Precursor to the Mỹ Lai Massacre: 1968 Phong Nhị, Phong Nhất_16
Chapter 16 : Trần Văn Năm, the Sniper
They were here at last. How long had he been waiting? He felt cramped up, being unable to move about as he wanted. Crouched within the thickets, he wrapped his right arm around his Soviet-made AK47 and pulled it close to himself. He was lying in ambush near the enemy’s estimated travel route. His face was colored with the dark water squeezed out from sweet potato vines. Leaves were fixed into his brown cap. That was the best they could do in terms of camouflage. Completely unaware of his presence, the enemies were heading his way--about ten South Vietnamese soldiers in total. He brought his gun closer to his chest. All he had to do was pull the trigger. He exchanged glances with the two Viet Cong comrades next to him, indicating that they should wait a bit longer until the target became clearer. His heart started beating rapidly as he adjusted his aim on an enemy. He held his breath. One...two... three!
It was an afternoon in early December, 1968. In a month, it would be the new year, 1969. Trần Văn Năm was crouching at the foot of a tree in the jungle near Phong Nhị, with fire in his eyes. He was a sniper, the anonymous fantom-like figure who shot abruptly at the US, ROK, and South Vietnamese troops in the jungles. It was three to four shots at best, yet he managed to instill such formidable terror. His appearance was fleeting but impactful, and he would vanish thereafter without a trace. Snipers like Trần Văn Năm reminded them time and again that Vietnam, with its irregular guerrilla warfare, was unlike any of its precedents.
There was a shrill cry.
He was right on target. The vivid sound of a South Vietnamese soldier as he dropped to the ground penetrated his ears. He then heard the sound of footsteps rushing toward his injured target. Some of them broke out in tears. He peered into his binoculars. His target was facing downward, hyperventilating as he continued bleeding. It was no less terrifying for Trần Văn Năm, who felt a pang of guilt welling up inside. But he was quick to subdue any feelings of remorse, reminding himself, “We are at war.” He and his comrades left the site quickly yet with ease. Trần Văn Năm, who was scrawny and 155cm tall, was extremely nimble. The South Vietnamese troops rushed to scout the area, but they couldn’t find anything.
Trần Văn Năm being interviewed at his home. February 2014. Photograph by humank
Trần Văn Năm came back home. He didn’t live in the mountains. He lived in a village within Phong Nhất called Nhat Giap, located west of Phong Nhị. His original home was attacked and destroyed by the US troops on October 6, 1966. His father, Trần Nhươc, lost his life during the attack. Trần Văn Năm lived in a temporary home he built nearby. He also farmed ordinarily, living among the villagers but serving the du kích tập trung as a Viet Cong, juggling political propaganda and military activities. Political propaganda entailed spreading news of the accomplishments of the Northern Vietnamese Army and/or the liberation army, both subtly and openly. He also propagated knowledge of Ho Chi Minh and his plight for independence. The regular forces who, unlike Trần Văn Năm, lived in the mountains receiving military training in groups and strategizing for battle were known as the Lính chính quy.
Phong Nhất was practically under the control of the Viet Cong. There were nearly 80 active guerrilla members in Phong Nhất. The total population of the village amounted to 300. Even the village head was a Viet Cong. Phong Nhất was located in the west, making it difficult for the South Vietnamese government, which was situated near the number one national highway to the east, to exert its control. In comparison, Phong Nhị, which was located near the number one national highway, had more supporters of the South Vietnamese government. When Thanh Phong, the Viet Cong group to which Trần Văn Năm belonged, went through the political views of all 260 of the population of Phong Nhị, it discovered that 60% supported South Vietnam, while 40% supported the communist party. This was because the majority of young Phong Nhị men were a part of the South Vietnamese militia, which worked closely with the U.S. troops. There were still 20 Viet Cong guerrilla fighters in Phong Nhị. While residing in Phong Nhất, Trần Văn Năm often staged his attacks on the roads between the adjacent villages.
Trần Văn Năm lay down as soon as he returned home. He tightened the strap on the AK47 he had just used and hung it on a hanger. He grew drowsy as his nerves began to relax. He closed his eyes. He could hear the cry of the South Vietnamese soldier reverberating in his ears. He let out a deep sigh. There was nobody else in the house. Around the time that his father passed away, the rest of his family members followed suit one by one. His older brother, Trần Bằng(born 1937), who joined in the Viet Cong activities before he did, was arrested by the South Vietnamese police in August of 1965, and imprisoned in Vĩnh Điện, where he suffered a mysterious death. His mother, Nguyễn Thị Lịch, like his father, also died in a US attack on May 18, 1968. On April 11 of the same year, his oldest sister, Trần Thị Lộc(born 1934) was shot by US troops who infiltrated the village. The only remaining family member was his older sister, Trần Thị Hằng(33), but she had gotten married long ago and now lived in Da Nang. Trần Văn Năm conjured up the faces of his family members, resuscitating his anger. “I did not kill an innocent person today. I only rightfully sought revenge. I dutifully fought for the liberation of South Vietnam and the reunification of the nation.”
He now fought on the other side, but at one point in time, Trần Văn Năm was a soldier of the South Vietnamese army. In January of 1964, when he was 20 years old, he enlisted in the South Vietnamese recruit training center, located in Hue, roughly 100 km north of Phong Nhị and Phong Nhất. He underwent close-order drill and intensely practiced shooting with US-made AR16s and the AR18s. Three months later, however, he ran away from the training center, worrying that he would be dispatched to a jungle far away from his hometown. He feigned a stomach ache and pretended to go to the bathroom, only to escape from the base and run toward the terminal. Once he got on the bus to Phong Nhất and paid his fare, the bus driver showed him how to hide himself in the area designated for luggages. The driver knew right away from taking a look at Trần Văn Năm that he was a deserter. At the time, deserters were common in South Vietnam.
A month after he made it back to his hometown, he went into the mountains where the guerrilla forces resided. It was a natural decision for him. His brother and his friends were all Viet Congs. Even the young girls he used to play with as children had all supposedly joined the Viet Cong. Having only graduated from middle school, he wasn’t highly educated, yet he was certain that joining the liberation army of the Viet Cong was the correct path for himself. The truth didn’t seem as complex to Trần Văn Năm. Vietnam belonged to its inhabitants. It wasn’t the land of the Americans. And so as long as the Americans declared war, he and his people had to fight back. Ho Chi Minh was correct. That was all there was to it.
His first task upon becoming a Viet Cong was transporting weapons. He went up the mountains near where the Viet Cong supply ships go by to receive arms. He put the rifles and ammunition into his bag and slung it over his shoulder and hung the grenades around his waist. He walked like this in the dark mountains until he reached the secret location near Ngũ Hành Sơn, Da Nang. With these very weapons, the Viet Cong terrorized the US and ROK troops around the Quang Nam area.
Four years had passed since he joined the Viet Cong. Trần Văn Năm now mainly a sniper. His task before this had been setting booby traps. This always made him nervous. He would take the undetonated grenades left behind by the US troops, connect them to wires so that they would explode upon the slightest touch, and leave them in the jungles. The grenades could have easily exploded while he was setting them up. One of his fellow Viet Congs lost his life that way, even before he had the chance to tell the other comrades where the booby traps were set, alarming the other members. Trần Văn Năm also set up anti-tank landmines called bom ba càng. These mines destroyed the wheels of US LVTs that helped transport the ROK troops.
Snipers who dealt with the enemy at a closer vicinity were naturally more careful. Inflicting physical damage was certainly one of their objectives, but simply instilling dread was effective enough. Once the enemy realized that he is susceptible to attack at all times from all angles, he was bound to shrink in fear. It was imperative that they designate a safe site for shooting, shoot with utmost accuracy, check the damage inflicted using binoculars, and swiftly escape the site. They routinely underwent training, but things hardly ever went by the book. The first few times, he had to give up because his hands shook too much. It took a tremendous amount of focus. There were times when he would run from the site without even checking the state of the enemy through his binoculars. Determining the scale of the enemy present before pulling the trigger was just as important, since premature shooting could lead to self-destruction. The guerrilla members who, like Trần Văn Năm, resided in Phong Nhất, only targeted small groups of ten or less. Mid- to large-scale groups were handled by the well-armed regular troops of the Viet Cong who resided in the mountains.
Trần Văn Năm, who fought as a sniper attacking the ROK and South Vietnamese troops during the Vietnam War, standing in the fields of Phong Nhất. February 2014. Photograph by humank
Trần Văn Năm found the South Vietnamese troops to be the easiest targets, whereas he found the US and ROK troops to be overwhelming. There was a time when he sniped at the ROK marines only to become frightened out of his sense. The counterattack was far more intense than he had imagined. The ROK troops infiltrated the village that day and set it on fire, enraged at the fact that they had been attacked.
Ten months ago on February 12, 1968, Trần Văn Năm was at home, resting. Around 11:00 am, he heard something like the sound of a landmine exploding. A little while later, he witnessed the ROK troops entering Phong Nhị. There were about a squadron’s worth of troops. Trần Văn Năm took the AK47 that was hanging on the hanger, slung it over his shoulder, and quickly headed west toward the village of La Thọ. It was a 30-minute walk. In times like these, hiding was the best course of action.
That day, the 2nd Brigade 1st Battalion 1st Company of the ROK Marines pillaged Phong Nhị and arrived at the entrance of Phong Nhất. A few soldiers from the 1st company began shooting at the villagers of Phong Nhất. The village was set on fire. Trần Văn Năm came to Phong Nhị a few hours later, after the sound of gunshots subsided.
Trần Văn Năm was shocked beyond belief. The enemy, the US and South Vietnamese militia, entered the villages for relief work. The thought of going near them made him shudder, yet at this very moment, they weren’t enemies. Excluding the ROK troops, they were all comrades. It was an odd sight wherein the US and South Vietnamese troops were working alongside the Viet Cong to bring relief to the site where the ROK troops had wreaked havoc. Trần Văn Năm stood afar and searched the fields. Some of the residents were looking for corpses among the rice fields. Trần Văn Năm aided them in their effort. He saw severed heads and corpses with innards spilling out. He heard people shrieking and crying throughout. On the other side, people were piling corpses onto wicker trays and transporting them to the number one national highway. He remained motionless with his arms crossed. It was dangerous as the US and ROK troops continued to pass by in front of him. Trần Văn Năm had no choice but to just return home.
For the entire month in February of 1968, the ROK troops were berated through the loudspeaker installed in Phong Nhất. The massacre had swept through the villages like the wind.
Back in December of 1968. Ten days had passed since he succeeded in sniping at a few South Vietnamese troops. Trần Văn Năm held his AK47 close, lying prostrate and scouting the area in the jungle near Phong Nhị and Phong Nhất. Who would be his next target? The US troops or their puppet armies—the ROK and South Vietnamese troops?
Trần Tửu’s Words of Weapons
Trần Tửu was Trần Văn Năm‘s best friend. They were both born in the year 1944 in their hometown of Phong Nhất. They engaged in Viet Cong activities together as well. While Trần Văn Năm engaged in military activities as a sniper, Trần Tửu was in charge of spreading propagandas. While his gun was the weapon for Trần Văn Năm, his words were that for Trần Tửu.
Trần Tửu, who worked openly as the secretary of the Thanh Phong Communist Party Committee in Phong Nhất. February 2014. Photograph by humank
Trần Tửu still lives in the home where he was born in Phong Nhất. Not once has he ever left his hometown. He attended the Thanh Phong (present-day Dien An) elementary school and graduated from Nguyễn Duy Hiệu middle school in Vĩnh Điện. He spent his days farming thereafter, until he became an active communist. He was conscripted in the South Vietnamese army but resisted joining. Although Phong Nhất was under rebel control, Trần Tửu openly worked as the secretary of the Thanh Phong Communist Party Committee.
Convincing the residents to join the party was just as important as making the enemy tremble from fear of the sniper’s gun. Every three months or so, he would hold a gathering with about 300 villagers where he gave speeches. He very logically explained why a revolution was imperative. He would also ask the residents why they believed it was necessary that this revolution be victorious. When they were unable to answer coherently, he would explain, starting from their ancestors who were dominated by the Chinese. Just as their ancestors resisted the Chinese, so they should also resist American imperialism in the present. That was their fate. He also imparted much knowledge on Ho Chi Minh and the South Vietnamese communist party. He would stir his audience to chant together, “Save the nation, resist the Americans! Acquire freedom and independence! Liberate the South and unify Vietnam! Defeat the Americans and drive out their puppet armies! Kiên quyết kháng chiến chống Mỹ cứu nước, giành đôc lập tự do giải phóng Miền Nam, thống nhất đất nước. Đánh cho Mỹ cút, đánh cho Ngụy nhào.”
He would organize small groups to meet with the residents and raise their levels of political awareness. The crux of these educational meetings was that the South Vietnamese government should adhere to Ho Chi Minh instead of following the United States; it should not become another victim of the U.S.; the Vietnamese revolution must, without question, succeed; Independence was vital; support the revolution in all possible ways: join the Viet Cong. Donate money, rice and fabric for clothing.
Trần Tửu was naturally an eloquent speaker. But learning political propaganda did take some work, in the mountains at that, according to him. He still remembers the names of the mountains: Thanh Mỹ and Hồn Tàu. On three occasions from 1966 to 1969, he learned how to speak effectively and persuasively from experts. In one of those three times, he spent three months in the mountains receiving training.
Trần Tửu was also in Phong Nhất on February 12, 1968. The ROK troops didn’t make it to the western part of Phong Nhất. Only after the ROK troops left did he begin to strategize on behalf of the communist party. But before that, he went to help the villagers at the site of the massacre. He yelled into the loudspeaker in the direction of Phong Nhị, “ROK troops, take responsibility for the massacre and withdraw!” But words were mere words. It could neither bring the dead back to life nor seek revenge.
- Written by humank (Journalist; Seoul, Korea)
- Translated and revised as necessary by April Kim (Tokyo, Japan)
The numbers in parentheses indicate the respective ages of the people at the time in 1968.
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