A detachment of about fifty Chinese soldiers marched into the home of Duong Van Mai Elliott’s family. “They herded us upstairs and took over the ground floor,” she remembered. “The peasant soldiers were not used to urban amenities and at first [her brother] Giu had to teach them how to turn on the electric lights and ceiling fans. They were so pleased that they would stand by the switches, turning them off and on and staring in wonder at the effect.”
