Neil Hannan's 2025 Vietnam Humanitarian Journey

 Well, my 3-hour flight from DaNang to Taipei was the first of three that will get me to Anchorage.  A strange event occurred at DaNang Airport while I was standing way back in a long line of travelers, who were waiting for the check-in counter to open for my upcoming Starlux flight. Out of the blue, a man walked up and motioned for me to follow him. I didn't understand what the heck was going on. He then escorted me to the front of the line while instructing everyone to move aside to allow my passage. There I was, the first person in a line of hundreds awaiting check-in. I can only think of one reason for this occurrence. Nearby was a girl at an information stand with whom I had been discussing my humanitarian program. I also showed her the newspaper article with a photo of Col. Tha and me. She appeared very interested. Anyway, I wonder if she pulled some strings. I felt like a line jumper!    On landing in Taipei, I was hoping to secure a little "transit" room at P...

 Thanks to Khanh, Chairman of  Hearts For Hue for making this video:  

 Today I decided to walk the rural road that leads to this hotel. En route I passed a large graveyard. The  diversity of grave markers is amazing. It progresses from simple unmarked mounds of earth to elaborate structures. An Unmarked Grave Mound       A Stack of Bricks       Above-Ground Filled With Sand Above-Ground Filled With Stones And A Lonely Cow Walking back along the beach I found the fishermen busy unloading and shipping out their daily catch via motorbike.  After passing the fishermen, I was the only person on the beach on the walk back to the hotel.    

Well, these water buffalo work hard, but at least they get to splash around in the surf a bit. The men load the carts with clean, wet sand, then the buffalo trudge across the beach pulling the load onto high ground. That's some heavy work. The sand is sold for various uses.

 On April 5 Khanh and I decided to visit Mr. Tho and return a second time to see the Vac family and Mr. Thuong. The first stop was at the home of Mr. Tho and his wife. Khanh's wife, Trang, joined us.  You may recall that Mr. Tho made his living creating beautiful handmade baskets. It's always great stopping to see him and Mrs. Tho.     Having lost a leg during the war, his remaining leg has had much wear and tear through the years. I learned that his main issue is his knee. I happened to have an elastic knee support in my luggage, which was in Khanh's car. So, I fetched it and slid it into his knee. It instantly brought him relief. And I gave him a 196th Light Infantry Brigade hat, which looks good on him.     Mr. Tho and his wife are raising two grandchildren, which is quite a burden. Khanh took steps to nominate the oldest grandchild for a Hearts for Hue Scholarship.   Khanh Gathering Scholarship Information Our next stop was the Vac family. Since th...

On leaving Hong Ha, it was another 45 minutes down the road to A Luoi, the next goat distribution village. We, as well as the goats, arrived ahead of schedule.  Khanh W/Goats         Waiting For Delivery   I'm getting the hang of this now. To settle the goats down, I gathered branches from nearby trees.   While waiting for recipients to arrive, it was decided to unload the goats and tie them to a fence to graze. Being able to forage seems to make them very content.     After the number drawing procedure, we began distribution. Again, I was the esteemed giver of goats.   Yes, I Did It Again And Again What a Cute Little Baby!     With Khanh, Chairman of Hearts for Hue And This One Makes 10!     Off they go to their new homes!     I see great potential with our new goat program in these poor, rural villages. We're making a significant difference in the lives of these folks. Helping & healing. Thank YOU!! ...