We left Hanoi on 2/16 to go North to the town of Tuyen Quang. Our goal was to visit with the family of "Mr Nam," the NVA cadre who was in charge of overseeing US POWs (including Marge) during the war. He had other duties I am sure, but one of his main ones was to help US soldiers see the error of the war. "Hoai Nam" was his nom de guerre and it means "Remember the South." He was very kind to Marge and she has tried (with many obstacles) to stay in touch with his family. He died in an ambush and his remains were never found (more on this significant fact later). Marge had visited the family last year and she was welcomed as a family member by Mr Nam's widow, daughter and many brothers and an elder sister. As friends of M., Tinh (our friend and translator) and I were also welcomed into people's homes. We were invited to tea, to lunch, to dinner, to tea again, to a family banquet, to tea again...At one point we were taken to a bedroom to sleep so we could then have energy for more food and talk! At each meal we were reassured that the vegetables were "pure" and not treated with chemicals. The government has done a good job of informaing people on this issue.
The entire family was eager to meet to meet Marge. Those who could not travel to see us, called to talk to her on the cell phone. Tinh helped translate cell messages. We were surrounded by relatives including those who traveled hours by train to look at us. We also traveled into the deeper countryside to visit his eldest sister, Thuan and her husband Thinh who stilled lived in the area that was traditional family land. On Tuesday we traveled with a family group to visit the "substitute grave" of Mr Nam who has a marker in the family's plot. This was a request of the widow and we felt honored to participate. There are still many, many MIA Vietnamese from the war and families are very disturbed to not know where their loved ones are buried. Mr Nam's family has gone on 3 expensive excursions to the south to find the location of his body which was buried hastily by comrades at his death in the mountains. They have had some luck finding comrades who were present and know the approximate area, but it is in a steep ravine and overgrown. They plan to go back and hire a spiritualist who may be able to talk to his spirit. They are very disturbed by not knowing. If they find the location the government will assist them to relocate the remains or they may bring back earth to the family plot.
Marge has tried to communicate with help from Tinh, about the scholarship she is setting up at Earlham, but it is a somewhat abstract concept. They do feel honored by her attention and tried to understand her scholarship gift, hoping maybe a family member could benefit. The family enjoyed trading stories about Nam and hearing from Marge about his kindness to her during her time in the mountains in captivity. Marge is feeling saturated with emotion and memories and I am just feeling honored and thrilled to be participating in experiences that would be impossible for me as a tourist.
One quite interesting fact about the province of Tuyen Quang is that it is recognized as the "birthplace" of Revoluntionary Vietnam and the place that Ho Chi Minh meet with the beginings of the People's Revolutionary Government in 1945 under a certain tree that still stands in the area.
The entire family was eager to meet to meet Marge. Those who could not travel to see us, called to talk to her on the cell phone. Tinh helped translate cell messages. We were surrounded by relatives including those who traveled hours by train to look at us. We also traveled into the deeper countryside to visit his eldest sister, Thuan and her husband Thinh who stilled lived in the area that was traditional family land. On Tuesday we traveled with a family group to visit the "substitute grave" of Mr Nam who has a marker in the family's plot. This was a request of the widow and we felt honored to participate. There are still many, many MIA Vietnamese from the war and families are very disturbed to not know where their loved ones are buried. Mr Nam's family has gone on 3 expensive excursions to the south to find the location of his body which was buried hastily by comrades at his death in the mountains. They have had some luck finding comrades who were present and know the approximate area, but it is in a steep ravine and overgrown. They plan to go back and hire a spiritualist who may be able to talk to his spirit. They are very disturbed by not knowing. If they find the location the government will assist them to relocate the remains or they may bring back earth to the family plot.
Marge has tried to communicate with help from Tinh, about the scholarship she is setting up at Earlham, but it is a somewhat abstract concept. They do feel honored by her attention and tried to understand her scholarship gift, hoping maybe a family member could benefit. The family enjoyed trading stories about Nam and hearing from Marge about his kindness to her during her time in the mountains in captivity. Marge is feeling saturated with emotion and memories and I am just feeling honored and thrilled to be participating in experiences that would be impossible for me as a tourist.
One quite interesting fact about the province of Tuyen Quang is that it is recognized as the "birthplace" of Revoluntionary Vietnam and the place that Ho Chi Minh meet with the beginings of the People's Revolutionary Government in 1945 under a certain tree that still stands in the area.
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