Construction of the prisoner camps was a major feat in itself, but the U.S. and Vietnamese governments worked hard in many other areas to fulfill their responsibilities under the Geneva Conventions.

        At first the Vietnam government was reluctant to cooperate with the International Committee of the Red Cross with respect to inspections and furnishing lists of prisoners. Furthermore, the Democratic Republic of North Vietnam refused to allow the Red Cross any access to their prisoners and the South Vietnamese felt there should be reciprocity.

        In South Vietnam confinement facilities were the responsibility of the Minister of the Interior, and at the urging of the United States he agreed to allow more visits by Red Cross representatives to Vietnamese civil prisons and re-education centers where prisoners of war were being detained until the completion of the camps.

        In early 1966, as a result of U.S. efforts, representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross visited prisons at Tam Hiep, Con Son, and Da Nang, and the prisoner of war camp under construction at Bien Hoa. After it was completed, the Bien Hoa camp was again visited by Red Cross representatives in August 1966. The representatives were favorably impressed with the camp and agreed to provide health and welfare items on their next visit.

        In October 1966 the committee's representatives visited detention facilities in Da Nang and Pleiku, and again they were favorably impressed. Another Red Cross representative, accompanied by a Saigon delegation, made an extensive tour from 29 November until 8 December 1966 of South Vietnamese, Free World, and U.S. prisoner of war facilities throughout the Republic of Vietnam. The representative visited Vietnamese prisoner of war camps in I, II, and III Corps Tactical Zones: two Vietnamese Army hospitals; the Australian prisoner of war collecting point and field hospital; the Republic of Korea Capitol Division collecting point and hospital; the four U.S. collecting points and six U.S. hospitals; the III Marine Amphibious Force special detention facility at Da Nang; and the Philippine hospital at Tay Ninh. In 1967 members of the international press accompanied the representatives on their visits to two camps.

        Despite the many problems they encountered, the record is clear that the United States and South Vietnam made a vigorous effort to adhere to the exacting standards of the Geneva Prisoner of War Conventions. Within the Military Assistance Command Vietnam, the provost marshal was responsible for advising the Vietnamese prisoner of war camps, ensuring that they were operated in conformity with Geneva requirements, and acting as the point of contact for representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross. MACV policy and procedures pertaining to Red Cross inspections of prisoner of war camps were set forth in MACV Directive 190-6.

The material on this page was edited by the Viet Nam Project from, VIETNAM STUDIES ~ LAW AT WAR: VIETNAM 1964-1973  by, Major General George S. Prugh Department of The Army, Washington, D.C., 1975