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The village that refuses to die

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The village that refuses to die

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  • The village that refuses to die




    This two part film tells the story of Father Augustine Nguyễn Lạc Hóa (c. 1908 – c. 1989), a refugee Chinese Catholic priest in South Vietnam, led a militia called the Sea Swallows that carved out an anticommunist enclave in the Viet Cong's Ca Mau Peninsula stronghold. The "fighting priest" and his "village that refused to die" attracted admiring media stories, and in 1964 he received the Ramon Magsaysay Award in the Public Service category.

    In January 1961, Edward Lansdale visited Father Hoa and Binh Hung. Back in Washington, he was surprised to find that President John F. Kennedy had taken a personal interest in his report on Hoa, and wanted it published in the Saturday Evening Post. It was attributed to "an American officer." The town of Newburyport, Massachusetts adopted Binh Hung as a sister community, and the Post followed up with another story on Father Hoa. Other correspondents who took up the story of the Sea Swallows included Dickey Chapelle and Stan Atkinson, who remembered Father Hoa decades later as the "most unforgettable character" he met in his travels.

    Father Hoa's success inspired others to join his Sea Swallows, including a company of "Nung tribesmen." Declassified documents would reveal that the Nung fighters were actually a contingent of Nationalist soldiers from the Republic of China.

    As the political situation in Saigon deteriorated, Father Hoa saw the battle turning and little chance of winning. Discouraged, he left Binh Hung, and retired to a parish in Taipei.

    As the film begins we see Binh Hung, a village in South Vietnam. At mark 00:15, captured Viet Cong are seen. According to the narration, the local people are winning the battle against the V.C. The hero of the film is Father Nguyen Lac Hoa, a 53 year-old Chinese Catholic priest and guerrilla fighter. This man dedicated his life to defending Vietnam and at the start of the film he’s making a 300 mile trek from the capital city of Saigon. At mark 3:45, we see the resistance and defense of the Binh Hung, with a wall and watch towers manned around the clock placed at every 200 yards and 5 foot wall of mud. Beyond the wall a moat formed by natural swamp in it are impaling sharp stakes, then a barbed wire fence with booby traps around, also there are mines beyond it. At mark 7:30, prisoners are slicing the mud building blocks out of the swamps loading them up into small boats which re later stacked up to hold the foundation together. At mark 9:05, here we have the Binh Hung hospital, more likely a dispensary and not a very good one. No professional medical workers and the supplies are meager and outdated. At 10:03, we see securities of the Binh hung on patrol making sure enemies never infiltrate through the perimeter. At mark 11:55, we have a patrol boat leaving the territory to the south. The enemies in this land are 3: the Viet Cong, hawks which attacks their poultry and racks ravaging their rice fields. The hawks are killed and saved for medicinal purposes. At mark 13:10, they reach the terminus seeing propaganda, they became alert.
    At 15:56, the patrol is 3 miles south of Binh hung entering the Kau dai temple village. They were informed that the priest of the temple had been kidnapped just 2 days ago. Here at 16:00, the people are very afraid and worried of communicating with them risking torture from the Viet Cong. At mark 19:40 back at Binh hung, we see captives in the prisons and within six months they desert communism and joined the father. Even the women captured alongside them are all living together and the men agents. At mark 20:30, we see weapons of war retrieved. We have hidden spikes which are usually camouflage in mud spikes. Also we have wood riffles, stacked propagandas by the communists. Here we have a child ‘Thai’ who had been coerced to fight alongside the communers, living in enemy’s territory. He was captured and he brought his families to live with the father’s men.
    At time 22:38, it’s the Aid-drop day in Binh hung which takes place at least every week dropping supplies. The more delicate supplies like medications come with parachute while the non delicate one like shoes are dropped freely. Father Wang has promised to help the 15,000 people under his care, also the Care USA had also promised to help the father with his mission. Other critical needs are building the arms and medication. As long as the aid drops continues, the people can expand the freedom colony and failure also depends on it. At mark 28:05, we see the villagers holding their morning mass. At time 29:50, they held rites for a soldier who had died of stomach ache which he complained for 3days. Rice, banana, chicken will be buried with him. His casket is been taken outside the outskirt of the village for burial. Then the casket will be covered with mud completely and the burial is complete.


Hội Quán Phi Dũng ©
Diễn Đàn Chiến Hữu & Thân Hữu Không Quân VNCH




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