Our former students have left Viet Nam

As of June 10th our four students living in Hue, Viet Nam have moved on to other challenges. Eva and Paul have taken on another adventure. They are moving to India for internships with an NGO for six months. They will then return home to graduate school and some fund raising for Duc Son and maybe Ms. Don. They are publishing a book about Duc Son. I am eager to see a book of Eva's very high quality photos.

Liz is returning to South Carolina for the summer. In August she will return to Hue as a teacher at the International school. There has even been talk of her taking on principal responsibilties at the small school. She will be visiting family and doing a bit of fund raising during her time home.

The last six months have been a real challenge. A lot has been learned.

Viet Nam is a beautiful and interesting place. A friend who lives in Ho Chi Minh City told me today that Viet Nam is experiencing no problem with gasoline prices. They froze the price of gasoline and have plenty of supplies. Escalating gasoline prices would be devastating in a country where such a high percentage of the population earn a dollar or two a day.

Viet Nam is the 12th largest country in the world so this is no small feat. As I was told by the Vietnamese Ambassador in DC once, theVietnamese style of communism is very practical. It works for them. His comment seems to have been very accurate.