---
title: Refugee Camp Activities and Lieutenant General Thiệu Distributing the First Portion of Rice (Đồng bào và Chính phủ hợp sức khai phá một vùng hoang vu)
url: https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/refugee-camp-thieu-first-rice-1965-1969/
description: A landscape photo-essay in Vietnamese and a Highland (Montagnard) language shows eight numbered scenes of refugees clearing land and building shelters
section: Collection
---

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3. Refugee Camp Activities and Lieutenant General Thiệu Distributing

[![Refugee Camp Activities and Lieutenant General Thiệu Distributing the First Portion of Rice, 1965 US poster: A landscape](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/images/refugee-camp-thieu-first-rice-1965-1969.jpg)](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/images/refugee-camp-thieu-first-rice-1965-1969.jpg)

# Refugee Camp Activities and Lieutenant General Thiệu Distributing the First Portion of Rice (Đồng bào và Chính phủ hợp sức khai phá một vùng hoang vu)

A landscape photo-essay in Vietnamese and a Highland (Montagnard) language shows eight numbered scenes of refugees clearing land and building shelters at a new district, with soldiers laying a 155 mm gun and a U.S. soldier setting up field telephones. A central oval photograph shows Lieutenant General Thiệu, Chairman of the National Leadership Committee, handing out the first rice and praising the settlers' resolve. The tell is the leader's presence in the middle of a ring of work scenes, tying aid, security and the head of government together as one story of rebuilding.

## Propaganda techniques used in this poster

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

## Text on the object

Original (Vietnamese and a Highland (Montagnard) language) · read from the image, not independently checked

```
Đồng bào và Chính phủ hợp sức khai phá một vùng hoang vu để thiết lập một quận mới. Trong lúc Việt Cộng phá hoại, thì đồng bào vẫn quyết tâm tiếp tục xây dựng tương lai của mình với sự trợ giúp của Chánh phủ.
Quân đội Chánh phủ và các người bạn Hoa kỳ đã chận đứng được sự hăm dọa phá hoại của Cộng sản, nên đồng bào tị nạn đã vững lòng xây dựng những ngôi nhà mới cho mình.

KON TƠRING PĂNG TEH DAK AKŎP MINH JƠHNGÂM BLĂH PĂI LĚ MINH ANIH BRI KƠMRÂNG [illegible] POJING MINH PŌM ANIH AOŬNG NAO (QUẬN MỚI). LÂM KƠ PLAH MU VIỆT-CỘNG PĂI KƠNA MU NHONG OH KON PƠLEI PƠLA OEI OĂ ADRIN DĂP DON OEI PƠTOI, PƠJING TƠDRONG NING NAI KAI TƠMŎNH KŎNH KƠ PO BƠN, DUH PĂNG TƠDRONG GŬM ĂN KƠ TEH DAK. [remainder of Highland-language text illegible at this resolution]

1. Dưới chánh thể quốc gia, nhờ máy móc, đồng bào đã cần cù khai phá vùng đất hoang vu này. Trong lúc xe ủi đất (trên) đang nặng nhọc san bằng vùng đất lớn ...thì đồng bào Thượng (dưới) đang lo sửa soạn những mảnh đất riêng cho chính mình.

2. [Photograph: villagers digging.]

Chủ-Tịch Ủy-Ban Lãnh-Đạo Quốc-Gia, Trung Tướng THIỆU, đang đích thân phân phát những phần gạo đầu tiên cho đồng bào ở quận mới này và có lời khen ngợi về sự quyết tâm xây dựng một đời sống mới cho chính họ.

3. Đồng bào đang vội vã tạo cho mình những tiện nghi tạm thời trong buổi đầu tiên.(3) Nhẹ nhàng đưa mình trên chiếc võng, với một bữa ăn vội vàng.(4) Một binh sĩ đang lợp một mái chòi tạm.

5. Đồng bào quyết tâm ở đây. Một đồng bào đang lo chuẩn bị sườn nhà để rồi cất, lợp và ở luôn đây.

6, 7. Quân đội đang lo liệu an-ninh cho đồng bào. Họ đang đặt 1 lỗ đại bác 155 m m trong lúc đó thì.... Binh sĩ Hoa Kỳ lo tổ chức hệ-thống điện-thoại để liên lạc với bên ngoài.

8. Đồng bào tị nạn, vì Việt-Cộng, đã phải rời bỏ nhà cửa của mình để đến một địa-điểm mới- Thanh-Bình (Pleiku)

[Banner in photograph 8:] ĐỒNG BÀO TỊ NẠN QUẬN [illegible] QUYẾT TÂM TIÊU DIỆT BỌN CỘNG SẢN ... ĐỒNG BÀO TRUNG TƯỚNG [illegible]

[Parallel Highland-language captions beneath each Vietnamese caption, in small capitals, illegible at this resolution beyond the fragments above, e.g. 'NHONG OH DUH DĂP DON LĂP KƠ BŎNŎH OEI PƠJING PLEI AH ÂU'; 'BOK CHỦ-TỊCH ỦY-BAN LÃNH-ĐẠO QUỐC-GIA, ĂNG TRUNG-TƯỚNG THIỆU'; 'KON PLEI PLA DEI TƠNAP TAP JĨ YUƠ DƠNG MU VIỆT-CỘNG'; 'MU LINH DÔNG HOA-KỲ TƠCHENG PƠJING ĂN SƠLUNG KƠ DRONG KƠ MĂI (ĐIỆN-THOẠI)']
```

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

```
The people and the Government join forces to open up a wild area and set up a new district. While the Viet Cong destroy, the people remain determined to go on building their own future with the Government's help.
The Government army and its American friends have stopped the Communist threat of destruction, so the refugees have firmly set about building new houses for themselves.

1. Under the national regime, with machinery, the people have diligently opened up this wild land. While the bulldozer (above) heavily levels a large area..., the Highland people (below) are busy preparing plots of their own.

The Chairman of the National Leadership Committee, Lieutenant General THIỆU, is personally handing out the first portions of rice to the people of this new district and praising their determination to build a new life for themselves.

3. The people are hurrying to make temporary comforts in the first days. (3) Gently swaying in a hammock with a hurried meal. (4) A soldier is roofing a temporary hut.

5. The people are determined to stay here. One man is preparing the frame of a house to build, roof and live in right here.

6, 7. The army is seeing to the people's security. They are setting a 155 mm gun, while... American soldiers are organising a telephone system to keep in touch with the outside.

8. The refugees, because of the Viet Cong, had to leave their homes for a new place, Thanh-Bình (Pleiku).

[Banner in photograph 8:] REFUGEES OF [illegible] DISTRICT ARE DETERMINED TO DESTROY THE COMMUNISTS ... [illegible]
```

The Highland-language text is too small to read reliably and is only partly transcribed; it is not translated.

[← RD Teams Serve Bac-Lieu](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/rd-teams-work-hard-for-the-people-of-bac-lieu-1965-1969/) [Quảng Ngãi cứu trợ đồng bào tỵ nạn Cộng Sản (Relief to Anti-Communist Refugees at Quang Ngai) →](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/relief-anti-communist-refugees-quang-ngai-1965-1969/)

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