I’d like the lady to tell me what life was like in the village immediately before August 1965 and what activities were going on in the village, was, was the resistance here or what? You speak to her. Tell her to look just at me.

Please tell us what life was like in the village before 1965.

Please tell us what life was like in the village before 1965. Were there NLF or guerrilla forces in the village and how did the Americans come? You can start.

In August 1965...

Just a minute. Can we start again? Could you ask her to talk to, just, I understand, talk to me.

You can talk to him and see the camera.

I saw the Americans burnt down the houses in the village, killed the villagers; there were fire and shells exploding everywhere the Americans went.

Could you ask her what happened on the day that the American troops arrived?

In Cam Ne wherever the Americans went, they burnt and destroyed and killed the population. They killed all. I did not see any guerrilla, only village inhabitants getting killed.

Could you tell me what, what happened on the day the Americans arrived?

Please tell us what happened on August 2 when the Americans arrived, how the cars arrived...

The Americans arrived in August 1965.

What did they do when they arrived? Did they burn houses?

The Americans shelled the village as they came in. Then they burnt down the houses and destroyed everything. They arrested people, lined them up and shot them. All the houses were burnt down. We did not have any place to live and had to live in the bushes. We were really outraged at the Americans for having come here to destroy all the things belonging to the people.

Would you say that because I wasn't here and I come from many thousands of miles away, I'm having difficulty fully understanding. Perhaps you could just describe the day fully for me, from the first time...

Before that day, when the Americans had not yet arrived, we worked hard and we had a decent life. When the Americans came, they destroyed and burnt everything. And so we did not have anything left to eat. They burnt all the rice and destroyed all the houses.

Please tell us in as much detail as you can of the way the Americans came to the and burnt down the houses. When they came in and so on.

On August 2, 1965, the Americans came and burnt everything in their way: The village of Cam Ne, the village of Thach Bu, Cham Que and Chau Bac were all burnt down. They burnt and shelled as they advanced.

When they arrived at someone’s house, they would throw smoke and tear gas grenades into the house. They lined members of my family up when they arrived and shot a few of them, nine members of my family were killed. I escaped and that is why I manage to survive until today. But my whole family was wiped out.

They burnt down everything. There was nothing left for the people to live in. The Americans were very cruel. And I am still outraged at them. My entire family was wiped out.

You said that eight members of your family were killed. How were they actually killed?

They were killed on that day when the Americans came into the village.

But how were they killed? Did the Americans shoot them?

They were shot dead on the spot. The only person who survived was a seven month old granddaughter who was being nursed at the time. Her mother and father were killed by the Americans. She survived, but they took her away to some military post. They said that they would bring her back, but she never was brought back. I don't know where she is.

How many times did the Americans come, and where did she live after her house was burned down?

After your house was burnt down, where did you stay? And after that did the Americans come here again?

After they burnt down my house, I had to live in the bush, throwing up some leaves to make a shelter. There was nowhere else I could stay because everybody's house was burnt down.

Did the Americans come here again?

I did not understand your question.

After that day in August 1965 did the Americans return again?

They surely did. After that they came back to burn and destroy again. And they directed artillery shells into this area, all over the village and we just could not see anything at all. They methodically burnt down all the houses, not a single one of over one hundred houses was spared.

Okay, let's cut it.

Can the lady describe to me how she saw the actions of the American soldiers, and what did they actually do? And how did they behave?

Did you see what the Americans were doing in the village? How did they burn the houses? Did you witness it?

Did I witness it? They burnt houses from the beginning to the end of the village. We were so scared. I hated the Americans - they destroyed the houses and left us with no place to live. They just destroyed everything. The Americans looked for places to destroy. They destroyed the street using grenades. Smoke was everywhere. They started hundreds of fires. They burnt everything.

Okay, let's cut it.

Tell the lady this - obviously from the photograph we have this is not the first time she's been filmed by television cameras. Does she remember the television cameras when they came here? I believe they came to the village several times. And what did she think of them, and the way they worked or what they did?

This is not the first time you are being filmed. According to the picture, you had been filmed many times before by the American film crews. What were your feelings then? And did they ask you anything about it?

Please speak more clearly. I can’t hear you very well.

In your photographs, it seems that the American film crews had taken your picture. What were your feelings then?

When the Americans came, they just burnt and destroyed everything. It was in a state of total confusion, and so I did not know that they were taking pictures. All the houses were destroyed and burnt down and I had to live in the bush, so what did I know whether they were filming or not.

Okay, then.

What did the lady think the Americans were actually trying to do? And could you ask her not to [unclear].

Did you know whether the Americans had other objectives and were doing other things besides burning down the village? Were they looking for NLF soldiers?

At that time the Americans came to destroy the village. They shelled the village and destroyed the houses. At that time the people suffered a lot because of the Americans. They had to live in the bushes because of the Americans. They destroyed everything and there was no place left for people to live in.

Okay, cut it.