Before it became a weekend destination for workweek-weary Saigoneers, Phan Thiet was an austere fishing town.
John Hansen, an American veteran, snapped these shots of the sleepy coastal area during a visit in 1965. The pastel-toned photographs reveal a town and economy focused on fishing. Boats make daily pilgrimages to the sea to gather sea creatures, while a fish sauce factory churns out the golden-hued godsend of a sauce. People's intimate relationship with the sea is perhaps best exemplified by the stilt homes with special docks for one to arrive via boat. It's a nice reminder that if humans could fly, we would probably have doors on our roofs.
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I served with the 3/506 ABN of the 101st and that was our base of operations for quite a while. Even ran on a mobil relay on Titty mountain for a while which was close to Phan Thiet. (saddle feature at the top) During Tet 68 it was a very busy area. There was also a MAC V presence in the city. Later on I was with the 1/327 ABN stationed at Phu Bai.
ReplyDeleteThanks and were you at Phu Bai during Tet'68?
DeleteNo. I was still in Phan Thiet although we spent very little time at the rear base in Phan Thiet. Usually out in the field or running operations in many of the towns around there. And to the mad Italian there was a nice Sea Bee base just behind the 1/327 rear base at Phu Bai. They had an outdoor movie theatre that I made it to one time. That was the highlight of entertainment in Phu Bai if you ever got to the rear area.
DeleteThanks.
DeleteFWIW - my Dad was in Phu Bai 71-72. Go Sea Bees!!
ReplyDeleteHow is he?
DeleteDoing fine thanks, but stuck in Marxist California, and I was mistaken it was 69 to 70.
DeleteThanks and it seems CA is in a rush to a totalitarian system of government.
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