The United States has poured millions of dollars worth of goods especially fuel and military support goods, into South Vietnam every month since it became involved in the war in South East Asia. Security experts estimate that about ten per-cent of those goods find their way on to the South Vietnam black market in the streets of Saigon.

HEAVY security precautions are taken at ports and along the transport routs from the sea to Saigon. Despite them, whole truck loads of merchandise disappear. Petrol is among the favourite black market commodities. Five million dollars worth is bought and sold every year. American sources claim that some of it comes from the Airborne Regiment of the South Vietnam army. The South Vietnam government regularly cracks down on the black market; security men chase the traders off the streets and confiscate their merchandise. But the black marketeers start up in business again.