Epilogue

After Mr. Dang's release, some Saigon newspapers printed retractions, apologizing to the Dangs for the negative media frenzy. Duyên Anh, a renown South Vietnam writer, musician and reporter, whose literary works were printed on several newspapers such as Xây Dựng, Sống, Chính Luận, Công Luận, Con Ong, Tuổi Ngọc.... chronicled the Dangs' ordeal. His article focused primarily on Mrs. Dang and her struggle to save her husband. Tragedy struck again in 1968, during the Tet Offensive, when Mr. Dang's younger brother was among the thousands who perished in central Vietnam by the invading armies from the North. Like many of these unfortunately victims, Mr. Dang's brother's body was never recovered.

After a few years with Bank of America, Mr. Dang was approached by a group of acquaintances who had found successes with entrepreneurship. Mr. Dang joined a small company that contracted with South Vietnam army to dispose steel and other metals wastes. His skills in dealing with English speakers soon made him from an advisor, to vice president. The company expanded its customer base to U.S. army and other allies beyond Southeast Asia such as Taiwan and Japan. Until the Fall of Saigon, Mr. Dang was the chairman of the executive board for an import-export company, South Asia Facilities. After the Fall, Mr. Dang was again imprisoned for his involvement with the previous regimes. Mr. Dang's encounter with American prisoner of war (POW) brought him to the attention of the United States once more [1]. The Dangs finally escaped to the United States during the boat people plights[2]. Mr. Dang worked for U.S. Catholic Relief Service and Department of Social Service as employment counselor and coordinator for the local Southeast Asian population until his retirement[2].

In hindsight, if both the Catholics and Buddhists were to work together, this violent and sad chapter in Vietnam history would have easily blown away. Unfortunately, radical reporting had created such a hostile environment[3], that impeded any cooperation and spawned many misunderstandings that can be still found in today's books.

In 1987, Pagodas Publishing Company, in Paris, France, re-printed a book, written in Vietnamese by a Buddhist monk with alias Tue Vinh, revisited the reports that were initially provided to the U.S. Embassy in Saigon indicating Major Dang ordered his troops to fire. In 2002, former General Nguyễn Cao Kỳ published his memoirs, "Buddha's Child", reiterated the claim that Major Đặng ordered his troops to shoot at demonstrators, killing 9 Buddhists and wounded 24 people at this same event [4][5]. Other sources indicated the turmoil preceded the deaths was caused by skirmishes between Catholic and Buddhist youth and college students, which went out of control.

Conclusion

No sources could agree on the cause of the casualties nor the location of the victims, which varied from 4 deaths and 24 wounded, to 8 deaths and no wounded [6]. Were the victims on the veranda of the radio station as conjectured by the media, at the time? or were they actually at a greater distance from the radio station, as seen by the defendants, at the trial? Were the casualties, innocent victims or religious dissidents? Why were the bodies quickly moved to the local hospital, then city morgue, yet leaving the scene intact, in shambles, months after the incident happened, in spite of the radio station strategic importance for delivering information to troops and the public? The prosecution evidence chain of custody was broken, due to the lack of acknowledgement by the city officials and the defendants themselves; thus making the Trial of Dang Sy a mockery of justice. One reason for the durability of these versions is that the endless repetition by other commentators produced the impression that one of them had to be right[7].

Today, a memorial was erected for the victims who died at the radio station where Major Dang and his troops were ordered to defend[5]. The victims were named martyrs of the Buddhist struggle (Vietnamese: Anh Linh Chư Thánh Tử Đạo).

References:

1. U.S. Senate Report - POW and MIA. 1992. Government Printing Office.

2. Happy July 4th. The Baltimore Sun - July 1987.

3. American Catholic studies

4. Buddha's Child: My Fight to Save Vietnam.

5. Hue Vesak Shooting - Wikipedia

6. Vietnam War: The New Legion. Truong Vinh (2010).

7. The Vietnam History You Haven't Heard - Christian Science Monitor (January 2007).