few girls who were good and of course bad at studying and had boyfriends early.

The year I took the Baccalaureate exam, there were only written exams and no oral exams. But in the past, some subjects required written and oral exams. I passed the Baccalaureate with high marks and was rewarded by the school with the words Gia Long intertwined in 18-point gold. In later years, it was changed to Hoa Mai Vang gold.

That is also Gia Long’s badge.

I love medicine and hate medicine. I like being a doctor to treat children’s diseases, and I told myself I would treat any child with tetanus for free. All because I lost my younger brother to this disease.

What about pharmacy? I don’t understand why I hate it. I said I was studying medicine, I just went out to sell medicine and counted every jingling coin. That’s why later there was a pharmacist Captain pursuing me, I named him Captain Jingle.

But the profession chooses the person, but the person cannot choose the profession. I failed the doctor’s exam, even though I studied well. That year, the medical exam began to have general questions about surrounding social knowledge.

I studied too hard, so when I entered the exam room I was exhausted and collapsed.

 

1967-71

I enrolled in science, SPCN Physics and Chemistry certificate. This place gathers many of the most beautiful people in Science, because students come from class A. As for MGP or MGB certificates, there are fewer girls.

The curriculum is quite heavy. In the morning, practice all 5 subjects, and in the afternoon study theory. I like practicing botany more than other subjects. Cutting through a hibiscus flower or some leaf to see its structure under a microscope is very beautiful.

I don’t like geology internships. All inanimate rock samples.

I also don’t like the physics with the messy wires. Practicing animals is scary but also fun. Cutting open the animal and seeing the body inside is very interesting. Here are the love stories in the university yard, because they have the opportunity to meet their boyfriends, but in the days when Gia Long stopped riding a union car, went to a bicycle and studied too much, he didn’t pay attention to anyone.

In my first year of college, I witnessed the Mau Than Tet. Early in the morning, I heard an explosion and thought it was firecrackers. When I heard the news that Saigon was attacked, I was shocked.

God! Capital !

A few days later, looking towards Go Vap from home, I saw helicopters dropping rockets in bunches… For the first time, the schoolgirl witnessed war with her own eyes, even if it was just a small part. In fact, before that, the bars were mined and exploded, leaving bodies everywhere.

 

That day we wore ao dai to go to school, sometimes a girl wore a dress and no one wore western clothes. So the school yard is filled with colorful dresses. My parents were difficult so I still wore a simple white ao dai and a school bag like Gia Long’s days.

Only colored shirts occasionally. So when I wear a colored shirt, you think it’s strange. On Saturday afternoons, my friend and I often wander the streets of Saigon to eat and see the streets.

At that time, the air was not polluted, so Saigon girls aged 14-20 looked very beautiful. Naturally beautiful with dark eyes and rosy red skin. There is a girl with red cheeks like a Da Lat girl.

I like beautiful people so I often look at Saigon girls on the street. What students like most is wandering around the streets and eating at restaurants. When I go to school, I also like when my teacher gets sick so we can take a day off and then invite each other to go to a bar to chat.

Actually, we girls study hard so we like it, but some boys rarely come to lecture

Those guys only went to practice because they had attendance. Besides, if you don’t go, you won’t know how to practice! As for the theory, I’ll go in a bit from time to time, and at the end of the year I’ll start chanting the sutras. Of course, those guys are not as good as a teacher’s lecture, so these guys followed and begged girls like me to borrow our homework.

Life is expensive, prices keep climbing. The same goes for war. Looking forward and backward, everywhere there are people who join the army and die.

There were five students who protested against the government and tore up our papers to not let us take the exam. Later, when I counted the roll, oh my god, those agitated and destructive students were all undercover people.

I started posting articles in newspapers since my fourth year of high school. I posted them and hid them, not daring to let my family know.

Two years later, I was busy taking the Baccalaureate exam so I stopped.

When I was in my second year of college, I started writing again. At that time, the newspaper with the highest circulation was Chinh Luan. People flock to post ads here a lot. The newspaper has a section called Say Or Don’t. The content is to write about all sorts of issues, but the tendency is to criticize things that are worth criticizing. I took the pen name Quynh Couteau.

I still remember a few student writers in this column: Quynh Couteau of Science, Thao Gan of Dentistry, Thu Hippy of Van Khoa… I wrote love stories for Tieng Vang newspaper. I have a habit of buying reams of colorful pelure paper and writing on them. It’s relatively easy for me to write. Putting pen to paper is writing.

Rarely edit or erase. In order for my articles to be published frequently and continuously, I use many pen names. But I know writer Thanh Nam, the person in charge of that page, knows that my articles are written by the same person, because of the same handwriting, the same way of using pink and yellow pelure paper. Tieng Vang sent royalties of $500/article, Chinh Luan paid more than $800/article.

Later, I jumped over to Chu Tu’s Tsunami newspaper. I remember it seemed like a year later I revealed in a story that the pen names 1,2,3,4 were all just the same person! The thing is.. Readers also admired me and sent letters to the editor asking to get to know me.

Even more fun was when I went to the editorial office to receive royalties and met the daughter of editor Quoc Phong, who at that time replaced writer Thanh Nam in charge of love story page. I don’t know why, just meeting for the first time, from afar, she liked me so much.

The next day, her text message appeared in the newspaper: “PQ, yesterday PQ came but I didn’t dare come out to talk because my eyes hurt, but PQ looks so pretty, your Northern accent is so cute.”

Oh my god, after her message, letters from my favorite readers flooded in.

Of course I still kept it a secret from everyone in the family, otherwise my father would punish me for not studying and worrying about writing stories to publish in the newspaper.

Actually, I still study hard. Writing a short love story is easy for me, it only takes 1 hour and having 500 or 800 to treat friends to dinner is also interesting. Unfortunately, later on, Echo stopped publishing and I turned to writing for Song Than or Dam Luan.

Back then, our students often went to the library to study. The Science Library is small, so if you want a spot you have to go early. It’s only convenient that the library is located right in the school… And the beautiful library belongs to Van Hanh, but I rarely go because it’s far from home. Two nearby libraries are the German Cultural Library and the Vietnamese American Association.

The German Cultural Library is located on Phan Dinh Phung street, small, and has air conditioning. But the worst thing is that there is no parking guards. The bike is kept locked in the yard. The library is upstairs again. And here I have both happy and sad memories, small memories.

The library is small, so only for a while, the students who frequent it all know each other. I still remember one of my oldest students, very eccentric. He has a long and shaggy beard. I heard he is studying law. Met me a few times on the stairs, smiled at each other and got acquaintance with each other.

One time I was studying and had a feeling…I looked over and saw him on the other side drawing a sketch of me. When leaving, he handed it over and said, “Today I thought you were so cute, you took away a lesson from me for drawing you.”

The he said “Maybe you told me to let me know when you get married, what will you be happy about? A quintal of salt, that’s right, makes the love between you and him as rich as salt”.

My friends from Science also come here often. T came because of me, not because of the library because T’s house is very far away.

Many times, T didn’t even study and just randomly drew little sentences or something for me.

Then I lost my motorbike here. That day, I suddenly felt very healthy and wise. I am passionate about learning. The library is gone and I’m the only one left.

When I got down, I didn’t see the Honda.

The brand new Honda that my family had just bought cost $72,000 (a professor’s salary at that time was $23,000). I panicked and went down to the security room and asked very innocently:

– Have you seen my bike anywhere?

Uncle said:

– No, it must have been stolen again.

I turned pale. Uncle told me to report to police.

I walked to the Police station on nearby Mac Dinh Chi street. The Old Policeman felt disgusted. He finished taking notes, then laughed and teased me:

-So do you know who took your bike?

I walked from there to my home in Gia Dinh. Seeing their child coming home without a bike, the parents asked. I cried. Dad scolded me, but my mom didn’t.

I lay upstairs crying all the time. Why are people so evil? Why did you steal my car? It’s locked!

At that time, I was naive and terribly naïve.

T doesn’t see me going to school or going to the German cultural library.

T came to my house. Seeing me, her eyes were swollen from crying, T asked.

Then T said he would go ask for me Lan Chi. T said I knew the gang leader, the bike thief boss in this area.

I rolled my eyes: T, this guy is handsome, smart, good at playing music, and knows the gang boss!!!.

Seeing my eyes widen, T just smiled.

The next day T came back “my friend couldn’t find it because it wasn’t the area he controlled”, they disassembled the car very quickly.

I missed school for a few days, and T came to see me again.

“Lan Chi, Lan Chi, take my PC motorbike and go to school, I still have a mini vespa!”

I blushed. That’s it, he say and does, doesn’t bother anyone.

As for the Vietnamese American Association, the library is big and beautiful.

Mostly I write love stories published here. It’s fun to remember. When I published it in the newspaper, I cut it out and brought it to school for my friends to see. His girlfriend rarely watches it (Mai doesn’t have a literary soul), but T watches it a lot.

Sometimes T was so stubborn that he skipped class and sat in front of the classroom door to read my stories.

Literature is still the same but life is not the same.

There were many ups and downs for the girl who was once called by some people in Science as having the most beautiful eyes in the Chemistry department.

The war situation escalated.

I remember special events:

Chinese traders’ rice speculation and General Ky played well and ordered the execution of Ta Vinh. This general is the type of martial artist who keeps his guts open and speaks like a Texas cowboy.

It is unknown whether Ta Vinh will be executed later or not, but immediately the rice situation was stabilized.

One year I boycotted and did not go to the election when General Thieu was elected alone.

The price escalated further. As mentioned, the American army spent lavishly, the American Me My spent lavishly, only the middle class like teachers were miserable.

 

I still live in an ivory tower, knowing nothing about the times.

If the war makes me think, it’s only for a moment. Studying is fascinating, and on Saturdays and weekends I still wander around Saigon’s streets to eat fast foods.

What students like most is eating out. The money my father gave me every week was very limited, because I was a teacher, so I supplemented my food budget with articles for the newspapers Echo, Live, and Chinh Luan.

Saigon weather today wasn’t like that time. Because I remember going to school and having to wear ao dai all day.

Far away from home, practice in the morning, stay at school in the afternoon, and study theory in the afternoon. Perhaps it is due to the general influence of the weather around the world and also because Saigon is not as crowded as it is now.

Some of Gia Long’s old friends, who left to work after passing the Baccalaureate, one girl went to the bank, her salary was very high, one worked for a French company, her salary was considered about 1 tael of gold a month.

Warrant Officer’s salary is nearly 1 tael.

Soldiers who can buy an Army cheap goods are called service soldiers. Most people buy it and then sell it out to traders. At that time, there was a movement to work for the US department because the salary was very high.

Young people and students protested.

The Police know who is having fun and who is an undercover Communist, but the police are silent.

I have never participated in or gone to a protest. Because I study so hard! But don’t think you can’t hear the sound of cannons in the ivory tower. Still listening!

There are also personal worries. But the goal ahead must be achieved, which is to graduate from university and go to work.

I graduated in 1971.

The body resides in fate, so you can take care of yourself throughout your life.

Parents and relatives did not help, even though they knew many people. I wrote the article three times, telling people with bachelor’s degrees to apply for jobs published in Chinh Luan newspaper. Journalists lie for money. More tragic. The Director of the Aid Department under the General Planning Department wrote a letter inviting me to collaborate. So ended the days of wandering the university grounds.

No more all the days of giggling with T on Khac Khoan street, no more hearing the green tamarind leaves ringing on the trees, nomore all the Saturday afternoons with my best friend eating at Sagon market, nomore all the hours in Mr. Thoi’s lecture hall, hearing the sound of mosquitoes. hum.

I started in life…

Since then, my Saigon…has different features than that of a student time, but is still the Saigon of the two seasons of rain and sun, of Ha Dong silk shirts in the hot summer noon, of the ringing of Lord Xa Loi’s bell, of Notre Dame Cathedral flutters with colorful ao dai on Sunday afternoon.

 

Please give me back the Saigon sunshine,

Wander the silk streets of Ha Dong.

Please give me back the rain that day,

And pay me back for love.

*Hoang Lan Chi-now living in US.

(According to website batkhuat.net)