Memories are choking me.

When the Vietcong came into Saigon on April 30, 1975 and thus effectively ended the long civil war instigated by China, I was safe and sound in a democratic society somewhere in the Pacific. I then managed to get to the U.S. and have lived there ever since. Thus in my heart, Saigon has always been the Saigon of those years prior to April 30, 1975, in spite of my being back for visits four times already. The Saigon of today (Ho Chi Minh City, fuck that name!) means absolutely nothing to me, with its high-rise hotels and office buildings and massive throngs of people day and night and congested traffic and smog and noise.

Today somebody posted on the Internet the photos of Saigon and nearby cities of those years prior to April, 1975 and when I saw them, I felt choked and tears welled up in my eyes. Then I wonder how some people can forget where they came from and turned their back on their country in its hour of need. I wonder if they really can forget the memories or they are just into denial because of cowardice and selfishness.