ARVN II Corps Commander General Phạm Văn Phú, reported to his government that the PAVN were firmly in control of Buôn Ma Thuột, a disaster of epic proportions as half the ARVN now lay behind NVA lines to the north, save for the coast, which really depended upon the reaction of the United States and the willingness to deploy its Navy for evacuation, or its Naval air arm for combat advantage.
Gen. Phú began his military career as an interpreter for the French Army and moved on to officer status during the French Indochinese War. He was captured by the Viet Minh at Dien Bien Phu and thereafter went into the ARVN. He was relieved of command in 1972 due to exhaustion, but recovered and returned to service. He committed suicide on April 30, 1975, the day of the fall of Saigon.
Fourteen foreign citizens including American missionaries (who frankly should have left the task of evangelization to the Catholic Church) were taken by the NVA. They were taken north and would be released in October, including a six year old.
Interesting, in 2025, Vietnam has a sufficient surplus of Priests such that it now sends Priests to the United States, thereby giving an example of a land betrayed seeking to save the souls of those who betrayed it. We can, probably, look forward to Ukrainian Catholic Priests in the future.
The last full draft lotter took place. Nobody was called to service. Lil' Donny Trump was free from any danger. Not just him, of course, but Joe Biden, and Bill Clinton, as well.
In a sign of more to come, an Air Vietnam DC-4 crashed 25 km southwest of Pleiku killing twenty six on board, including New Zealand Red Cross team leader Malcolm Riding.
The Dubai Islamic Bank was established in the United Arab Emirates, becoming the first private institution to operate under the principles of Islamic banking.
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