Kim and Kevin in Viet Nam, Part Three

Part Three

This is the third of four photoblogs about our trip to Viet Nam.
Part One: www.kimallen.blogspot.com (Hanoi, Ninh Binh, Sapa)
Part Two: www.kimallen2.blogspot.com (Central Viet Nam)
Part Four: www.kimallen4.blogspot.com (Saigon and South Korea)

Visiting Quang Ngai Villages

For two days, we stayed in Quang Ngai City, which is south of Danang, one of the main bases of operation for the American military in the Viet Nam War. This region saw extensive warfare, especially in the late 1960s. Our friend Do, who grew up in a local village, spoke of fleeing from one hamlet to another during his childhood years, as major portions of the province were destroyed by American soldiers trying to ferret out the Viet Cong. It is in Quang Ngai Province that the hamlet of My Lai is located, and it is here that the Madison Quakers, under the leadership of "Mr. Mike," has developed a micro-loan program for local women. They also have built a park and an elementary school. The two days were not pleasant, but we met many wonderful people and were greatly impressed by the project.

Hoang, our translator for the two days, and Kevin. Huoang is a former student of Mr. Do, who is the lead organizer on the ground for the Madison Quakers in Quang Ngai Province. Do made arrangements for us to go to these villages, as they are not open to tourists. In return, we interviewed villagers and tried to get a sense of their experiences

Miss Phu, former district chair of the women's committee for Quang Ngai Province, who played an important role in developing the micro-loan program whose recipients were were to visit this day

Miss Phu

Massacre at Hanh Tin Tay Village

Our first stop in Quang Ngai province was to the cemetary of this village, where, according to our partners, American soldiers killed 63 women, children, and old men in 1969. Two survivors still live in the village, one of whom we later met. I have to say that we burned incense on demand, without a chance for reflection...it was as if we had commemorated something we hadn't yet absorbed. However, by the end of the two days, we began to have an inkling of the enormous cost of war.

The approach to the memorial

Government memorial. The isolation of this spot felt much more sacred than at My Lai, which we visited the next day. However, I wouldn't want wax lyrical about that -- it's also one of many atrocities unacknowledged by my country