South Vietnam The Refugee Problem

Pacification efforts in Vietnam during the summer of 1967.

This bleak statistical map of South Vietnam was published in mid-1967 by MACCORDS/REF – an acronym designating the Refugee Directorate (REF) within Civil Operations and Revolutionary Development Support (CORDS), operating under the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV). The hybrid civilian-military agency was established by the Johnson Administration in May 1967 to centralize sweeping authority over civilian pacification, humanitarian aid, and population resettlement. At the time, Washington was engaged in an intense public relations effort to demonstrate progress in the war, even as massive military operations created unprecedented civilian displacement.

The stark black-and-white thematic map divides South Vietnam into its four primary Corps Tactical Zones, with further subdivisions by province. Using a choropleth shading key, the map illustrates the concentration of displaced populations in temporary shelters across each province, ranging from under 5,000 refugees (unshaded) to over 20,000 (solid black). Accompanying statistical tables provide additional data on the estimated 2 million registered refugees nationwide—representing over 10% of South Vietnam’s total population on the eve of the 1968 Tet Offensive.