When Binh Hoang was nine years old, the Autumn Revolution of 1945 began. The people of Vietnam were fighting for independence from France, which had colonized the Southeast Asian nation in 1858. For most people, it was a time of excitement, the chance to create their own nation with their own laws and government. The Vietnamese forces, collectively known as the Viet Minh, embraced all types of political parties. At the helm of this revolutionary force was Ho Chi Minh, leader of the Communist Party. Nine years later, the Viet Minh would emerge victorious . . . but the real trouble for Hoang and Vietnam was yet to come.

With the French gone, Ho Chi Mihn quickly seized control of North Vietnam. Aided by the Chinese and Soviets, he set out to crush opposition to Communist control. All remnants of the past would face his wrath. It would take more violence to achieve. The professed goal was the empowerment of the masses, the peasants, the uneducated, everyone who traditionally had no say in society. The toll would be severe.

Bihn Hoang came from a good family. He was one of five boys and had three older sisters. His father, a landlord who rented out farmland, was a natural enemy of Communism. By the age of 18, Hoang was well-versed in the horrors. Young Communist soldiers who were instructed to take control of local villages assassinated, lynched, and murdered local leaders and anyone who resisted.

Brandon Quester/Devil’s Tale Binh Hoang and his wife, Nhieu, stand arm and arm in their Chandler living room. After the Communists took over North Vietnam and killed half a million people, Hoang’s father sent him to Saigon.

Decades later, with graying hair, glasses, and slightly freckled skin, Hoang recalls the first phase of his bitter past. “The objective for the Communists was to strike out,” he says, pointing a finger. “To kill, to get rid of the intellectuals and the rich families. Leave the villages with no troubles. Every village must have two or three people killed. Hung. They got villagers to tell lies, calling the rich exploiters or oppressors. We had a servant, and when the Communists came in, he became one of them. We had to leave. Everyone was watching us.”

The Communist takeover of North Vietnam killed half a million people. Another two million abandoned their wealth, their homes, and their communities, fleeing to the south. Hoang was no exception. At the age of 18, his father sent him to Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam. The family was to join him later after figuring out how to save what little wealth and land they had left.

Eager to seize wealth, the Communist forces of Ho Chi Minh tortured Hoang’s brother-in-law. “They hung him upside down, like this,” Hoang says as he interlaces his fingers behind his back and raises his arms as far as possible. “Then they beat him and demanded to know where we buried our gold.”

Hoang left his home on September 16, 1954, a day he will never forget. He flinches when describing it. He removes his glasses and tilts his head back to prevent the tears’ descent down his face. His eyes tell not just his story but also the plight of millions.

"There was so much opposition from the people to the [Communist] party,” he says slowly and clearly. “One way to survive is to destroy the opposition.”

His lungs unconsciously hurl out the word “destroy." While most people require a moment to imagine how people can commit mass murder against the innocent, it takes the 67-year-old Hoang no longer than a split second. There is no imagination, only the reality.

“It’s easy,” he says. “Indoctrinate them. They use very young people. They were nervous. You tell them imperial feudalists [the wealthy] were terrible people who had to be destroyed.”

Once in Saigon, Hoang quickly found a job as a high school math and athletics teacher, a position made possible from years of study at the north’s superior French schools. With the exception of a brother who stayed to maintain part of the family’s land, his family joined Hoang in Saigon.

Hoang speaks of his brother’s survival in the hostile north with amusement and satisfaction. “The Communists discovered the lowest classes [peasants] couldn’t do anything. People were starving. They needed the upper class. That is how my brother survived,” he says, grinning.

Hoang also fervently improved his education, something he continues to this day. He graduated with a law degree from the University of Saigon and continued teaching athletics and math at Tan Binh High School.

For a brief period, life was almost normal for Hoang. In the north, Ho Chi Minh’s forces, now known as the Vietnamese Communists or VC, were preparing to crush the south’s (Republic of Vietnam) government under Ngo Dinh Diem. This regime, with its authoritative behavior, resembled the previous colonial rulers of Vietnam. Diem’s policy of destroying his opposition instead of rallying them against Communism would later prove to be fatal. Hoang’s personal writings, which he currently distributes to raise awareness about Vietnam, criticized the Diem regime for relying too much on American assistance and ignoring the ever-growing threat of Ho Chi Mihn’s forces in the north and the growing appeal of Communism as an alternative to Diem’s rule in the south.

In 1962, Hoang’s life took a new turn when he was drafted into the Republic of Vietnam’s Army Reserve School at Thu Duc. Two years later, the determined VC invaded the south, setting off a war that would kill over a million people.

Ironically, the year 1964 also provided the young soldier with a gift. He met Nhieu Nguyen, a woman with flawless features and jet-black hair and eyes. In the midst of the chaos of war, Nhieu won the heart of the philandering Hoang. “When I met her, I burned every letter from my other girlfriends,” he says, laughing. “She lived in Vinh Long, which was south of Saigon. I went there every time I could. Two years later, we were married.”

Romance aside, Hoang played an active role in the war. For his work as a battlefield communications specialist, he later received the U.S. Army Commendation Medal for his bravery and reached the rank of captain.

Brandon Quester/Devil’s Tale Binh Hoang displays the medal he received from the U.S. Army for bravery and service in the South Vietnamese Army during the Vietnam War.

Despite the antiwar movement in America during the Vietnam War, the U.S. involvement was generally well-received in South Vietnam and crucial to the survival of the Diem regime. After a long, blood-soaked stalemate that killed almost 60,000 Americans, the U.S. withdrew from South Vietnam in 1973. By 1975, the VC forces (Ho Chi Minh had died in 1969) had completed their goal of overthrowing the Diem regime. The war was lost. But for Hoang and other former officers of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, a new struggle lay ahead.

“In 1975 I was put into prison for six months,” he says. “It was called a ten-day re-education course. In reality, it was ten lessons for propaganda and brainwashing." He spent his days in a re-education camp in the Can Tho province, memorizing the principals of Marxism and writing lengthy essays for his captors. False confessions and other daily humiliations were routine, but Hoang and his fellow prisoners held their own.

“We were accused of being rapists and murderers by the Viet Cong,” he says lightheartedly of the experience. “We were soldiers, not murderers. And we were officers. We didn’t rape anybody. After six months we had to express what we had done wrong and ask the Communists for forgiveness. One captain, Tam Lee, my friend, is a very big, strong man. Captain Tam stands up and shouts, ’We have committed no crimes.’ After six months, we were still not educated."

Hoang is still critical of the way the war was fought. Like many Vietnamese, he believes the war could have been won if the U.S. and South Vietnamese troops had invaded the north instead of relying on a defensive posture. He also vehemently denies some current assumptions that the South Vietnamese troops and leadership were corrupt and inefficient or lacked the resolve to defend themselves.

“We are not cowards,” he says, shaking his head. “The former Republic of Vietnam struggled heroically. They were very brave soldiers defending their country.”

Although he preserved his honor, Hoang’s imprisonment was a painful experience. Severe beatings were common. Relatives on the outside struggled to raise bribe money in a country in utter chaos. By that time, Hoang was the father of five children, and his wife struggled to survive.

Other soldiers even committed suicide after the fall to the Communists. “At least 20 officers killed themselves,” he murmurs. “My friend, Lt. Loang Ha, killed himself along with his entire family. So many bad stories. Everybody believed the U.S. would stay up until the last day.”

After his release from prison, Hoang began a series of menial jobs to feed his wife and children. They tutored children and adults in their home and usually received payment in rice, fish sauce, or sugar. Hoang also raised animals for slaughter, operated a traditional Vietnamese bicycle taxi, and sold cups of water outside his front door. His wife added to their income by buying and reselling cheap goods.

For many, Hoang included, living under the Communist yoke was unbearable. As an educated man and former soldier, Hoang was ashamed to pedal Communist officers around during his stint as a taxi driver. Communist economic policies impoverished the nation, and millions attempted to flee in unsafe boats. Threats came from everywhere. Getting caught by Viet Cong patrol boats meant a prison sentence of three to five years. Millions died from shipwrecks, unclean water, and disease. Pirates preyed upon the fleeing refugees, so they took to hiding gold in their noses and other body orifices.

BRIEF TIME LINE OF THE VIETNAM WAR

1946- Indochina war starts between Democratic Republic of Vietnam and French colonial forces.

1954- Vietminh (Northern Vietnamese) forces defeat French at Battle of Dienbienphu.

1955- French and Vietminh sign Agreement on the Cessation of Hostilities at Geneva Convention. As part of agreement, Vietnam divided along 17th parallel until elections are to be held in 1956. Diem becomes President of South Vietnam and refuses Geneva Accord.

1956- No elections held. French leave Vietnam. US begins training South Vietnamese.

1957- Communist insurgency in South Vietnam begins. 400 South Vietnamese officials assassinated.

1959- North Vietnamese move troops and guns into South Vietnam along Ho Chi Mihn Trail.

1960- Vietminh unified as Vietcong (Communist guerillas).

1961-Kennedy authorizes Green Berets to conduct counterinsurgency tactics against Vietcong in South Vietnam.

1963- Diem and Kennedy assassinated. Lyndon Johnson becomes president.

1964- North Vietnamese PT boats fire on USS Maddox in the Gulf of Tonkin. Resolution grants Johnson power to make war against North Vietnam without approval of Congress.

1965- US troop level top 200,000. Bombing of North Vietnam begins.

1968- North Vietnamese and Vietcong launch Tet Offensive. Nixon elected.

1969- My Lai massacre exposes US war crimes. Ho Chi Minh dies at age 79. US to take smaller role in combat as plan of 'Vietnamization.'

1972- Nixon cuts back troop presence by 70,000 and resumes heavy bombing of North Vietnam in attempt to gain diplomatic concessions.

1973- Seize fire signed in Paris. Hostilities resume.

1975- Last Americans leave Vietnam as southern capitol Saigon falls to Communists.

By Christian Palmer

For Hoang, attempting to escape Vietnam by boat became a routine. During Hoang’s fifth and final attempt - in 1983 - he was captured and again thrown into prison. His cell was three square meters and filled with 25 to 40 prisoners. It was crowded to the point of suffocation. Relief came when an inmate passed out and the guards were forced to open the doors, allowing fresh air in, to remove the sick. Inmates were fed a cup of rice a day and shared a five gallon jug of water. Lacking toilets, nylon bags sufficed.

Hoang’s connections orchestrated his release after just three months. Though free, he gave up hope of escaping from Vietnam. Instead, he worked feverishly to support his family while seeking help from the United States.

Then in 1992, at the age of 56, Hoang received asylum in America through the Humanitarian Operation Program to America, along with his wife and five sons. In his words, settling in the U.S. was a “dream that my family had not dared dream before.” His gratitude is endless.

They arrived in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and wasted no time. Hoang became a librarian’s assistant, earning $4.75 an hour, while his wife earned $6 to $7 an hour by sewing. Every saved penny went to educating his five sons. After a life of hardship and deprivation, Hoang was determined to see his sons succeed.

“It was a bit late for him,” says his youngest son, Hieu, who recently graduated from medical school at Drexel University. “He spent most of his productive years in Communist Vietnam. His dream is manifested in his children. It is the American dream to do whatever you want."

Hieu’s words echo truth as his father proudly opens one of the countless photo albums displaying his sons’ graduation certificates and photos. A stern and loving father, Hoang taught his children the respect of knowledge. Three of his five sons are engineers. The other two are doctors.

“He’s pretty disciplined,” Hieu says. “When we were kids in Vietnam, we had no TV. It was discipline and studying. He instilled good, healthy habits. When you are young, you don’t understand, but looking back, I really appreciate it. I would not be the person I am today without him. He was my teacher.”

Today, Hoang flips through photo albums in his immaculate Chandler home. One can sense a feeling of sadness as he displays pictures of himself as a young, confident, smartly dressed officer. Communism had stifled his dreams and opportunities, but his voracious quest for knowledge for himself and for his sons never faltered. He reconnects to his roots by volunteering at the Area Agency on Aging, where he teaches citizenship classes, translates official documents for elderly Vietnamese refugees, and celebrates Vietnamese holidays.

“He’s a real asset to the Vietnamese community,” says Lejla Bogdanovic, the agency’s director. “He arrived in town a few years ago, and right away he got involved in the community. He enjoys helping others and being involved. I think it is a driving force in him.”

For Hoang, every day is an opportunity to learn something new. Hoang has grown from a fleeing teenager into a teacher, a soldier, a man willing to brave the seas for freedom. At last, he is victorious. His binders and books display his award-winning poetry and countless citations from volunteer agencies and educational institutions.

No longer is Hoang angry. His dark, powerful eyes close. He is proud of his American citizenship, but the harsh memories of Communist Vietnam always surface. “Most of them recognize they were wrong," he says, “but it is very hard to come out and tell the truth.”

Hoang leans back, brushes a piece of lint from his shirt, and sips his Vietnamese coffee. There are no threats on the horizon for the old soldier, no nights in prison or days imagining precious freedom. Joined by his wife and comforted by his sons’ success, he is at ease. His surroundings are finally peaceful.