By LEN FOX WISH that millions from the | “free world” could come to Vietnam. I wish they could stand with us here on the rail- way station of Dong Dang, in the very north. In the hazy cold of the early morning, the paddy fields Stretch far on either side — green fields of rice crop sprout- ing from the wet, brown, ter- raced earth. : The green rice is like a sym- bol of peace.. And across the rice fields walk the peasants in their conical hats, busy at their peaceful, fruitful work. But above the green plains rise the jagged rock hills, and on the hilltops are the ruins of the French forts. Huge squat hunks of con- crete, upturned and ugly, they seem to be symbols too — symbols of war, of a foreign slavery that was forced on this rich land. This was the two years ago. And there were those in high places who wanted to extend the destruction. It was touch and go. But instead of atom bombs, 1954 brought the Geneva Agreement for peace in Indo- China. & Rice output rose nearly 38 percent last year. This year, according to the government plan, it will rise another 22 percent. This is only a beginning, the people explain. They are still healing the war wounds. They have a long way to go. But from the train you can see that the peasants are work- ing in teams, in a planned way, a new way. Sometimes you can see little labels on sticks in the terrac- ed paddy fields. “That is where there has been land reform,” our young Vietnamese friend explains. “The landless and poor peas- ants have been given land.” Land reform is a big thing in a country where the land- lords were four percent of the population but owned 50 per- cent of the land. They partly dominated another 20 percent owned by French settlers and government officials. The peasants, 87 percent of the population, were left with jess than 30 percent of the land. (Excluding the few rich eres, the peasants had only 25 percent.) The majorityg of peasants had no land, or so little that im the main they had to slave for the landlord. ; Telling his life story, a Viet- name€se peasant may say: “Then my father died.” “How did he die?” “The landlord beat him to death.” With us it is so common to die of old age that we do not scene of war say: “My father died of old age.” We say: “My father died.” In Vietnam it was so com- mon to die of being beaten that they merely say: “My father died.” Today, the fifth drive of land President Ho Chi Minh of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam visited China last year and was an honored guest at a the reconstruction of Vietnam. Green rice and garden party in Peking. China has granted extensive aid for crumbling forts reform is being completed in the main regions of North Viet- nam — the delta and midlands. Commencing with rent re- Cuction, land reform has pro- ceeded to the giving of land to the tillers — to the former- ly landless or “land-poor.” More than half a million families have been given land —- often with an implement. as well, some grain stocks, a buf- falo or a share in a buffalo or cow. A new life has opened for these people. The questions of whether the land has been confiscated Without payment or requisi- tioned with payment (or some- thing in between) have been settled according to the be- havor of the landlord concern- ed — with special protection for religious dignitaries and religious communities. And all this has been done not merely by decree from above, but through “mass mobilization.” = The organization and _ initi- ative of the working peasants heve been carefully develop- ed. They have been shown that it is they who must now run the villages. The feudal grip of the brutal landlord has been broken for- €ver. Looking at the map of Hanoi, you can see it is divid- ed almost into two. The French quarter has wide streets, carefully planned. The “native quarter,” as the col- onialists used to call it, is a crewded maze of narrow streets. In the old days the ordin- ery Vietnamese people were not seen in the beautiful big streets with their lively trees. Everywhere were barbed wire and broken glass on walltops *o make sure they kept out. Today, some of the jagged glass is still “there, but the Vietnamese people walk proud- ly throughout their capital. French colonialism gave Viet- nam not one large-scale indus- iry — a little coal, cement, paper, alcohol, but little else. According to figures given by a U.S. writer, Richard Walker, the French gave Viet- nam four secondary schools, 1,700 opium dens, and 120,300 vzine-shops. ‘ French colonialism left Viet- nam undeveloped and ravag- ed. It left Vietnam torn in two. 4 The Vietnamese people de- feated the French. But to ensure peace, the Viet- nimese government agreed at Geneva to a temporary mili- tary demarcation line at the 17th Parallel. The agreement made it clear that this was to be a tempor- ary line, that general elections in July 1956 would make Viet- nam united and completely in- dependent. The imperialist powers have row flagrantly broken their promise given at Geneva. The Americans, taking over from the French in the South, have installed Ngo Dinh Diem as their puppet ruler. An attempt is being made to paint Diem as a democrat. Let Lucien Bodard of the French capitalist newspaper France-Soir give the real pic- ture of Diem: Bodard writes that to criti- @ze Diem “leads to prisof.” He “is like a python who swallows his enemies one after another; but there always re- mains for him painful and end- less indigestion.” In the rich South; says Bodard, which used to export rice, there is now. “enormous” unemployment and a rice shortage. Hanoi children celebrate in streets. PACIFIC TRIBUNE — August 17, 1956 — Diem came to “faked plebiscite,” with the help of ¢ U.S. dollars a yeat a penny goes to masses.” Diem puts all the government posts in cf his own family @ attacks they agreement and is sell Hitlerite network @ concentration camps cpenly His officials talk the “march to the Here in the north; Plan is also buildi 5 tives and encouragits industry, raising liv a ards, conquering @ building schools, dé diseases that wer unaer colonialism. Something~ new born... 7 President Ho cabinet includes Cave Buddhists as well as* ists. The Communist the forerunner of th party — the name — corresponding to ~ t the big meetin there are always § only from the Lao put also from the and Socialist partie Dai religious sect. church, the all - Fatherland Front, ether organizations Reconvene the Ge® ference! Carry ou €va agreement ! These are the dem@ of thousands are ™ them in Hanoi st? hons are marching Vietnam. Their spirit of | smashed the steel 4% of the invaders’ 1 hundred hills. It marches on today fresh victories.