Nexus Interaction Protocol: NX-59-VN and its residents are classified as to be behind-the-Veil and are self-contained in nature, therefore, additional Containment Procedures are unnecessary. The Foundation maintains diplomatic relationship with NX-59-VN as with a neutral group of interest.

Containment Facility: As of the time of this writing, the Foundation has no permanent facility from within NX-59-VN. The Observatory 75-59, operated by the Spiritual Division, is responsible for surveilling and maintaining diplomatic contacts with the nexus.

Description: Summary document below.

NX-59-VN, commonly known as "District Zero" (: Quận Không), is a nexus / city / anomalous area located in a fold of space between Thủ Đức Sub-City and District One of Hồ Chí Minh City, Vietnam.

With a longstanding history in a location where various cultures and anomalous communities collide, up until now, "District Zero" is one of the largest anomalous communities in Southeast Asia.

Even though the existence of NX-59-VN has been known in the paranormal world for ages, due to the political upheaval in the region, it was not until 1976 that the Foundation was able to do research and establish diplomatic contacts with the area.

Because of the unstable nature of NX-59-VN’s entrances, for a long time, only individuals with certain thaumatological abilities or capabilities of reality bending can freely access this anomalous area. In 2011, after the inauguration of the Varenne Gate, an entrance stabilized by paratechnology, "District Zero" began to involve more actively in the global activities behind the Veil.

Currently, the works of exploration, research and the diplomacy with this anomalous community are entrusted to the Spiritual Division, Site-75-VN.

Location and Paranature

NX-59-VN is located in a fold of space between Thủ Đức Sub-City and District One of Hồ Chí Minh City. From a viewpoint inside baseline reality, the anomalous area is located inside the Saigon River.

Individuals with certain thaumatological abilities (Type Blue) or capabilities of reality bending (Type Green) can freely access, along with bringing other people, into NX-59-VN. The Vietnamese anomalous community refers to this action as "login". All recording devices are unable to produce photos or videos while being used inside NX-59-VN.

Ordinary objects do not have the ability to see or interact with the area’s fold of space. However, objects that move at a very high speed, regardless of whether or not their natures are anomalous, have a small probability to passively "login" to NX-59-VN. According to the laws of District Zero, subjects who access this way are to be captured and transferred to the Global Occult Coalition (GOC) in order to have their memories erased and be brought back to the real world.

Some measures that are being taken to prevent such phenomenon include:

• Issuing policies that restrict the flow of traffic into District One.
• Transforming major routes in the area into pedestrian precincts.
• Constructing public transport systems, moving towards eliminating personal vehicles in the area.
• Implementing speed limits in the inner city, strictly punishing violators.
• […]

In 2011, the government of District Zero had cooperated with the GOC to build the Varenne Gate, a massive space stabilizing machine that allows ordinary objects to pass through the fold. The project was supported by the government of Vietnam, who camouflaged it with a parallel construction project named Saigon River Tunnel. The Varenne Gate has then been put into operation, located just below the Thủ Thiêm Tunnel inside Saigon River.

History

It is still uncertain whether or not NX-59-VN’s anomalous fold of space is a natural phenomenon or was purposefully created by humans. Surviving documents from the first settlers show that the location had already existed long before them. However, there are many traces and relics that suggest the existence of an ancient civilization in this space.

The two nations that once presented in the region, Champa and the Khmer Empire, have left no written record or mark mentioning this anomalous location. It is highly possible that NX-59-VN was completely not known during that time.

Early Settlement Era (1601-1862)

Starting from the early 17th century, the Vietnamese people had begun to settle in the Southeastern region. However, there was no record about this fold of space yet.

Based on the remaining traces in the city, researchers predicted that some Type Blue and Type Green from Đàng Trong had settled inside this space in order to escape from being hunted down by the imperial court (see more: ). However, due to unknown circumstances, this settlement did not last long and the area was left fallow.

The nexus’ first historical record is believed to be written by an unnamed Chinese sorcerer, a member of a refugee group from one of the Oppose Qing - Restore Ming forces in 1679.

Kỷ Mùi (1679), spring of the First Month, former Ming general Longmen Chief Commander Dương Ngạn Địch and vice general Hoàng Tiến, Gao-Lei-Lian Chief Commander Trần Thượng Xuyên and vice general Trần An Bình brought more than 3000 men and 50 warship to the seaport of Tư Dung (Tư Hiền port) and Đà Nẵng, they claimed to be "bồ thần" (servants that lost their homeland and had to flee to a foreign state) of the Ming who had refused to be a subject of the Qing, thus asked to serve here instead.
[…]
Warships led by Ngạn Địch and Hoàng Tiến moved to Soài Rạp port and stationed in Mỹ Tho, while warships led by Thượng Xuyên and An Binh moved to Cần Giờ port and stationed in Bàn Lân (Biên Hòa). They cleared the wasteland, built streets and towns, to which the Qing merchant ships along with those from the West, Japan, and Java arrived in great numbers.

There are three main sources of immigration recorded during the time from 1690 to 1860:

1. The Vietnamese anomalous community who fled due to the Trịnh–Nguyễn Contention.
2. The Chinese anomalous community who pledged loyalty to the Ming and had to flee from the Qing oppression.
3. The anomalous communities from the West who came for academic and commercial purposes.

Gendastrerie Era (1862-1945)

After seizing the three eastern provinces of Cochinchina, the National Gendastrerie immediately noticed this anomalous area due to its geographical location, secrecy and massive amount of population. The French intended to turn this place into a centre of the paranormal world and simultaneously, the capital of Indochina behind the Veil. The armed forces of Gendastrerie quickly suppressed the scattered, disorganized resistance from the local residents and established their domination over NX-59-VN.

In 1874, at the same time with the founding of Saigon city, the Gendastrerie decided to reorganize NX-59-VN into a self-governing model, nominally under French rule, by the name "District Zero". However, because the Gendastrerie did not have enough forces to maintain a constant presence outside of their motherland, they had decided to authorize the tasks of administering to the city’s three great clans (see section ).

During the period 1941-1945 of World War II, the Vichy government of France and Imperial Japan reached an agreement to jointly rule Indochina, under which District Zero would be ruled by both Gendastrerie and IJAMEA. Despite that, pro-French forces always sought to regain control of the entire city and kick the Japanese out of the political system. This power vacuum allowed half-caste groups such as the Children of the Leaf to infiltrate District Zero. They would then either cooperate with the French or the Japanese, the two main powers in the city.

Based on historical documents that the Foundation had collected, around early 1945, it seemed that IJAMEA were planning a coup to take over District Zero, hoping to use the area as a condition to negotiate their surrender with the Allies. However, the plan was a failure as an event on the ninth of March 1945 had led to the death of all Japanese in the city. It is unclear as of what had happened during the event since there were no surviving witnesses.

Isolation Era (1945-1973)

In late 1945, the three great clans waged an all-out purge against all groups of interest from outside of NX-59-VN and declared autonomy, not accepting interference from any foreign forces. During this period, in order to avoid effects of the war, the city maintained a policy of self-isolation and had only limited trade relations with some anomalous communities in the region.

Thanks to the unstable political situation and the widespread usage of anomalies during the war, the city in this era needed very little effort to conceal its own existence.

In 1973, as the American troops began to retreat, District Zero had some of its first diplomatic exchanges with the Global Occult Coalition (GOC) and the provisional government of the Republic of South Vietnam to integrate with the international paranormal world and retain the Veil in front of the normal world after the war.

Modern Era (1973-present)

In 1976, District Zero along with the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the GOC have completed most of the diplomatic principles, recognizing the city's autonomy and establishing a dual protectorate over it.

From then on, the city has undergone a period of explosive growth, becoming a paranormal centre in Asia. However, with this development comes the rise of multiple criminal organizations and the increase of uncontrollable anomalous phenomena from within the city’s border.

In 2011, the government of District Zero cooperated with the GOC to construct the Varenne Gate, a massive space stabilizing machine that allows ordinary objects to pass the fold. This project was supported by the government of Vietnam, who camouflaged it with a parallel construction project named Saigon River Tunnel. The Varenne Gate has then been put into operation, located just below the Thủ Thiêm Tunnel inside Saigon River.

Government

On paper, District Zero is led by a Mayor elected by the city’s residents. The concept "city’s residents" is not well defined in the law of District Zero. A Mayor would serve in a five-year term. This position has little to no real power and is mostly a ceremonial role. It is suspected that the title "Mayor of District Zero" has the same nature as SCP-ZH-999.

The city’s actual political power is held by the Council. Members of the Council mainly consist of those from the three great clans and their beneficial associations. As of now, there are in total 15 members in the Council, with each of the clans has 3 seats and the rest 6 are to be elected in the city's wards.

The three great clans held almost all power in the city thanks to the entrust from the French government and have retained such power even after the departure of France. They are:

• The Phạm clan: in charge of the self-defense and security missions through the control of the city's police force.
• The Lý clan: in charge of the financial and commercial systems of the city.
• The Varenne clan: is of French descent but has adopted local culture, in charge of the educational system and important civil services.

Diplomatic attitude:

• The SCP Foundation: NX-59-VN maintains a neutral diplomatic policy with the Foundation, occasionally cooperating in containing some dangerous anomalies. However, the city also has a high cautious attitude as they prevent Foundation’s presence and interference in the abnormal life of District Zero.
• The Global Occult Coalition: NX-59-VN is under the security protection of the GOC and conducts most of their diplomatic activities through this agency. The city also accepts many of the GOC’s behind-the-Veil policies.

Landscape and Traffic

From the inside of the city, the fold of space seems to be an infinite body of water. The pool has an average depth of around 9 metres, with a layer of mud, silt, and clay mixture at the bottom. Underneath such layers of sediment is a floor of bedrock. Currently, there is no geological research that successfully explored deeper layers of NX-59-VN.

The sky of District Zero accurately reflects the sky in its real-world counterpart. However, the sky from the inside of District Zero looks as if it is wrapped by a coat of liquid, described by the city’s residents as "like living under water".

During the Early Settlement Era, the main architecture in the city are stilt houses, with wooden stakes driven deep into the bedrock. However, this type of architecture can now only be found in the suburbs of the city. For the most part, District Zero was built on a concrete foundation, though it does not cover the entire area but is rather arranged in alternating blocks, creating a network of tangled "canals".

Waterway transport is the main means of transportation in District Zero, along with the elevated railway system. There is no road system for personal vehicles. Pedestrian walkways line on both sides of each canal with an unknown quantity of bridges crossing them. During the first mission in District Zero, a Foundation personnel commented that: "The city is like a giant floating market with a touch of Venice."

Economy

For the most part, daily and financial activities in District Zero are not too unusual, as the majority of the population are still humans. However, the biggest exception is a trade coalition known as Hỗn Thị, consists of many clans with long traditions in the anomalous community headed by the Lý clan.

Hỗn Thị organizes an event called "the market gathering" once a month on every full moon day. Location for the event is not fixed, usually on a large intersection between water canals. The main type of vehicle used by participants of "the market gathering" is boats, which, in terms of appearance, is similar to a form of commerce in Southeast Asia known as "floating market". Trades on these market-days are done using only Kháng Thuật Kim as a parity, and the exchanged products are anomalous.

The market gathering events organized by the Hỗn Thị often cause serious traffic jams where they take place, therefore, the Council of District Zero once proposed to construct a fixed location for the gathering. This was opposed by most of the city’s residents as it would break the old tradition of the event.

The GOC has had many attempts in cracking down on the practices of trading anomalies in District Zero. However, due to the political influence of the Lý clan, the city government has come to the defence of Hỗn Thị. Therefore, these campaigns have not achieved any positive result.

The SCP Foundation is planning to classify Hỗn Thị as a Group of Interest. As of now, Foundation agents are regularly deployed to infiltrate the market gathering events in order to secure dangerous anomalous objects.

Culture and Society

During the early years of establishment, District Zero had a balanced demographic between the native Vietnamese, the overseas Chinese and the European immigrants. However, during the , policies issued by the Council of District Zero had caused a sharp decline in the rate of European immigration, making the Vietnamese and Chinese the dominant ethnic groups. Below is a statistic table of ethnicities self-identified by the city’s residents during a Council’s census:

The architectural culture of District Zero is divided into three wards: the Old Quarter, the West Quarter and the New Quarter. The Old Quarter is located along the central canals, and is home to most of the historical buildings, private residences of large clans, temples and pagodas, religious organizations… The West Quarter is the financial and educational centre, and is also where the governmental seat lies on… The New Quarter occupies most of the outer area of District Zero, and is home to most of the population as well as the place where the city's daily activities take place.

The city's culture is the result of a peaceful collision between Eastern and Western cultures, creating a unique identity for District Zero. Local residents in the city sometimes describe that District Zero’s culture is like "the Hong Kong of paranormal world".

More works from KH Nam / MarkNguyen / Goose of the Pool