73rd SAC -

Frank "Henry" Ford's - Vung Tau "1997"
Photo Album - No. 1

The information and images on this page have been provided courtesy of Frank "Henry" Ford. Thank you Henry! There are more pictures... they will be posted as I find the time to scan and edit them. The "notes" that are included with the photos are from Henry. The photos were taken in July, 1997. Most "personal" text in the following messages has been "clipped out" for reasons of privacy. Henry tried to "parallel" this photo album with map notations found on another page (Central Business District (downtown) - see link below) at this www site.

Vung Tau Central Business District (downtown) Map. Have included a list of some points of interest. Warning - 390k!
Map of Vung Tau Army Airfield This is a very "rough" map. I hope to have a better one posted later.

Other related pages... Other related pages...

To: John Akers
From: Frank A. Ford (fford@loxinfo.co.th)
Date: 28 Feb 97 11:23:57 EDT
Subject: 73rd SAC/Long Thanh North

I was not in the 73rd SAC, but was at Long Thanh North (LTN), across the air strip at the 224th Aviation Batallion (RR) from Jan 69-Apr 71. I came back to LTN in June 71 as a civilian tech rep with the 56th Trans. Co., next door to the 73rd. I left LTN for work at Tan Son Nhut about a year later.

If you have any collegues from LTN, I'd like to get in touch with them to exchange memories, photos, etc.

I currently live & work in Bangkok, Thailand, and have been to Vietnam a number of times during the past 10 years. Also managed to get onto LTN (it remains a military base, though little-used). The airstrip, parking ramp, roads and berm are about all that's left. I took some photos of the 224th's former location and the runway, but no other places. If you know anyone from the 73rd SAC or 210th CAB who want photos, I could take some on my next trip (about 1 Apr). A hand-drawn sketch of the area they want me to look for would help insure I get what they want.

Best Regards,

Frank 'Henry' Ford

To: John Akers
From: Frank A. Ford (fford@loxinfo.co.th)
Date: 9 Apr 97 1:30:50 EDT
Subject: Long Thanh North, Vung Tau

Your Vung Tau duty was the envy of many a soldier. I got there only once while with the Army, but as a civilian 'tech-rep' at Long Thanh, I shared a house in Vung Tau with a co-worker. I only went there occasionally, though, having my regular residence in Saigon. I loved Vung Tau. My favorite spot was 'Windy Beach.' It was secluded and not many people frequented it. The evenings were best, when you could feel the full impact of the breezes rushing up the funnel-shaped cove.

Vung Tau has changed quite a bit, but still retains much of its charm (at least it did when I was there two years ago). It's now the center for offshore oil exploration (and before Vietnam's 're-opening,' a center for Russian advisors). I don't know it's current population, but is is much more crowded than before, particularly on the weekends. During the war, not many people ventured to make the trip there, but now it's a favorite spot. Of course, Vietnam's overall population has doubled or more since the end of the war and a lot of Northerners moved south, too. In fact, the population growth is one of Vietnam's most striking differences these days...and they gotta share thinner slices of a much smaller pie, making poverty even more severe than it was in the 60's & 70's.

Back Beach, where the R&R center used to be, was sold to some resort for development a couple years ago. I suspect it must have been built by now. A number of small hotels have also been built along the beach strip, as well as a few more sea-side resturants. The shipwreck at Windy Beach was salvaged for it's rusted scrap metal...nearly nothing left the last time I was there. You might recall that the mountain behind Windy Beach was being quarried for rock back then, and it still is, with much of the mountain chopped away (much to my dismay). It also reduces the force of the rushing evening winds. It appeared to me that someone has their eye on the space created by the quarry for building a hotel and making the beach private. Have they no respect?????

The area from downtown to Windy Beach still has it's fine houses, but others, much less elegant or tasteful, have been built without regard to esthetics. It looks a bit cluttered. Last time I was there, they were widening the road along there.

The Palace Hotel remains about the same, as does most of the downtown area. The central market, however, has been moved to a newer, larger site away from the center of town. The former bar-strip is mostly souvenier shops, although 'karaoke' bars had begun to open. I couldn't get onto the former army airfield, since it remains under military control. I can only describe it as 'run-down.' In places, there's gaping holes in the concrete block walls. Everything looks rusty, rotted and dirty. The two white radio domes atop the mountain were still standing.

Thanks,

Frank "Henry" Ford

To: John Akers
From: Frank A. Ford (fford@loxinfo.co.th)
Subject: VN Trip
Date: Thu, 21 Aug 1997 10:11:51 +0700 (ICT)

I've been swamped with work since my return from VN some 3 weeks ago and didn't have a chance to write anyone until now.

While I was there, I paid a visit to Vung Tau. Using the map & photos from your home page, I visited nearly all the sites and took photos. I don't have your mailing address, but if you give it to me, I can send copies to you.

I couldn't get onto Vung Tau Airbase and it's surrounded by a concrete block wall, but I could see enough to know there's little left there but the airstrip itself and a few of the original buildings. The airport doesn't see much traffic these days and appears to be used mainly as a base of operations for helicopters (Russian) that serve the off-shore oil platforms. Vung Tau is now Vietnam's oil exploration/production center. In the waning days of the war, Mobil Oil discovered a commercially viable oil field, but their drill-ship had to pull out (taking some refugees with them). Mobil kept the drill-site a secret, but the Russians eventually found the oil and began to develop the field. Russian off-shore oil technology is decades behind the West, so they weren't very productive. When Vietnam re-opened to the West a few years ago, a number of US & European companies joined with the Vietnamese & Russians to further develop the fields. As a result, Vung Tau has seen a lot of 'development.' You'd hardly recognize it today. There's lots of new hotels, houses and offices. The beach road leading from Front Beach to Back Beach is now a 4-lane highway! The beach has suffered as a result, being littered with trash and polluted with water from untreated sewage.

I should note that I got a photo of the Valentine BEQ. It's now abandoned, but because it's in a good location, I suspect it will be demolished to make way for a hotel or something. When I send photos, I'll include notes for your reference.

Frank "Henry" Ford
fford@loxinfo.co.th

Photo 4 - Art's Barber Shop
I couldn't tell from the map on which of the three streets Art's was located. Referring to your map, this shot is of the narrow side of the triangle.
Photo 1C - Valentino BBQ, close up
The Valentino BBQ was the former living quarters for the Officers of the 73d SAC (I tried to duplicate the position/angle of the photo you had on your home page, but I had to stoop under the branches of the tree to get a view).
Photo 2A - Yellowbird Bar
Photo was taken with Front Beach at my back. On your map, it appeared the bar was approximately opposite The Palace Hotel (you can see a piece of it on the left side of the photo). Trees growing along that street might be blocking the bar's former location.
Photo - 2B
Looking from opposite direction, looking towards Front Beach. Seabreeze Hotel on the left, Palace Hotel is to the right.
Photo - 2C ...about the same as 2A
About the same as 2A, but looking down the beach front road.
Photo 5B - A more "frontal" view of the market
It doesn't see much activity these days, serving only people in the neighborhood. A new, much larger market has been built in the suburbs to serve Vung Tau's now burgeoning population.
Photo 5C - Downtown - not sure what building this is...
Don't know what this building is, but I don't recall it being there in the old days. I think the area used to be a park or plaza. You might remember better than I do. (John's comment: I don't remember it either)
Photo 7A - 100p Alley - "A"
I found two alleys, so I took photos of both. "A" is about 1/3 the way up the street (going away from Front Beach), while "B" is about 2/3 the way.
Photo 7B - 100p Alley - "B"
I found two alleys, so I took photos of both. "A" is about 1/3 the way up the street (going away from Front Beach), while "B" is about 2/3 the way.
Photo 11A - Catholic Church
Catholic Church... speaks for itself.
Photo 12A - Vietnamese Bakery
Vietnamese Bakery. Referring to your map, I was standing at the mouth of the lane, facing the number "12," when I took these pics. Don't know if the former bakery is in the photo or not.
Photo 15B - Back Beach & Old Rock Quarry
Photo 15B looks to the right of Back Beach, where, on the opposite side of that mountain is a place my firends and I called "Windy Beach," due to the strong winds that were funneled into the narrow cove. There used to be a rusting hulk of a grounded freighter on the beach (removed by scrap-metal scavengers after '75). There is also a small peninsula with a WWW2-era French concrete bunker complex. Editors note: I'll add a hyper link to a picture of the "old freighter" when time permits. For those of you that are familiar with this area from 30 years ago... the place has changed quite a bit.
Back Beach
Looking down on Back Beach... (more info later)
Photo 26 - Part of old U.S. base... (VTAAF)
Former U.S. hanger or warehouse + French-era Quonset huts. Maybe you recognize this area. Editors note: These buidings are in the area of the main entrance to the old VTAAF facility. Standing at "main gate" - looking in, these buildings would be a bit to the right.
Photo 27 - Part of old U.S. base...
Again... former U.S. hanger or warehouse + French-era Quonset huts. Maybe you recognize this area. Editors note: These buidings are in the area of the main entrance to the old VTAAF facility. Standing at "main gate" - looking in, these buildings would be a bit to the right.

Frank "Henry" Ford
fford@loxinfo.co.th

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All photographs, electronic photographs, images, are Copyright © by Frank A. Ford, and the author, John E. Akers, 1997-2002, All Rights Reserved. Do not reproduce without my/our express approval, or written consent. Any creation of new or duplication of existing material, in whole or in part, is strictly prohibited by federal copyright law. Violators may have civil penalties imposed.

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Last update: May 9,2002