NEIL HANNAN'S 2024 VIETNAM HUMANITARIAN PROGRAM

The Perfume River corridor is really beautiful at night. In these photos, my hotel is on the far side of the Perfume and with Hearts for Hue on the near side. So, I walk across the bridge often. Floating Restaurant

As described in a Feb 24 post, Duong is very ill with cancer. He served in 2nd Platoon Co A 3rd/21st Infantry 196th Light Infantry Brigade, as did I. Having lost both legs in combat, his life has been quite a struggle. But, we have been helping him for years...a hand-driven cart, a concrete path, remodeling of his house, a well, a TV, a rice cooker, a water kettle, food, and more. At my request, Thong has been attempting to reach Duong via phone, with no success. Thua, another 196th Infantry veteran, lives but a short distance from Duong and might be an alternate source of information. Thong will continue his effort to follow Duong's situation.  Neil Duong and Son Jan 31, 2024

My goodness, this laptop file restoration has been a drawn-out endeavor. However, the process shows to be 100% and I expect a call-back from Carbonite today. My fingers are crossed. Hopefully, I'll have access to photos from the last few days (pre-crash) in Vietnam and will be able to share them with you. I apologize for the lengthy delay.  I bought an iPad and will have a back-up next time.  Thanks again for your support and your interest in helping and healing in Vietnam. YOU are making a huge difference.  Neil     

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

Well, I was up early, as always, and ready for pickup by the van (they call it a "limo") for transport back to Hue. The route follows Highway 1, a major artery now as it was during the war. The drive is about 2.5 hours, but it usually takes 3 due to having to pick up and drop off at various hotels in DaNang and Hue.  After checking in at my hotel, Oanh (Hearts for Hue) and I went via motorbike to a large supermarket to purchase toothbrushes and toothpaste. I decided to skip passing out candy in favor of oral care. I ended up buying 200 toothbrushes and 100 large tubes of toothpaste, which we would distribute the following morning, along with eyeglasses, at Hong Ha School. It was too much to transport with the motorbike, so I grabbed a taxi back to the hotel, which was in the process of setting up its Tet holiday meal for employees.   Orchid Hotel-Hue Tet Celebration Meal`   Speaking of Orchid Hotel, this massage business is right next door: Around 4 PM, I made the 30-minute w

At 7 AM our hired car arrived to transport Damn Guide and me for visits to Thua, Duong, and Phung, Lady The's son and Son's brother. The route took us down Highway 1 and past Que Son and the main gate of Landing Zone Baldy, where I served on the bunker line after leaving my field infantry company until departure for home. That base is now home to an armored unit. View from Highway 1   Que Son   Main Gate of Former LZ Baldy   After about 2 hours, we arrived at Duong's house. Thong's repeated attempts to call him in advance had been unsuccessful, so he wasn't expecting us. Duong served in my infantry unit (2nd Platoon Co A 3/21 196th Light Infantry), but that was subsequent to my tour of duty. Having lost both legs in combat, he has had a rough existence. However, through the years, we have done much to improve the quality of his life.    Duong's House-Before Duong Before House Renovation Duong's House-After