Interviews with a Top North Vietnam Army General and Two Former Soldiers

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Nguyen Van Khien
On December 19, 2003, I traveled south of Hanoi to Ha Nam province with interpreter Nguyen Viet Bac, his employee Nguyen Duc Hanh, and a hired driver. There in the village of Thanh Ha we interviewed Nguyen Van Khien in his humble home. We sat on low stools sipping tea in the living room of the three-room dwelling. His granddaughter played in the corner on a plastic mat laid on the bare concrete floor. Dogs, cats and chickens scurried about and occasionally poked their noses through the open door. His wife looked on.

Mr. Khien showed me a framed certificate on the wall and a wallet card, both of which identified him as a ‘First Class War Invalid — a veteran who had suffered the most grievous wounds. There is no doubt of that. His entire left leg had been removed, and his right leg — as he rolled up his trouser leg to show me — had most of the flesh missing, right down to the bone, in portions of the shin and thigh. He has a bright, cheerful demeanor and seems eager to please.

VN:When and why did you join the North Vietnamese Army?

Khien:I joined when I was 17 years old. I served from 1974 to 1979, but much of that time I was in hospitals. Why did I join? Because I loved my country and I wanted to fight for its freedom.

VN:What happened once you volunteered?

Khien:We were trained in the North for six months and then sent to the South. We went south on the Ho Chi Minh Trail. It was a very hard journey. We had to sleep under the trees in the forest. We had very little to eat. When we reached rivers we swam across them. We were bombed often. We were on the trail three months. My unit was R-856. We moved in stages and traveled only at night. I was in a group of 400. There were many groups of 400 before us and following us, but we were spread out. If the groups were larger than that they were easier to be spotted and bombed by airplanes, so we stayed spread out.

VN:You entered South Vietnam after most Americans had already left. What was the most important action you participated in?

Khien:The liberation of Saigon. We got into Saigon. We were fighting and got into the city. A lot of my friends were killed inside Ho Chi Minh City. That was in 1975.

VN:What was the fighting like in Saigon?

Khien:We were fighting house-to-house in Saigon’s streets. We were fighting everywhere: in the houses and out of windows, in the trees, in the streets, lying under cars. I had a large Russian rifle, an AK-47. I hit several people. I don’t know whether I killed or wounded them or what, but I did hit them.

VN:What were you thinking about during the fighting?

Khien:I thought just about the nation and serving it. [A pause.] But really in combat I thought nothing — only fighting.

VN:When and how did you get wounded?

Khien:In 1976. The war was over and I was going back home to North Vietnam. It was in the forest near the Cambodian border. I stepped on a mine. When I stepped on it I heard a loud noise and I felt my leg get very cold, and then I went unconscious. The leg halfway down was blown off immediately. It was blown clear off. My comrades took me to a small army hospital in the forest. I lost much blood and they cut off more of my leg — above the knee. My other leg was also in bad shape.

VN:How long did you stay there?

Khien:One day. Then they transferred me to a large hospital in Hue City where they removed more of my leg.

VN:What were your emotions after that?

Khien:[Very animated.] I felt very, very sad and I cried. I didn’t want to think about anything. I told the army doctors to do anything — cut anything they wanted off of me — I didn’t care. But they worked hard to save my other leg. I had a very bad feeling of both the spirit and the body for a very long time, but I didn’t want to kill myself. Today I’m still happy to be alive. Life is still good.

VN:Has your government taken good care of you?

Khien:Yes. I get some money every month, enough for living. Later I got married and now I raise some chickens and pigs.

VN:Whom do you blame for your injuries?

Khien:The Americans.

VN:Are you still angry?

Khien:I forgive now, and I try to forget. Now I blame no one, and I’m okay.

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Tags: 20th - 21st Century, Historical Conflicts, Vietnam War

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