We left our hotel and traveled 190 miles -mostly on Highway 1 to Quy Nhon City. We checked into our next hotel and I went out for a walk. I met these Vietnamese children who said “hello, what is your name”? After answering their questions – I started walking and they begin to follow me. I couldn’t get rid of them. I finally got them organized for a picture. Their father was nearby and finally intevened (thank God). They were so friendly and adorable.
I am sharing a room with my guide tonight and with his permission, he is allowing me to show off his tatoos. He told me his tatoo artist came to his home and put in 30 hours so far with 5 more needed to complete the process. For any of you tatoo lovers – this should be pretty cool!
After dinner, I overheard a group of people talking in good English. I had to go over and introduce myself. As it turns out, one of them has a father that lives in Kansas City and he is a huge Chiefs fan. He also went to Iowa State and now lives in Hawaii. They work for a US government agency that travels Vietnam looking for the remains of our dead soldiers. Most were ex-military folks. One was an archaeologist. They told me there are still 1,600 US soldiers missing. He said the US government found the remains of 207 last year. There are other groups working the Country as well. He shared a story where they found a tooth of a missing soldier and through DNA testing identified the soldier. They gave the tooth to the family with a flag and they had a funeral. Sometimes they have found crash sites under the ocean and have identified the remains of the pilot.
My guide tells me Vietnam is looking for their missing soldiers as well and many times the families fund the search effort.
Doug's Travels 