---
title: Open Letter of the Province Chief of Binh Dinh
url: https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/open-letter-binh-dinh-province-chief-1966/
description: A single-sheet open letter (code SP-1061) from the military province chief of Binh Dinh, also chairman of the provincial Rural Reconstruction Committee.
section: Collection
---

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3. Open Letter of the Province Chief of Binh Dinh

[![Open Letter of the Province Chief of Binh Dinh, 1966 US poster: A single-sheet open letter (code SP-1061) from the military](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/images/open-letter-binh-dinh-province-chief-1966.jpg)](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/images/open-letter-binh-dinh-province-chief-1966.jpg)

# Open Letter of the Province Chief of Binh Dinh

A single-sheet open letter (code SP-1061) from the military province chief of Binh Dinh, also chairman of the provincial Rural Reconstruction Committee, is headed by his portrait beside the national flag and dated Qui Nhon, 21 April 1966. It blames Viet Cong sabotage after the events of 1 November 1963 for breaking the New Life Hamlet system, then asks all residents to join rural construction teams and take on hamlet defence themselves instead of relying on the army. It closes by predicting that 1966 will be a decisive year of success.

## Propaganda techniques used in this poster

[Transfer](https://propagandaarchive.org/techniques/transfer/) [Glittering generalities](https://propagandaarchive.org/techniques/glittering-generalities/) [Card stacking](https://propagandaarchive.org/techniques/card-stacking/)

## Text on the object

Original (Vietnamese) · read from the image, not independently checked

```
BỨC TÂM THƯ
Của
THIẾU-TÁ TỈNH-TRƯỞNG
TỈNH BÌNH-ĐỊNH
CHỦ-TỊCH HỘI-ĐỒNG
XÂY DỰNG NÔNG-THÔN

Gởi: TOÀN THỂ ĐỒNG-BÀO TRONG TỈNH:

Đồng-bào thân mến,

Lợi dụng tình thế rối ren trong giai đoạn chuyển tiếp sau ngày Cách-Mạng 1-11-1963, bọn Việt-Cộng đánh phá khắp nơi làm cho một số hệ thống Ấp Tân-Sinh đã xây dựng bị phá vỡ, làm cho một số đồng-bào phải sống trong tình trạng bất an, phập phòng lo sợ.

Để cứu vãn tình thế này, đem lại một đời sống thanh-bình an-lạc cho đồng-bào, Chính-quyền Tỉnh đã lập chương trình kế-hoạch bình-định tái-thiết nông-thôn và đang tiếp tục thực hiện.

Thành hay bại trong công tác, kế-hoạch có thực hiện hay không, chính là do vai trò của dân quyết-định. Dân chúng có triệt để tham gia với lòng tự nguyện và tinh thần kỷ-luật, có tận tình tiếp tay với Chính-quyền và Quân-Đội thì kế-hoạch mới chắc chắn bảo-đảm thành công.

Vậy tôi thiết tha kêu gọi toàn thể đồng-bào hãy nhiệt-liệt tham gia mọi công tác do các Đoàn cán-bộ xây-dựng nông-thôn đến hướng dẫn, chung lưng đấu cật với nhau để phòng thủ bảo-vệ Ấp và xây dựng lại thôn-xóm. Quân-đội phải lưu-động hành-quân đẩy lui và tiêu diệt các đơn-vị chính-quy của địch, không thể luôn luôn ở trong một thôn xóm nào. Vậy đồng-bào cần nên cẩn-thận nhận định rõ điều ấy để gạt bỏ mọi tư-tưởng ỷ lại vào Quân-đội và tự mình đảm đương lấy công cuộc phòng thủ xây dựng Ấp.

Với ý thức trách-nhiệm và tinh-thần cố-gắng của tất cả mọi người, chúng ta tin chắc rằng năm 1966 sẽ là năm quyết-định thành công, nông-thôn sẽ được vãn hồi an-ninh trật-tự, đồng-bào sẽ sống một cuộc sống thoải mái, tự-do bên những mảnh vườn, đám ruộng thân yêu.

Thân ái,
Qui-Nhơn, ngày 21 tháng 4 năm 1966

[handwritten:] Thiếu-Tá Trần-đình-Vọng
Tỉnh-Trưởng kiêm Tiểu-Khu-Trưởng
Tỉnh Bình-Định
[round stamp, partly illegible] [signature]

SP-1061
```

English translation (machine translation by Claude, not verified by a fluent reader)

```
OPEN LETTER
of the
MAJOR, PROVINCE CHIEF
OF BINH DINH PROVINCE
CHAIRMAN OF THE RURAL CONSTRUCTION COUNCIL

To: ALL COMPATRIOTS IN THE PROVINCE:

Dear compatriots,

Taking advantage of the confused situation in the transitional period after the Revolution of 1-11-1963, the Viet Cong attacked and wrecked everywhere, causing a number of the New Life Hamlet systems that had been built to be broken up, and causing some compatriots to live in a state of insecurity, anxious and fearful.

To retrieve this situation and bring a peaceful, secure life to the compatriots, the Provincial Government has drawn up a pacification and rural reconstruction plan and is continuing to carry it out.

Success or failure in the work, whether the plan is carried out or not, is decided by the role of the people. Only if the people take part thoroughly, with willingness and discipline, and wholeheartedly lend a hand to the Government and the Army, will the plan be surely guaranteed success.

So I earnestly call on all compatriots to take part enthusiastically in every task guided by the rural construction cadre teams that come to them, to stand shoulder to shoulder to defend the hamlet and rebuild the villages. The Army must move about on operations to push back and destroy the enemy's regular units and cannot always stay in any one village. Compatriots should therefore consider this carefully, so as to discard any idea of relying on the Army and take on for themselves the work of defending and building the hamlet.

With everyone's sense of responsibility and spirit of effort, we firmly believe that 1966 will be the decisive year of success, that security and order will be restored in the countryside, and that compatriots will live a comfortable, free life among their beloved gardens and fields.

Affectionately,
Qui Nhon, 21 April 1966

[handwritten:] Major Tran Dinh Vong
Province Chief and Sector Commander
Binh Dinh Province
[round stamp, partly illegible] [signature]

SP-1061
```

Translation is FRAME's own literal rendering from the poster's Vietnamese text; not verified by a fluent reader. Diacritics are transcribed as printed to the best of legibility at this image resolution. The printed 'Hội-Đồng Xây Dựng Nông-Thôn' is rendered 'Rural Construction Council' (NARA's title says 'Rural Reconstruction Committee'). The handwritten signature block and stamp are partly illegible.

[← Quân xâm lược Bắc Việt lại thảm bại trong mùa mưa năm nay tại Vùng II Chiến thuật (North Vietnamese Aggressors Are Beaten Again in II Corps During This Year's Rainy Season)](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/north-vietnamese-aggressors-beaten-again-ii-corps-1966/) [The People Condemn VC Crimes →](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/people-condemn-vc-crimes-1966/)

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