VNExpress-Mar 27
The reed fields by the banks of Thach Han River in Quang Tri Province were where prisoner exchanges took place
after the Paris Accords, with 200 prisoners exchanged daily for two months. When peace was reestablished in Vietnam following the signing of the Paris Accords on January 27, 1973, one of the terms of the accords was prisoner exchanges. The United States and the Republic of Vietnam then formed a list of over 26,700 prisoners to be exchanged with the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.
The sites for the exchange were located in different localities, including Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Dong Nai and Binh Phuoc provinces. The first prisoner exchange took place on March 12, 1973. Parties sent each other the lists of prisoners to be exchanged early in the morning, and Hien also informed all the parties about weather conditions that day for the best preparations. The Republic of Vietnam used motor boats to carry prisoners across the river, with each ride carrying about 20. Many of them were severely malnourished and weakened, some unable to walk properly. Once the prisoners made it onto land, they were ushered away to have their clothes changed and to rest. Similarly, prisoners on the Republic of Vietnam side were carried to the opposite bank by motor boats. Small gifts, like notebooks and pens, were given to the prisoners. On the first days of the exchanges, the United States flew helicopters around the site, which was a violation of the Accords. Hien and the Vietnamese delegation called the United States out and requested an end to the violation, which the Americans eventually complied with. The prisoner
exchanges ended at the end of April 1973, Hien said. Read more at: https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/paris-accords-memories-the-prisoner-exchanges-by-quang-tri-river-banks-4586051.html
