The female spies who helped change the Vietnam War Nguyen Thi Hoa was part of the 11-member Perfume River squad, a top-secret female combat unit formed in 1967 and bound by the communist propaganda slogan: "When the enemy comes to your home, even the women should fight". They funneled secrets to Communist army handlers who were poised to launch an audacious assault on the city that would reshape the Vietnam War. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES.