At VUS, where I teach, we have a lesson for secondary students on the topic of what their town was like in the past. Of course, this is perfect for me, a self-declared local amateur historian. But a recent comment from my teaching assistant stopped me in my tracks. She mentioned that when she was …
Author Archives: Will Holland
Looking for Kon Djéri Kong
In the course of my research for the two-part series on the Kingdom of Sedang, I stumbled upon references to a village by the name of “Kon Djéri Kong”, the site where Guerlach said he was based for his catholic mission at the time. I thought knowing more about the place might give me something …
Mayréna Part 2: King of Sedang
In part 1, we explored how Mayréna lead an expedition into the wild jungle near Kontum, Central Vietnam. Here he succeeded in thwarting a rival Prussian expedition and thus secured French dominance in the region by forging alliances with chiefs of the Sedang Tribe; the last tribe standing in the way of a road from …
Mayréna Part 1: Expedition to Secure Highland Chiefs
In this 2 part post I’m going to recount a remarkable episode in the history of Kontum province, central Vietnam. It follows the escapades of a French cavalryman turned confidence trickster, Marie-Charles David de Mayréna, who ventured beyond the frontiers into lawless winderness. When he got there he did something very unexpected. He declared himself …
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Pleiku Internment Camp
Not to be confused with the older French-built Pleiku Jail, the Pleiku Internment Camp (also known as the POW camp) was constructed in 1966 and remained in operation until 1972. The camp was run by the South Vietnamese Army (ARVN II Corps) so little has been written in English that I’ve been able to find …
Summer Update: Conference & Volunteering
It’s been a busy summer. I spoke at a conference in Saigon, I spent a lot of time volunteering. Now we’ve reached the Bank holiday break for Vietnamese Independence day and I’m off to Saigon to see some friends for a well earned break. Conference At some point early in the year my employer VUS …
The Voice of the Army and the People of Vietnam
The real war however, is being fought not for the bodies but the minds of the Vietcong. – Congressman David S. King 1966 In late 1967, U.S. Military Assistance Command-Vietnam (MACV) placed a 50,000-watt AM radio transmitter in Pleiku to broadcast to the northern provinces of South Vietnam. “The Voice of the Army and the …
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Four Legged Friends at Pleiku Airbase
In 1960, U.S. advisers to the South Vietnamese military initiated a dog program, aiming to use sentry dogs for base protection and scout dogs for tracking the Viet Cong. From 1965 to 1970, Pleiku Airbase, now the airport, employed 26 dogs, humorously nicknamed “Four Footed Radar,”. On October 29th [1965], twenty-five of us received orders …
Painting a Picture of the Pleiku City in 1962: Dusty sun, Muddy rain
In 1962, Pleiku buzzed with the onset of US operations[1]. As the war escalated, this city would transform into a key battleground, changing rapidly in response. But in 1962, Pleiku remained a tranquil oasis for the Republic of Vietnam in the wild highlands. Join me as we journey back in time with photos and quotes …
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The Significance of Montagnard Bangles
Jewelry plays a significant role in the cultures of the space of gong culture, including items like beaded bracelets, necklaces, metal belts, jingle bracelets, ear plugs, earrings, and torques. As in most cultures worldwide, this jewelry can be worn for purely aesthetic reasons or can hold deeper meaning for the individual on a personal level …
