The Vietnam War,that ended in April 1975, left behind hundred thousands of wounded-in-action (WIA) Vietnamese soldiers on each side. About five per cent of them were seriously disabled. Then in 1979 to 1989, young Vietnamese were sent by the Vietnam Communist government to the Cambodian battles in behalf of what Hanoi called "International Obligations." The 10 years of occupying Cambodia saw a growing number of disabled veterans, most are late teenagers.
Under the Communists, the WIAs of the former Republic of Vietnam have been treated as enemies, receiving no social help. Their families have been considered underprivileged citizens. In Saigon alone, there have been hundreds of the former Army of the Republic of Vietnam disabled begging in market places, bus or railway stations. Many of them losing both lower limbs, day after day are crawling on slimy aisles of small open markets all over Saigon and major cities of the former South Vietnam.
The Communist army war veterans are treated only a little better. They get a starving pension, not enough for the least decent living. Many involve in gang activities, such as protecting illegal gambling dens, carrying smuggling goods on buses, even hired to take reprisal against people or business. With crutches as effective weapons facing AK-47's, some even stop buses on highways to ask passengers for little money.
Many of the Communist army disabled veterans are begging on the streets as their counterparts of the former Republic of (South) Vietnam.
Recently in Saigon, there are two Communist army disabled veterans who lost both legs by land mines in Cambodia more than 10 years ago. They have been making their living by panhandling. Now that beggar population is booming with unemployed farmers from North Vietnam, they are no more competitive in the panhandlers' world. So they came up with a solution.
The solution proves great success. Here is what they have been doing:
They go together in pair, one wears Communist army baggy field dress, the other clad in the camouflage uniform complete with a red beret of the Airborne Division paratroopers, the renowned warriors of pre-75 South Vietnamese Army.
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