NEIL HANNAN'S 2024 VIETNAM HUMANITARIAN PROGRAM

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-minu...

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         ...

Well, I was up at 5 AM Jan 30, readied my gear for an 8 AM departure to DaNang, and was the first person to arrive in the breakfast area. On return to the room, I opened my Macbook to a black screen. Repeated attempts at revival produced nothing. Regardless, I was ready to hop into the van at 8 for the 2.5-hour ride to DaNang.   My hotel in DaNang, Dong Duong, is a 30-second walk from Thong's (Damn Guide's) place, which is quite convenient.    Huge Breakfast Buffet Area Lobby Lobby   Thong's friend looked over my Macbook, but it appeared that the problem would not be solved while in Vietnam. In the U.S., warranty would cover the repair. But, for the remainder of my days in Vietnam, I was communication handicapped. Thong and I made plans to leave early the following morning to visit Thua, Duong, Phung, and the graves of Son and her mother.    

En route to my hotel from Ms. Dung's house, I informed Khanh that I'd like to come up with a project for Hong Ha, the mountainous village about two hours from Hue, on the Ho Chi Minh Trail, and near what was known as Hamburger Hill during the war. And I want to do it within the next five days or so. He gave me that "here he goes again" look.  My thought was either chickens or eyeglasses. We agreed on the latter. Khanh doesn't mess around. He immediately phoned Dr. Trien, who said that he could be at the school with his staff and equipment the following day to check the vision of all 300 students. I said that we could cover 100 pairs for those most in need. The glasses would be produced and ready for distribution in five days. Amazing. The wheels were set in motion. The next morning, as I was gathering my things to travel back to DaNang, my Macbook failed. Just like that...out of the blue...no warning. Never again will I go over without a backup of some sort. Less...