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Active Duty in Squadron.
Indochina. 2nd Deployement
Vietnam at Nha-Trang.
We only stayed a few days in Saigon to take care of paperwork and learn our
final destination, Nha-Trang. This town is located on the shore of the China sea, 300 km north of Saigon. At
first impression the place looked welcoming and pleasant. This turned out to be true on the long run. The base
was located on the shore with a superb, 6km long beach. However, we were disappointed when we learned of the type
of work we would be doing. We were members of a Vietnamese flight school, the CIAVN. Up to this point a French
officer headed it but it so be handed over to the Vietnamese airforce shortly. To summarize the school, the training
planes were old Morane 500 Criquet and the students are not very technically knowledgeable. These youth are supposed
to complete a solo flight within a small number of training hours. Thereafter, they will complete their training
on US or French soil.
For my friend Xavier and I, sitting in the pilot's seat of a light aircraft after having flown four-engine Languedoc,
we had reasons to be disappointed. On the flip side, the location was heavenly. In spite of the Geneva accords,
clashes between the North and South had already begun (in fact they never stopped). However, in Nha-Trang we were
far from these political games taking place in the country's capital, Saigon. We finally resolved ourselves, accepted
our appointment and decided to enjoy it regardless. Our favorite pastime was going to the beach. We usually stayed
among French. We were a group of about forty people. That number went on the shrink as the VN government was turning
its back to France and welcomed the powerful and benevolent United States.
During this deployment, I went for a routine physical. The doctor found a spot on my lung X-ray (usually attributed
to tuberculosis). Far from imagining such a thing, I was devastated. I was immediately sent to the Grall military
hospital in Saigon to have additional tests done. I was probed and examined and had to wait a week for the results.
In the end, they did not find anything wrong. Relieved although a bit upset, I headed back to the base. To forget
the whole thing, I was sent to the mountain resort of Dalat (100 km north of Nha Trang) for some R&R. The weather
there is similar to the one in France. All branches of the military were present there. We were very well treated
and the food was excellent. They also had organized tours. After this interlude, I got back to Nha Trang and
work.
We were always happy to see newly appointed pilots. I happened to know some of them like Pieroni and Ginet (our
path will cross again later in Avord). We also had the pleasure to be receiving new planes, Cessna L19.
Every year in November/December, swimming is not recommended as the sea becomes rough and the risk of shark attack
is much higher. When this period ends, we go back to our daily routine and our favorite hobby, snorkeling in the
Cau-Da bay nearby. We didn't have to go deep to reach amazing coral reefs. The Bao-Daï villa was also located
in Cau-Da. This villa was one of the residence of the Vietnamese ex-Emperor Bao-Daï (he was in fact spending
more time on the French Riviera because it had casinos and Boa-Daï didn't). Barely a year after our arrival
we learned that the French military assistance team was going to be leaving shortly. This news made married personnel
happy the separation made thing a little harder. As for myself, I didn't care. I was getting used to this "summer
camp" atmosphere on the shores of the China Sea.
February 1956 had been a cold month in France (up to -20° C during most of the month). We flew a Dakota to
Saigon and then an Air France DC4 to Paris-Orly. We arrived on March 23, 1956. Thankfully, it was almost spring
and the temperatures were warmer.
I was after-all happy to be back on French soil. I had a month leave before my next assignment. It took the Traction
out of the garage. The bike however had to wait. My brother Pierre cannibalized the carburetor to use it on a
farm implement.
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Aerial view of Nhatrang, beaches and mouth of the river.
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During this sojourn as flight instructors at the Vietnamese flying school, we were surprised to receive the Vietnamese
pilot's wings and diploma. We also had an official graduation ceremony for the presentation. Diploma and wings
are very rare documents, so I am proud to present them here…
TheVietnamese pilot's wings
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