That first hit of tropical air as I came out of the plane immediately transported me back to 1968, but with a lot less anxiety than I felt when I stepped onto the tarmac at Ton Son Nhat Airport the first time. After living with memories for 32 years, I was hungry to see how the reality would match.
Of course everyone has their own reality. I'd read a lot over the years, talked to a lot of immigrants from Vietnam, and in recent years talked to Americans who had gone back as tourists. I'd been an Army photographer and had traveled a bit when I was there, mostly in the Central Highlands. I always thought that I'd go back for a few months and visit some of the places I had known. But it became clear to me after reading the guidebooks that I couldn't really go back. The places I knew are no longer the places I knew.
I had been hearing about The Friendship Village since its inception. My wife, Tina, and 24-year-old daughter, Rebecca, were looking forward to traveling with me and we were all anxious to see firsthand how this exciting project had turned out. As fate would have it, Carl Stancil gave a slide presentation about the Village just as we were getting ready to travel, which just added more fuel to the fire of our excitement for the trip. Through Carl we made contact with Mr. Huynh Van Trinh of the Veterans Association of Vietnam, and he arranged for our visit.
On a beautiful afternoon filled with sun, songbirds, and the usual throngs of people in the narrow streets, we made our way to the office of The Veterans Association, not far from Hoan Kiem Lake in the old section of Hanoi. The guard at the open gate directed us to a small waiting room, a sparse affair with a low table and a few chairs. We were warmly greeted by Mr. Ho Xuan Dich who explained that Mr. Huyn was ill and sorry he couldn't be there. Mr. Ho sent us off in a taxi to the Friendship Village. The unmarked entrance is tucked back off the lane, and we drove by the village and had to ask directions before finding it.
The village is as pleasant as the photos had led me to believe. We met Mr. Nguyen Khai Hung, the director, and Mr. Nguyen Tien Nhung the vice-director. We felt like visiting heads of state as we were led into a formal looking little room that was filled with an oval table set with water and glasses. The walls of the room were covered with photos of patients, visitors, and events, which seemed to give a fairly complete history of the Village. The director received us warmly and filled us in on village history and current activities. Everything was translated. Our hosts were very generous with their time and gave us a thorough tour.
Of course, the highlight of the experience was seeing the smiles of the children. We visited several groups of children. Some we saw in the classroom, where they excitedly showed us the artwork they had done with a visiting volunteer teacher from The Netherlands. Others we met in their houses. One boy was having a leg lengthened through a series of operations. We were told there were about 70 children and about 30 vets in residence. Everyone seemed happy to see us. The vets we visited were particularly gracious.
We were impressed with the various vegetable gardens and the medicinal Chinese herb garden. They were lush and quite beautiful. The kitchen facilities were basic, but like the rest of the village, well organized. It was obvious that Nguyen Khai Hung was proud of the Village and happy to show it off to us. The tour had the feeling of formal courtesy and friendly warmth that at once made us feel honored and at ease. Our hosts saw us off with waves as we drove away.
The Friendship Village seems unique in terms of cooperative ventures involving American and Vietnamese veterans. Hopefully this will be the model for more projects along these lines. We left feeling the work here stands as a symbol of what can and should be done. Our visit left us feeling better about the possibilities for us all.