[frisco-kid]

Near as I could tell, the Catholic Church is alive and well in VN. We saw at least one church in every town of any size, and 2 or more in some. Xuan Loc, about 30mi. NE of Saigon, was predominently Catholic. We saw at least 4 churches from the road. This was on 30APR, Independence Day, and all the churches were flying the national flag off of their gates. BTW, all of these churches had a substantial amount of acreage around them that was very well kept. These were not poor parrishes. Many of the newer homes, many of them mansions by any cultures standards, were owned by Catholics. You could tell this by several different ways. Some would have a small alter in their yards; some would have a statue of the Madonna on their balconies; or some would have cameo of Mary and baby Jesus on the wall of their house. These houses would almost surely be owned by government officials or well-to-do business men or farm owners. I can't vouch for any of the Protestant faiths. I just don't know.

Arrow, that's a true story about the Montagnards. There's no doubt in my mind that these people are persecuted and kept down. These are the indigenous people of the Central Highlands, and they consist of about 40 different tribes. They are pretty primitive people with a long history of hate for the Vietnamese, no matter which government happens to be in control. Today, they are referred to as the "Minority" people. I was hoping for Kath and Sue to get a chance to see one of there villages while we passed through the Highlands, but none of their villes are near the road. They live in government-run villages [Reservations?] and outsiders must get a permit to visit them. The few homes and individuals that we passed on the road around Pleiku and Kon Tum gave a glimpse of the poverty these people live in. Many of them lived in the workers quarters of the big coffee plantations that we passed, not unlike the slave quarters of the south of 150yrs. ago. They still like us, though. I stood on a street corner in Kon Tum, comparing tattoos with one of them. Tattooing is a time honored tradition in their culture, and we parted company knowing that we each had made a new friend. I have always had nothing but good memories of the 'Yards that I had contact with while serving in the Highlands.