A Brief History of the
Vietnam Friendship Village Project

April 1992	George Mizo meets with the Vietnam Veterans Association to formalize plans for the construction and management of the Friendship Village. The plan is to build a residential facility for the care of orphan children and elderly or disabled adults. As designed, the village will ultimately house approximately 250 children and 100 adults. Estimated construction cost: $2.5 million.
May 1993	After the Vietnam government grants the Vietnam Veterans Association 27,000 square meters of land at the site of a former rice paddy in Van Canh Commune, Ha Tay Province, approximately 11 km west of Hanoi, 50 international representatives from France, Germany, USA, Japan and Vietnam participate in the groundbreaking ceremonies for the Friendship Village.
October 1994	Construction of the first two-story house is completed. At right is a photo of the first house taken in 1999, after the landscaping had grown in.
March 1996	VFVP-USA Director Jeff Huch dies in his sleep in Hanoi on the eve of the International Committee meeting. In the photo, a reflection of the Friendship Village can be seen in the doors of the house dedicated to his memory.
1997	A panorama of all structures completed by the end of 1997. In front is the medical clinic. Directly behind it is the administration building. The other buildings are all residences.
		A $425,000 grant received in 1997 from the German government finances the completion of the medical clinic as well as four additional houses. Completed early in 1998, the clinic is staffed with two full-time doctors, and serves the surrounding community as well as the residents of the Friendship Village.
March 1998	A 15-person administrative staff is organized with Nguyen Khai Hung serving as director, and on March 19, 1998 the first 9 children are moved into the Friendship Village, just in time for a German delegation visit. By July 28, a total of 24 children and 11 elders are living at the village. Admission decisions are based on need, and on who can be most helped by the services available at the village. All of the residents suffer serious health problems attributed to the lingering effects of Agent Orange, the defoliant sprayed extensively by US forces in Vietnam during the war.
October 1998	By the time of the Grand Opening in October, 38 children and 27 adults are living at the Friendship Village. As the ribbon is cut by General Quang, Vietnam's Vice President Madam Bihn, and George Mizo, the children of the Village release a large number of balloons into the air.
		VFVP-USA board member Earl Huch attends the 1998 International Committee meeting and the Grand Opening ceremonies, and personally presents a large donation for the Friendship Village from the US Committee (pictured with Friendship Village girls, George Mizo and son Michael, and unidentified Vietnam Committee rep).
2000	American visitors to the Friendship Village report that the project now serves 70 children and 30 adults. Residents receive nourishing meals, and modern medical treatments complemented by acupuncture, physical therapy, and traditional herbal therapies using plants grown on-site in a beautiful vegetable and herb garden.
	In a historic ceremony on October 30, 2000 in Hanoi, George Mizo and Rosi Hohn-Mizo of Germany and Georges Doussin of France are awarded Vietnam's first-ever State Medal of Friendship by the President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam for their work in building the Vietnam Friendship Village. General Vo Nguyen Giap, senior military commander during the French and American wars, greets the recipients privately after the award ceremony. Warmly hugging George Mizo's 12-year-old son, Michael, Giap advises the boy, "Never go to war."
2000-2002	At the October 2000 International VFVP meeting, VFVP-USA board members Carl Stancil, Mike Cull and Suel Jones commit to a $50,000 fundraising goal for 2001, to fund construction of a house for severely disabled children at the village. Subsequently the US effort raises $15,000, and another $15,000 is granted by the Germany Ministry of Economics. The total international contributions cover the year's operating costs (approx. $65,000) as well as the new building. In 2002 the US Committee's goal shifts to raising funds for rehabilitation equipment, as well as ongoing operating expenses. The total cost to care for a child for one month at the village, including food, medication, housing, transportation, and staff salary, is approximately $50 (US dollars).
		On March 18, 2002, Vietnam Friendship Village Founder George Mizo dies at his home in the village of Hofen, Germany. His wife Rosi and son Michael send out a message of love for George: "Peace is giving something to life...Your spirit is living in our hearts and in the Vietnam Friendship Village. --With love, Rosi and Michael Mizo, Hildegard Hohn, and all the people you have touched with your life."