Vietnam: A Television History; Interview with Nguyen Thi Cao, 1981

Interviewer: Please tell us what happened to you and your family when the Americans came on August 2, 1965 ? Nguyen Thi Cao: Is that the full question? Interviewer: Yes, that is the full question. Nguyen Thi Cao: When the Americans came in 1965 they rounded up the villagers and took the elderly women and the young women over to Cam Ne and raped them. They caught my daughter, raped her and then shot and killed her. It was not until two days later that I could recover her body. She was stripped completely naked and even her watch was missing. It was not until two days later that I could recover her body and buried her. Interviewer: Please tell us with more detail what happened on that day: How the tanks came in, what the Americans did, where you ran to, etc. Nguyen Thi Cao: When the Americans came in, they drove us out into the fields. After I was chased out into the fields, I ran to Hoa Tho . The whole village population was scattered all about, so how should I know what happened to other people after that? They burnt down all the houses, and the villagers were scattered all around. People ran everywhere.

Interviewer: Please tell us how the Americans came in and how you fled. Nguyen Thi Cao: I was chased out of the house into the paddy fields. When I got to the paddy fields, I reaped a few bundles of rice so that I could have something to eat. And then I fled to Hoa Tho. There was nothing left. Interviewer: On August 2 , when the Americans came, how many people were killed and how many were injured? Nguyen Thi Cao: I just can't remember. Hundreds of things happened that day. And then I have become quite forgetful. So many people were killed and injured and so how can I remember the exact figure?

Interviewer: Were there many people killed? Nguyen Thi Cao: There were so many people killed so there is no way I can remember them all. They rounded up so many people to that banyan tree and they arrested so many people in many other places, so there is no way I can remember. Interviewer: When did the Americans tell you to leave the house? When did you lose contact with your daughter? When was the last time you saw your daughter alive? Nguyen Thi Cao: They chased us all out of our houses to the open fields first. Then they captured us and rounded some of the people to the banyan tree. Those women whom they wanted to rape they detained at the foot of the banyan tree. The rest of the people were chased to other places.

Interviewer: Then it was not until two days later that you were able to recover your daughter's body. Nguyen Thi Cao: Yes. It was not until two days later that I came back and recovered her body and buried it.