“Re-education” Camps

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“Re-education” Camps

Prisons and Reeducation Camps of Vietnam - South Vietnam

Author: Joseph Nguyễn
Grades: 11-12

Suggested Amount of Time: 90 - 100 Minutes
Area of Study: Vietnamese Departures and Transit

Compelling Question

  • How did Vietnamese build communities as they attempted to survive and traverse the hardships of life in transit?

Lesson Questions
  • What is the history, specific policies, and implementation of “re-education” camps for soon-to-be Vietnamese refugees after the war?
  • What can the “re-education” camp experience tell us about the Vietnamese refugee community in America and the diaspora?
Lesson Objective

Students will be able to identify and describe post-war communist policies regarding re-education, its connection to why Vietnamese refugees fled Vietnam, and explain how these policies affect the personal experiences of Vietnamese Americans by interacting with sources and creating a slide presentation. 

Lesson Background

After the end of the Vietnam War in 1975 and the reunification of the country under the rule of the Communist Party of Vietnam, a large number of Vietnamese individuals were sent to “re-education” camps. The purpose of these camps, in theory, was to 're-educate' former military officers, government workers, and others associated with the previous South Vietnamese government or its American allies.

The duration of the sentences varied significantly based on the perceived level of mis-education or mis-guidance. Lower-ranked officials, civil servants, and enlisted soldiers were typically sentenced to between three to five years of “re-education”. Higher-ranked officials, officers, and anyone considered having committed serious transgressions could be sentenced to ten years or more. In practice, these sentences were often extended indefinitely without any clear process for review or appeal.

The types of prisoners held in these camps were diverse, but generally they were individuals associated with the South Vietnamese government or military. These included military officers and enlisted soldiers, government officials and civil servants, intellectuals, teachers, and even religious leaders who were seen as having been supportive of the South Vietnamese regime or critical of the Communist Party. Some of these prisoners were high-ranking individuals, while others were ordinary soldiers or workers. They all shared the experience of having been on the losing side of the conflict.

Conditions in the “re-education” camps were harsh and often brutal. The camps were typically located in remote, harsh environments like jungles or mountains. Prisoners were subjected to hard physical labor, often in dangerous or unhealthy conditions. Food and medical care were inadequate, leading to malnutrition and disease. In addition, prisoners were subjected to political indoctrination sessions, where they were taught about the principles of socialism and the supposed evils of the old regime and its Western allies.

Although it was termed as a “re-education” camp, keep in mind that the actions that took place at these sites conflicted with the name itself and served more as a political prison. 

Image Citation: Prisons and Reeducation Camps of Vietnam - South Vietnam | Virtual Saigon. (n.d.). Virtual-Saigon.net. Retrieved December 18, 2023, from https://virtual-saigon.net/Maps/Collection?ID=1395 ‌

Historical Thinking Skills

This lesson will facilitate student proficiency in historical significance, one of Seixas’ historical thinking skills (Seixas & Morton, 2013). Students make personal decisions about what is historically significant, and then consider the criteria they use to make those decisions. Students consider how events, people, or developments have historical significance if they resulted in change. That is, they had deep consequences, for many people, over a long period of time.

  • Supplies
    • Access to laptop device
  • Readings
    • “Re-education camps”
    • “Re-education in unliberated Vietnam: Loneliness, Suffering, and Death”
  • Handouts
    • “Re-education” Camps Graphic Organizer, suggested text in lesson
  1. Warm-Up (five minutes)
    1. Prompt students to consider the following: Where do you consider your safe space to be, and why? (Teacher can provide examples such as: home, at school, at the beach, in the garden, etc.)
      1. Students will share with a peer and solicit student responses to the class.
    2. Teacher will introduce lesson objectives and lesson questions.
  2. Anticipatory Set (10 minutes)
    1. Class will be divided into groups of three to four.
    2. Groups will compete with each other by writing down any information they know about the assigned topic in the time allotted (should be completed on Google Docs for students to keep).
      1. If needed, groups can be divided into roles: writer, researcher, communicator or spokesperson, timekeeper etc. 
    3. Prompt: Based on your knowledge of history and current events, write a bulleted list (numbered from #1) about any details you know pertaining to human detainment camps. For example: concentration camps of the Holocaust to the Japanese internment camps in the United States, detention of the Uyghurs in China today, or the American prison/incarceral complex.
    4. After five minutes, students will read responses aloud and add to their notes and/or share their notes with each other. 
    5. Teacher will then introduce the topic of “re-education” camps in Vietnam and ask what common themes can be found in these detainment camps throughout history. 
      1. Possible common themes: oppression, censorship, restraint, lack of freedom, trauma, persecution.
      2. References for Teachers: https://vietnamesemuseum.org/our-roots/re-education-camps/
      3. Teachers can also utilize the lesson background to supplement with providing context.
  3. Teacher Input (delivery of historical context) (20 minutes)
    1. The teacher will provide a brief review on post-war communist policies in Vietnam. Teachers should encourage students to take notes throughout this presentation. See suggested points:
      1. Separation: Vietnamese Boat People (Vietnam Post-War Conditions that Led to the Refugee Crisis) 
      2. Women Refugees: Many women whose fathers, brothers, and sons served in the ARVN military and sent to “re-education” camps were forced to be the sole providers for the family. Discrimination in schooling and employment occurred frequently to families that worked with the puppet government and American imperialists. Many women and children fled without their families in “re-education” camps. Over 6,000 women imprisoned in re education camps often lacked basic sanitary care and were forced to raise their children in camps.
      3. Journey From the Fall: Story of a grandmother, mother, and child who flees by boat to America while their father, Long, is imprisoned in a “re-education” camp. Inspired by the true stories of Vietnamese refugees who fled their land after the fall of Sài Gòn—and those who were forced to stay behind, Journey From the Fall follows one family’s struggle for freedom. Inspired by the true stories of Vietnamese refugees who fled their land after the fall of Sài Gòn—and those who were forced to stay behind, Journey From the Fall follows one family’s struggle for freedom.
      4. “Re-education” Camps: Former members of RVN government and military promised to be reeducated for only a week to one month to assimilate into the new communist society. Average sentence for prisoners was between 3-10 years. Over 1 million people were reeducated after 1975. Prisoners were often forced to clear landmines and would get blown up in the process. Prisoners also have to write self-confessions of crimes and take classes on socialism and communism
      5. New Economic Zones: Those considered reactionary to the new regime (mostly in Sài Gòn) were forced to cultivate barren lands away from the city. Targeted groups: Ethnic Chinese; Bắc 54, Northern Vietnamese who fled the North to the South in 1954; religious groups including Catholics, Cao Đài, Hoa Hảo, etc.; and ethnic minorities. Conditions were often so harsh that families returned to the city or fled by boat. Some families had never cultivated a day in their life because they lived in Sài Gòn. 
      6. Ethnic Chinese Racism 1979: Sino-Vietnamese War: China invades Vietnam to punish Vietnam for invading Cambodia. Cambodia aligned with China, Vietnam aligned with the Soviet Union. Nạn Kiều policy: Policy of heavy discrimination against Chinese businesses and forcing ethnic chinese to new economic zones. Ethnic Chinese afraid of racism fled by boat (many from Chợ Lớn Chinatown area in Sài Gòn and in North Vietnam). Most fled to Hong Kong refugee camps for safe passage to the US and UK.
      7. Freedom of Religion: Religious organizations, churches, and temples were closed down and/or restricted after 1975.
      8. Gia Đình Phật Tử (The Buddhist Family) was banned in Vietnam until 1996. Buddhist sects were restricted and only allowed to operate under the United Buddhist Church of Vietnam (created in 1981 that worked with the communist government). Thiếu Nhi Thánh Thể (Vietnamese Eucharistic Youth Movement) was also banned in Vietnam until 1996. Priests and bishops who spoke out against the regime would be jailed or reeducated.
      9. Key Vocabulary: As explained by abolitionist organization Critical Resistance, “the Prison Industrial Complex (PIC) is a term we use to describe the overlapping interests of government and industry that use surveillance, policing, and imprisonment as solutions to economic, social and political problems.” By naming the PIC, we identify the expansive network of people and parties with vested interests in mass incarceration and uncover how this network functions to fill prisons and support mass incarceration.
  4. Cultural Production - Student Activity and Investigation (30–40 minutes)
    1. Students will participate in a group research presentation.
    2. The teacher will distribute the “Re-education” Camp report (See source: https://indomemoires.hypotheses.org/2388).
    3. Each group will be assigned a subsection: “Registration and Arrest,” “Camp Conditions,” “Camp Routine,” “Labor is Glory,” “Rules and Punishment,” “The Prisoners and their Families,” and “Release Policy” (seven groups total)
      1. Depending on class size, about three to four students per group is suggested.
    4. The entire classroom will share a Powerpoint Presentation (or equivalent) in which each group summarizes important historical details in each section on their respective slides
    5. Groups should also conduct extra research on their section to include: actual quotes from “re-education” camp prisoners, pictures of “re-education” camps, maps, etc.
  5. Community Collaboration - Presentation Time (20 minutes)
    1. Students will present the slide made by group (recommended: each group will be given four minutes each for their section). 
      1. Alternatively, students can post their slides to an online document and allow viewing access to their peers. Groups can also screen record their presentations utilizing applications such as Screencastify. 
    2. During each presentation, students will fill out a graphic organizer about each of the other groups sections to turn in. Suggested title of notes: “Re-education Camps Graphic Organizer” 
      1. Suggested Sections: 
        1. Registration and Arrest
        2. Camp Conditions
        3. Camp Routine
        4. Labor is Glory
        5. Rules and Punishment
        6. The Prisoners and their Families
        7. Release Policy
  6. Reflection and Closure (10 minutes)
    1. The teacher will discuss with the students to reflect how “re-education” camp policies may affect Vietnamese Americans today. Reflection can be done verbally or as a written activity.
      1. Points to consider: Trauma, migration patterns, waves of refugees, memorials.

Students will co-construct and present a slide presentation regarding a specific component of the “re-education” camps.

  • Engagement: Consider the following method to support with lesson engagement:
    • Create cooperative learning groups with clear goals, roles, and responsibilities  
  • Representation: Consider the following method to support with multiple means of representation:
    • Use advanced organizers (e.g., KWL methods, concept maps) 
  • Action and Expression: Consider the following method to support in presenting their learning in multiple ways:
    • Provide models or examples of the process and product of goal-setting 

 

For additional ideas to support your students, check out the UDL Guidelines at CAST, 2018 http://udlguidelines.cast.org.

  • Emerging: Consider the following method to support with emerging students:
    • Writing: Require vocabulary notebooks with non-linguistic representations or L1 translations 
      • During integrated ELD, teachers may sometimes offer strategic primary language support for EL students who are newcomers or at the earliest level of Emerging proficiency.
  • Expanding: Consider the following method to support with expanding students:
    • Writing: Provide rubrics and exemplars to scaffold writing assignments 
      • Using mentor text - Text written by authors used to analyze craft, a particular writing style, word usage, structure, etc.
  • Bridging: Consider the following method to support with bridging students:
    • Writing: Require academic writing and the use of target academic vocabulary 
      • Apply domain­-specific vocabulary and general academic vocabulary in open sentence frames to perform functions, like describing or explaining, that target specific grammatical structures.

For additional guidance around scaffolding for multilingual learners, please consult the following resources:

  1. Watch Journey From the Fall, (Vượt Sóng):
    • The teacher will introduce characters of Journey From the Fall and connect history to context. Situated after the Fall of Sài Gòn, Long is a soldier who is taken to a “re-education” camp while his family attempts to escape Vietnam by boat and assimilate in America. Teachers may need to rent the movie to access the whole film. 
  2. Socratic Seminar: Bring students’ attention to the term re-education camp versus political prison and the choice of words used in differing narratives and contexts by the Communist party. Have students engage in a Socratic Seminar regarding impacts of such terminology use and have them explore other terms in history or society that might have double meaning as well. Discussion points and questions can include: 
    • Who’s narrative and perspective does each term enforce?
    • What role does language play in shaping our understanding of historical events? 
    • What strategies can we use as active learners to identify and challenge language that may reinforce a particular historical perspective?
  3. History of detainment camps: Have students conduct research on other human detainment camps throughout history that have been termed legal and justified by their respective countries. Students can look into what recommendations can be made to prevent such conditions from ever occurring again in each country.

Model Curriculum

Vietnamese American Experiences

Standard(s)

HSS 11.9 W.11-12.8 RI.11-12.7

Grade(s)

Grade 11 Grade 12