Vietnam: A Television History; Interview with Ngo Minh Khoi, 1981

Interviewer: Please tell us your name and when you entered the army. Ngo Minh Khoi: My name is Ngo Minh Khoi. I entered the army in 1964, in July. Ah... in the year... ah... Before I lost my country I was a second lieutenant of the paratroop forces. Interviewer: Please tell us where your unit stationed. Ngo Minh Khoi: I want to know whether this was my first or my last unit. Interviewer: The unit you were in in 1968 or so. Ngo Minh Khoi: In 1968 my unit was stationed in Sa Dec . Interviewer: Please tell us about the Tet Offensive of 1968. What were you doing then? Ngo Minh Khoi: In 1968 I participated in the fight against the Communists in the sensitive area of Tan Son Nhut. In that year, it must be said that it was an unbelievable surprise. But, in reality, the groups of Communists which used the human wave tactic to surge into Tan Son Nhut were all met with defeat. And they lost that battle. It can be said that dead bodies were numberless. And we also captured a significant amount of weapons as well as a number of prisoners of war. Interviewer: Can you describe with more detail the fighting in Tan Son Nhut ?

Ngo Minh Khoi: Now, to describe the battle. When they flooded the parameters of the airfield... This was because there were four parameters in all. The first, the second, the third and the fourth parameters all had mine fields. When the Communists charged in, they ran into the mines. And the majority of them clearly was killed by the mines. And the rest was killed by the firing of the unit which was defending the sensitive area of Tan Son Nhut . Interviewer: Did your paratroop unit participate in the operation into Cambodia? Ngo Minh Khoi: Yes, the paratroopers did. But I was not a paratrooper at the time. At that time I was with the reconnaissance outfit. I participated in the operation into Cambodia in 1971. First of all, I went to Svay Ven. No, I went first of all to Svay Rieng , Kampong Cham , Kampong Trach , Svay Ven. During this battle it should be said that the losses on both sides were equally large. But the Communists were nearly paralyzed during this period. This was because their logistic support had been disrupted. Not disrupted, paralyzed. And their weapons was well as their reinforcements were all captured by us. Interviewer: Do you have an estimate as to how many North Vietnamese Communist units you had to encounter when you crossed the border into Kampuchea ?

Ngo Minh Khoi: As a sergeant of the paratroop unit at that time... As a sergeant at that time, it is impossible for me to give you a higher estimate. But in the battle in which I was in, it can be said that in the Chuc front, the Chuc rubber plantation front alone there were three North Vietnamese Communist divisions. Interviewer: What did you manage to capture? Ngo Minh Khoi: In term of weapons, including large guns such as 75mm and 57mm artillery... Interviewer: Please describe to us the war materiel which you managed to capture. Ngo Minh Khoi: In unit alone, besides an amount of rice which was large enough to feed a regiment of soldiers, we captured a large number of weapons. Among them there 75mm and 57mm artillery pieces or... ah... 61mm and 82mm cannons. In addition, there were countless AK 47s, CKC pistols, and Chinese red butt rifles. These are a few examples. Interviewer: Were you surprised by the captured materials. Did you think they were too much or too little?

Ngo Minh Khoi: When I got involved in the operation, I did not think that there were so many weapons. But after we capture them, it can be said that they were enough to equip a whole division. Interviewer: With regard to the captured weapons and the casualties, do you think that that operation was a success? Ngo Minh Khoi: As I said a while ago, it was a successful operation because it made the Viet Cong paralyzed during that period. And because the weapons were captured, this forced them to send in reinforcements and supplies. It must be said that supplies which came to Cambodia came by the sea routes and they only trickled in. But each time they lost enough weapons to equip a whole division. Therefore it must have caused them a lot of problems. Interviewer: What did you yourself think when the American troops withdrew from Vietnam? Ngo Minh Khoi: When the American troops withdrew from Vietnam I thought that we could become self-reliant, we could fight on our own if the Americans continued to give us aid. They could pull out all the troops, but they had to supply us with weapons. But the tragic thing was that the year the American troops withdrew from Vietnam was also the year when American military aid only trickled in. In combat you cannot succeed if you have to call in every single artillery shell to provide support for you. Ngo Minh Khoi: Meanwhile, the Viet Cong got their supplies from Communist China and Russia and these amounted up to 100 times the amount of aid we received. Therefore, how could we have defeated them? For this reason, the withdrawal of American troops was a mistake. Interviewer: The second question is what you thought of the administration of President Nguyen Van Thieu. Did you support that government, did you trust or distrust that government, did you disagree with it in some way or did you oppose it totally?

Ngo Minh Khoi: I was a soldier. I don't dare to say that I lost confidence in that government. But later on I must say that I really hated President Thieu because... Interviewer: What did you personally think of the government of President Nguyen Van Thieu ? Did you support it completely, did you oppose it or did you feel that you were not satisfied with it? Ngo Minh Khoi: I must be brief in saying that I was dissatisfied with it. Interviewer: In which way? Ngo Minh Khoi: In my own opinion, it was because Mr. Thieu and his clique were so corrupt that we are here in the United States today and that a large number of Vietnamese are now in the re education camps. Interviewer: You attribute this to the mistakes committed by President Nguyen Van Thieu ?

Ngo Minh Khoi: The mistake has to be made by the top leader, and then only from there downward. What else? Interviewer: Please tell us what your feelings were when you heard that the Paris Agreement was signed? Did you feel secured with that Agreement? Ngo Minh Khoi: In 1975 , when the Paris Agreement was signed, we were conducting a military operation in My Chanh and Quang Tri. Eh... The soldiers all felt very happy because they thought that peace had come. But it must be said that it was only a surrender document which led to the collapse later on. Ngo Minh Khoi: This was because the Paris Agreement was signed by the big guys in the United States such as Kissinger and... ah... As for the Vietnam side, I don't know which leader signed. But the feeling of the soldiers was one of happiness. But the reality was that after the agreement had been signed, we died in larger numbers. Interviewer: What was the reason for this?

Ngo Minh Khoi: The reason was that the Viet Cong encroached on our territory and controlled the population. They sneaked in at night. Now, when the agreement was already signed, both sides had to respect it. But they sneaked in at night and put up their flags, saying that certain areas belonged to them. It was a matter of course that since they put their flags on our territory we had to beat them up. Hence the war continued unabated as if no agreement had been signed. Interviewer: Please tell us whether the positions of the armies of both sides were near each other when the Agreement was signed. Ngo Minh Khoi: This was... Interviewer: This was what they called the leopard spots. Therefore, what were your feelings? And please describe a few incidents after the agreement was terminated? Ngo Minh Khoi: A few examples such as... There were dangers and there were joyful things as well. The danger was a case involving a marine unit. The Viet Cong came over and told us that peace had now come and that we should go and drink with them. No. First of all, it was our side which asked them to come for a drink. They responded by taking over a few soldiers to drink with us. This was because we already respected the agreement. They finished drinking and left unharmed. Ngo Minh Khoi: But then they came back in a company and said that it was their turn to treat us. But after we finished drinking and became kind of tipsy, they took out their bayonets and killed everybody. This was the danger. The joyful things were, for example, the Communist proposed to build a Friendship Tent half way between their position and my hilltop. And so we came down there to talk with them. They said that on President Ho ’s side there was happiness and joy and freedom. And so we asked them if there were happiness and freedom then how come they had to march, all the way South to fight. Interviewer: In your opinion that agreement that agreement was going to lead to the end of the war or not?

Ngo Minh Khoi: At first, everybody thought that the war would end. But rather than stopping, it was continuing. Interviewer: After the Paris Agreement was terminated (signed?) there was a political incident in the United States. This was the resignation of President Nixon. When you heard this, did it affect your morale in any way? Ngo Minh Khoi: This Watergate incident happened because there was too much freedom in the United States and so... But I really did not have any opinion about this. The fact that Mr. Nixon resigned did not have any connection with me at all. It did not have any impact on my thinking. Interviewer: Before 1975 did you participate in any other battle? Ngo Minh Khoi: In 1972 we crossed My Chanh in order to recapture Quang Tri. It must be said that at that time in My Chanh the Communist antiaircraft guns were firing like rain, like they were weaving hammocks. The rates of casualties on both sides were extremely heavy. It seemed like an illogical massacre between Vietnamese boys from the North and from the South. This was no battle. It was only a bloodbath created by those who were planning things in their offices and who were pointing at maps.

Interviewer: In 1975 , when Phuoc Long had fallen, Ban Me Thuot had fallen and Hue had fallen, did you think that this was the beginning of the collapse of South Vietnam or did you think that this was only another battle? Ngo Minh Khoi: When Phuoc Long fell we did not think that the South would collapse. This was because when Phuoc Long fell... Interviewer: In 1975 Phuoc Long fell. After that, Ban Me Thuot fell. And then there was a retreat from Hue. Did you think that this was the beginning of the collapse of all of South Vietnam? Ngo Minh Khoi: Almost all of us soldiers never thought that that was the case because An Loc was the most frightening battle in my career as a soldier and yet we were able to recapture it. But Binh Long and Phuoc Long were much smaller and so there was no reason why we should not have been able to recapture them. Ngo Minh Khoi: To the contrary, we were all very eager to come in there to recapture them. But we continually received orders to retreat, to make a strategic withdrawal from Long Khanh , Phuoc Tuy to Vung Tau. This was the day when we realized that we were going to lose our country.

Interviewer: And were you in Saigon at this time? Ngo Minh Khoi: The day in which the nation fell we were involved in the operation to lift the siege on Long Khanh and Binh Tuy. And finally, the final battle was at the Cay Mai bridge and the Cay Khe bridge in Vung Tau . Interviewer: Please give us the detail of your last battle.

Ngo Minh Khoi: During the last battle, we did not have any personal weapons anymore. At that time 130mm rockets and 122mm rockets were pouring down on us. Hence, this was really not a battle. The reason was that there was only artillery. And so we just continued to retreat and to make our tactical withdrawal. Interviewer: This is a personal question. Please tell us about the living conditions of your family. Did you go home to visit often? What was your family living conditions like, and your salary level? Ngo Minh Khoi: As far as home visits were concerned, they could not be often because as soldiers each of us had seven days leave if there were no battle at the time. But then the country was on a war footing and so to be able to get a leave was even more difficult then to dig for gold. Therefore, to the question as to whether I could go home to see my family frequently or not, I have to say no. Interviewer: Please tell us about the living conditions of your family in other respects.

Ngo Minh Khoi: Just as hundreds and thousands of other soldier families, we had to live on my salary. 48,000 Vietnamese dongs to pay for my wife's expenses at home and for by officer club's charges. Hence not much was left. During the eleven years in the army, my hands were empty...