Facts have proved that if a country or a region wants to develop, it only needs a good system and a little execution.

As the second batch of industrial estate infrastructure works neared completion, the discovery of offshore oil fields, and the repayment of the industrial investment bonds sold in 1954 and 1955 with interest, the black market exchange rate between Piastre and the US dollar stabilized at the level of 45 piasters per US dollar. The Republic of South Vietnam, which was politically unstable and threatened by North Vietnam, became the most economically dynamic country in Southeast Asia.

Hong Kong has a large population and few lands, the Philippines has almost no industry to speak of, Malaya discriminates against the Chinese, Singapore, which has just become an autonomous state and exercises internal self-government, is more chaotic than Saigon, Indonesia's policy towards overseas Chinese can no longer be described as discriminatory, Laos has completely "fallen", Cambodia is in turmoil, and Thailand is lifeless......

Looking at Southeast Asia, South Vietnam has a unique scenery.

There is no need to deliberately guide the overseas representative offices of the Industrial Investment Corporation and several major Chinese chambers of commerce in Vietnam, and there is a steady stream of Chinese businessmen who come to invest in the Jinou Peninsula, and there are Chinese-funded enterprises holding groundbreaking or opening ceremonies almost every day.

Catina Street in downtown Sai Kung has become the largest financial centre in Southeast Asia.

More than 40 banks and insurance companies, including the State Bank of Vietnam, Bank of East Asia, Bank of Saigon, OCBC Bank, Nanyang Bank, Citibank of the United States, etc., gathered together. The newly renovated first-floor lobby of BEA has become a very professional but not officially listed stock and bond exchange.

For more than a century, the embankment has been the commercial center of Vietnam.

It still is, and it is more prosperous than ever.

The fifth, sixth, seventh, and eleventh districts are all about real estate development. A large shopping mall has risen from the ground. The professional wholesale markets are crowded. A variety of "Made in Vietnam" products are sold from here to Cambodia, Thailand, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Malaya and other countries and regions.

The value of industrial production grew at an average annual rate of 16.74 per cent. The value of exports has doubled year after year, the import and export trade has changed from a deficit to a current surplus, and the achievements of the Vietnam Industrial Estate Investment and Development Corporation in the past five years have stunned the "free world".

The University of Michigan's Government Research Agency, which was involved in the development and facilitation of the Industrial Village Project, was given a say in economic affairs in South Vietnam, and not only was the USAID Mission in Vietnam and the Special Economic and Technical Mission no longer in a position to dictate, but even the embassy was required to fully respect MSU's opinions.

Wesley Fisher has succeeded Professor Anderson as Chief Advisor to CIIC.

However, an advisor is an advisor after all. In the end, it is the top management of the company who has the final say.

On the afternoon of November 10, an American Airlines passenger plane slowly landed on the runway of Phu Quoc International Airport.

Li Weimin, who has rarely made an appearance in Saigon in the past two years, and Li Weimin, who has devoted himself to the large-scale development of the southern region, personally drove to greet the guests, and also participated in the greeting by Vice Chairman Chen Shiguo, General Manager Liu Jiachang, Deputy General Manager Wu Andong, and Chairman of the Management Committee of the Phu Quoc Island Special Economic Zone Qin Nanjian.

"Mr. Ambassador, welcome to the SAR."

John F. Kennedy, who is said to be running for the next president, and his partner Lyndon Johnson are his friends, not only in South Vietnam, but also internationally.

Ambassador de Brow would not treat a "child" like a Saigon official, holding his hand and introducing sideways: "Lee. This is General Lionel McGal, the newly appointed chairman of the Military Assistance Advisory Group. ”

"General, it's an honor to meet you."

Lionel also didn't take the shelf. Stretched out his right hand and said, "Mr. Chairman, it's a pleasure to meet you." ”

The matter to be discussed today was too sensitive, and Professor Fisher, who came with him, did not want to make it known to everyone, so when they finished shaking hands one by one, he pointed to the convoy and smiled: "Gentlemen, the airport is not the place to talk. Let's get in the car, the beach resort here is nice and we can go there and talk. ”

"Everyone, please."

They are the top political, military, and economic officials of the United States in Vietnam, and none of them can fail. Although the security on Phu Quoc Island was very good, Qin Nanjian still transferred a security squadron.

Escorted by security guards, the convoy sailed to the Sailing Club in the northeast corner of Phu Quoc, where everyone got out of the car and watched the sea view for a while, and then sat around a long table under the coconut trees for an open-air meeting.

"Mr. Lee, everyone knows that you are President Diem's most trusted friend and have unparalleled influence over Mr. President and his family, and on behalf of the Government of the United States, I sincerely hope that you will visit Saigon to persuade Mr. President on some issues and play your due positive role."

The assassination two years ago made Diem a little nervous.

Suspicious, no longer easily trusting others, not listening to any opinions, living in seclusion, staying in the presidential palace without going out, and not contacting the people.

Nepotism has reached an outrageous level, and officers who want to be promoted must be Catholic, and civil officials who want to be promoted must join the People's Workers' Party. While allocating funds for the construction of Buddhist temples and trying to keep the people away from the Vietminh through religion, the Catholic Church was given various privileges, such as the allocation of aid to Catholic villages, the distribution of weapons to Catholic villages, and the possession of private armies by Catholic priests.

At some events, the national flag and the Vatican flag were hoisted at the same time, and even Hue University and Dalat University were turned into church universities by him.

The benefits were not distributed well, and Chen Lichun, who was open-mouthed, made people angry and resentful, and the opposition became higher and higher. The American side obviously can't stand it, otherwise they won't find this place, and it's mysterious, for fear of being known by others.

It's a good time.

If Gui Qingshan's intelligence is okay, something big will happen in Saigon.

Li Weimin was silent for a moment, and said with a bitter smile helplessly: "Mr. Ambassador, General, in terms of personal relations, the professor's personal relationship with Mr. President is better than mine, and the professor can't convince him, I don't think I can." ”

Ambassador de Brow was anxious, stared him in the eye and said, "Mr. Li, if you can't do anything, then who in this world can convince him?" ”

"You, General, you can persuade, or rather, you can exert a little influence."

It's influence, but it's actually pressure.

"We have advised, and on more than one occasion, even made it clear that if we do not pursue democratization and reform the government, the United States will cut aid to Vietnam," said Ambassador de Brow. As a result, he did not compromise at all, and still stuck to the outdated set. ”

The soldier is not a politician, and General Lionel-McGar has a straighter temper and says with a serious face: "Mr. Chairman, we have reliable information that North Vietnam is infiltrating South Vietnam on a large scale. In fact, the situation is deteriorating in rural areas outside of the Kingull Peninsula.

On January 26 this year, the North Vietnamese army attacked a stronghold seven kilometers from Tay Ninh city, and the 32nd Infantry Regiment of the 21st Infantry Division of the government army suffered more than 160 casualties. Since January, they have been on the offensive in more than a dozen provinces, with the population of more than 2 million people in Vietminh-controlled areas.

If the Saigon government had not carried out democratic reforms and had not united all the forces that could be united, North Vietnam would not have launched a full-scale offensive at all, but would have been able to occupy the whole of South Vietnam in two years by engaging in guerrilla warfare. ”

Shortly after Ngo Dinh Diem was nearly assassinated in Buon Ma Thuot, Le Duan, a high-ranking member of the Workers' Party, returned to Hanoi under the escort of Hu Ying, a member of the "Hua-Movement" on the embankment, and members of the southern faction led by Le Duan gained the upper hand on the issue of reunification by force. In January last year, Hanoi convened an enlarged meeting of the 15 th Plenary Session of the CPC Central Committee, at which it made a decision to open up a strategic transportation line between the north and the south and send troops to the south.

Judging from the information collected by Gui Thanh Son, Han Shuo, and the intelligence department of the Reserve Officer Training Team, since the second half of last year, a large number of materials and troops of the People's Army have been continuously transported to the south through the Truong Son mountain range to save their last bit of fire in South Vietnam and begin to counterattack the South Vietnamese government.

To date, the 5th Infantry Division and the militia self-defense units of the villages in the Cape Narot area have engaged the 60th, 59th, 70th, 80th Special Agents of the North Vietnamese People's Army and local units in Tay Ninh province more than a dozen times.

In the most intense one, Resettlement Village No. 12 was besieged by two companies of the People's Army.

The militia Self-Defense Forces relied on the fortifications to provide a strong counterattack, and held out until the Fifth Infantry Division reinforced them, killing and wounding more than 80 enemy troops, and the Self-Defense Forces also suffered more than 60 casualties.

Since last year, the Reserve Officer Training Corps has organized security teams from various industrial villages, militia self-defense units, and special forces from Nongren resettlement villages to fight in the Parrot Cape area and Zhensha area.

Not only defensively, but also proactively.

With absolute superiority in weaponry and troops, and familiarity with the terrain and environment, they fought two ambushes and destroyed four camps in a row before they were scared and frightened, and they did not harass the defense area of the Fifth Infantry Division during this time.

Lionel McGar is not alarmist, in fact the situation in the central provinces is more serious than he claims.

After two years of hard work, the internal problems were barely resolved, and the external defense line had not yet been built, and it was not yet possible to cut off from Ngo Dinh Diem, and he had the impression that Ngo Dinh Diem was not so easy to finish.

Li Weimin took a deep breath and said in a low voice: "Gentlemen, frankly speaking, I don't agree with some of President Yan's practices, but I can't imagine anyone else who is more competent than him. Democratic reform is easier said than done, and the situation could be even worse if President Yan were overthrown as a result. ”

"That's what worries us the most, so I sincerely hope that you, Mr. President, will be able to convince you to make a little compromise on some issues, even if it's a little bit of gesture."

Otherwise, they will cut aid and then transfer the pressure to the industrial investment companies, as they did the previous times.

Li Weimin weighed it and agreed: "Okay, I'll try, but I can't go today." If you are interested, if you can, Mr. Qin will accompany you to visit the achievements of the SAR in the past few years, rest for one night, and return to Sai Kung tomorrow. ”

In the eyes of the Ngo Dinh Diem brothers, the Phu Quoc Special Zone is the rear of the big rear.

In the eyes of the United States, the Phu Quoc Special Zone is an industrial zone created by MSU.

Since you are here, of course you have to take a look, Ambassador de Brow and General Lionel-Megar looked at each other and smiled happily: "No problem, in fact I have long wanted to come and have a look." (To be continued.) )