" .......most of them with recent engravings made after 1982 by a very powerful chinese merchant living in Saigon Mr Lac Long.I spent hours and hours when I was a teen ager in his shop.
You wanted to find caviar or Habana cigar, a crocodile leather wallet during the communist era? He was the only man to be able to provide anything to people ready to pay.
Before 1975 he was habilitated by US Army to make acid etched engravings on Zippo (they were three in Saigon ). For small unities, for a present to an officer, for the birthday of a brigade..."

".......After 1982 he was the man of the fake market.
His brother in law, his sister ...They all opened shops in le Thanh Ton street to spread these Zippo revisited.
To understand this market, you had to be here to see the evolution, to know the people, this world was small and my father was here from the beginning to the end...
I don't know how many times he went to vietnam (eight times a year?).What I know is that the only way to see him more was to follow him........"

".......In the eighties the diamond cutter were old, only a few machines were available in Saigon for this fake market. Parts to fix them were not available. My father brought me a few times in these small workshop for two reasons. First, to teach me...
Second, to buy the Authentic Zippo before their transformation. It was one of my father latest method in the eighties to get high value Zippo."
".......Earlier he paid people to go in provinces to buy to Farmer what they grabbed.
He bought to prostitutes (It was often the last soldier's present!), He bought to soldiers themselves...
He has been working between Vietnam and Europe for thirty years
and was interesting in the sentimental aspect of Vietnam Zippo earlier than anybody else..."

Bonjour Robert,