Police, police everywhere - just who are they?

In talking to policemen, two things become clear quickly: They don't like dealing with Foreigners, and the English word "Why". But  don't feel bad, the police don't much like today's younger Vietnamese youth for they complain, like the late Rodney Dangerfield, they have no respect.

Essentially there are two generic types of police: the ones that carry guns and wear the baggy olive green uniform they are either totally or partially controlled by the military through the Ministry of People's Public Security of VietNam. The other generic are ones not wearing baggy greens, such as the CGST, and not carrying a weapon.

The organisation chart of the law  enforcement forces in VietNam is like a maze, quite honestly I don't think many understand it. My friendly colonel in TP HCM People's Public Security has never yet explained the interlocking relationships and when he gets frustrated explaining he cries 'Let's Drink'!

Many dress alike. The baggy olive green uniform being the most common. There are variants like olive green fatigues worn by the club carrying thugs that 'police' the narrow Hiems - they are some in the Pham Ngu Lau area.

There there are the light coloured uniformed sceurity guard outfit, a commercial enterprise of the Cong An - they often carry two-way radio's. They can get an illegally parked vehicle taken away in minutes.

Firemen, too, wear the baggy greens, except they don't carry a gun or have red epaulets. Municipal (Peoples Committees) inspectors and enforcement officers either wear baggy greens without weapons or a tan uniform, without weapons.

In Hue they also have police who wear dark blue uniforms, designed after the CGST uniform, who enforce truck regulations.

This weekend I was out in my Zodiac on Dak Lake and I encountered another type of police. The Marine Police - who carry arms and are partially controlled by the military (Army) and parially by the coastal protection authorities.

VietNam Marine Police's Symbol

The Marine Police 'patch', or work area, is any navigable inland water and coastal areas - close in.

These guys on the weekend had a nice fibre glass vessel powered by a 50 Horse Power outboard motor which the drag around on a trailer hitched to an old Jeep.

They checked my boat for safety items (bailer, life jackets, whistle/horn, lights, etc). They checked the fishing lines and a non-existent 'catch'. They even gave us few bottles of drinking water as a Tet present, then they were off.