Visiting villages and hamlets in Vietnam, I noticed that the further away from Saigon and other larger cities and towns , the more profound the poverty seemed to be.
In the Mekong Delta area the mainstay of the villagers was the cultivation of rice. Rice paddies dominated the area and you could always see people bent over the swampy, humid terrain harvesting rice.
The people lived in very meager houses that were wooden huts with thatched roofs. Inside you would find mats lying on bare floors. No creature comforts whatsoever.
This was a real eye opener for most of the GI’s. We could see how the hardworking villagers could be easily swayed to supporting one ideology or another, depending upon who could help them improve their meager existence.
Gary L., 9th infantry Div.
