Jan 21 9:00 PM (VIETNAM) HUE

After visiting with Thong and a Viet Cong veteran for some time, I departed Dong Duong Hotel in DaNang at 11:30 AM. Two hours later I was checking into Orchid Hotel in Hue. Within a few minutes of arrival, Khanh (Hearts for Hue) was here to pick me up on his motorbike. We made our way through traffic to meet with his father-in-law, Ha (aka HudaMan). He's one spunky tennis player for 84 and a good-natured fellow. 

With Ha aka "HudaMan"

Khanh's wife, Trang, joined in the reunion. Around 5 PM I was dropped off by motorbike at the hotel, then walked a a short distance to Madam Thu restaurant. I really like that place. Remembering me from the last trip, the wait staff rushed out to say hi.

The focus tomorrow is eyeglasses. I'll be ready and waiting when Khanh arrives at 7 AM. At a rural school, I'll personally hand each child his//her first ever pair of glasses. That's going to be really amazing!  Who can't recall the new world that opened up when first looking through their first pair? I certainly do. When that distribution is complete, we'll organize and distribute the 200 pairs of Lions Club glasses, sponsored by Copper River Basin Lions Club, Alaska. Optometrists will be on hand to screen candidates and match eyeglasses to individuals. It's going to be busy day producing smiles!

It's only 9 PM, but I'm going to slide into bed early in an effort to catch up on several days of minimal sleep. I'll be up at 5:30 AM and fired up and ready when Khanh arrives. 

Thanks to all who have made our humanitarian program possible. Helping and healing.

Neil

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Jan 1, 2024 11:30 AM (Alaska) 2024 Humanitarian Program Preview

Image
Well, in a couple weeks I'll be on my way back to Vietnam to implement our 2024 humanitarian program. Many details have been worked out, but there will always be spontaneous undertakings. On landing at 8:30 AM Jan 18th, the smiling face of Thong (aka Damn Guide) will be waiting.   The first order of business will be to visit two 196th Light Infantry Brigade veterans, Duong, and Thua. Thong and I will assess their needs and react accordingly.  I also intend to visit the graves of Son and her mother, Lady The. Such history... The vision program is well underway, thanks to the efforts of Khanh, Chairman of Hearts for Hue. Preliminary vision screening has been accomplished in the rural schools of Quang Phu and Huong Van in order to determine which students are most in need of eyeglasses. The 200 selected children have been given comprehensive visual examinations and have selected their frames. Currently, the eyeglasses are in production and will be ready when I arrive. Non
Read more

Jan 24 7:45 AM (VIETNAM) EYEGLASSES- QUANG PHU & HUONG VAN COMMUNES

Image
I anticipated that Monday would be a busy day and wasn't disappointed. I will divide the blog detailing our eyeglass program to make things easier to follow. This post will involve the 210 school kids that received their new glasses, while the next will focus on the 200 pairs of reading glasses provided by Copper River Basin Lions Club (Alaska).   Khanh picked me up at 7 AM, after which we worked our way through Hue traffic, into the countryside, and to Quang Phu and Huong Van Schools. At both locations, we were greeted warmly. With Khanh and Quang Phu School Officials   On arrival at Quang Phu the ceremony preceding the school day was about to begin. Pretty impressive. Quang Phu School                                                      Quang Phu School Then we set to work distributing 210 pairs of eyeglasses with Quang Phu in the morning and Huong Van in the afternoon. With the children waiting on their new glasses, there was no time wasted in getting started.  Dr. Trien, the
Read more

FEB 25 5:30 PM (ALASKA) FEB 3- EYEGLASS/DENTAL PROGRAM AT HONG HA SCHOOL

Image
Just before 7:00 AM, Khanh, Dr. Trang (Khanh's wife), and I departed Hue with a destination of Hong Ha. This is the same village where we attended the Rotary Club latrine project closing ceremony on January 26. The route, actually the old Ho Chi Minh Trail, leads to a very mountainous region. Visible is Hamburger Hill, which was the site of a May 13-20 battle between US/South Vietnamese Forces and North Vietnamese Forces. The drive is rather slow, with continuous sharp turns. The mountain scenery, though, is beautiful. If time permitted, I would have liked to do some hiking there.     Eventually we made it to Hong Ha, where students and faculty were waiting at the school.    Road to Hong Ha With Khanh at Hong Ha School   Dr. Trien and his staff were already set up and ready to begin eyeglass distribution. Recall that it was just five days prior that we first contacted Dr. Trien about the possibility of screening 300  Hong Ha children, selecting the 100 most in need, recording frame
Read more