From these pictures you can't even tell the country was at war.
People went on living their daily lives as usual, like the war was a minor interruption,
and maybe it was, for they have known nothing but war for the past 300 years.
We were never allowed in Saigon. It was strictly off limits to visit. The only time I was there I was traveling through.
It was quite the big, busy city. I imagine it was as busy and as crowded as any of the large U.S. cities.
You can really see the crowds along the river front. The buildings couldn't be any closer together, and the walls must be paper thin. You can step from dinghy to dinghy as they sit in the water loading or unloading goods, or being used as someones home. This is as close as we got to getting off in Saigon. We would get off the trucks, walk down the hill, and get into the river boat gracefully furnished by the Navy that would take us on up river to our drop point.
Another small village along the river somewhere west of Saigon. Looks kind of like a tropical paradise, or a nice place to vacation.
Well look-a there. He's waving the American flag. Not all villagers along the river come out for a look. I don't think they see many River Rat boats here.
