It’s 1975 and Vietnam was finally at peace and reunified after centuries of fighting for its independence.
The victors set about renaming every street and neighbourhood in the former South after national heroes and significant others who helped create and defend the nation.
This is how Ho Chi Minh City got its name.
Today, in the city centre, there’s a small neighbourhood named after a young South Vietnamese university student from the Mekong Delta called Nguyen Thai Binh who at the height of ant-war demonstrations in the United States became a beacon for peace on its university campuses across the country.
But he was stripped of his scholarship and sent home to South Vietnam to face the music as a result of what he stood for.
This is one of the few known stories about a man who stood for peace at a time when it was deadly to do so.
What happened to him?
Listen to this podcast to find out.
Researched, written, narrated & edited by Matthew Cowan
Follow Matt on Instagram at @mattcowansaigon
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