Word: saigon
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...that, the Communists for well over two years have repeated again and again their allegiance to the Paris accords. Reports filtering out of newly occupied areas, like Danang, indicate that the Communists are setting up administrations that include third force representatives and leave a place for representatives of the Saigon government; the South Vietnamese flag has even been left flying over government buildings, though now it shares billing with the single-starred Viet Cong banner. The Communists apparently feel that with their basic strengths in organization and leadership, they will eventually be able to gain dominance within a coalition government...
That of course could change, especially if Saigon continues to disintegrate and the Communists unexpectedly decide to seek a total military victory. Still, negotiations leading to the establishment of the National Council of Reconciliation and Concord would seem to be Saigon's best chance now of ending the war while still retaining a legitimate place in the government. Ironically, tragically, such an arrangement could probably have been reached in January 1973, just after the Paris accords were signed. At that time Saigon probably held the military advantage. Now, 175,000 deaths, millions of refugees and untold suffering later...
...Saigon has often known danger but never as acutely as now. There have been times of great peril-such as the 1968 Tet offensive that brought savage street fighting into the heart of the city-but Saigon managed swiftly to regain its calm, almost nonchalant air. This time the pressure is building slowly but surely, and the old insouciance is fast disappearing...
There is no overt panic, but Saigon's 3 million residents, and the countless refugees streaming into the already overcrowded city, are shaken, afraid, even desperate. "We have nowhere to go!" cried a Saigon bar girl. "I am frightened, but what can I do? I have bought rice and dried fish. When the Viet Cong come, I will lock the door and wait...
...some respects, Saigon retains an aura of almost unreal normality. In the markets it is business as usual. The streets, filled with Hondas, pushcarts, hookers, shine boys, beggars and wounded war veterans, are as noisy and chaotic as ever. Food is still plentiful because the roads to the Mekong Delta remain open. But tea and coffee from the Highlands, avocados and lettuce from Dalat and lobsters from Nha Trang are all bound to run out before long. Many dance halls and teahouses have been closed, and the curfew has been moved back to 9 p.m. so that diners...