Port of Call LAST UPDATE May 10, 2010
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April 23, 2010 Da Nang, Viet Nam – A unified country divided by pain
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There are no obvious signs that the country was ravaged by war as children play lazily in the streets of Da Nang.
Red flags engulf us as we make our way down Da Nang's busiest streets. It is 35 years since the reunification of Viet Nam and local people are celebrating by adorning countless Vietnamese flags to their homes and public buildings. In the centre of each flag lies a yellow five-pointed star, with each tip representing a pillar of the nation's society: farmers, fishermen, students, workers and communists. But despite the eagerness of locals to display their pride in their country's reunification, divisions remain in Viet Nam. Beneath the sea of red and yellow, there are deep scars of war.

Da Nang, the fourth largest city in the country, is home to one of Viet Nam's busiest ports, and is also the area where the United States sent the first of some 200,000 US soldiers who fought in the Viet Nam War during the 1960s and 70s. The conflict began between forces in northern and southern Viet Nam in 1959, but quickly escalated into a devastating campaign with the involvement of foreign troops and equipment. When US troops withdrew from Viet Nam, approximately four million civilians had been killed.
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Mr Truhe says the tunnel (near his hand) is so small because many Vietnamese people were malnourished during the war.
Our guide Nguyen Le Quan says the country is still divided, with those from the south facing discrimination if they try to resettle in the north. He says it is unlikely that they will be granted government positions or other jobs of influence. The bitter irony of this is that during the Viet Nam War, northern Viet Cong forces relied on the support of many people living in southern areas who fought against forces led by the US.

Participants met with a former Viet Cong fighter named Mr Truhe during a visit to an area known as K-20. Mr Truhe's home, which leads to an intricate network of tunnels used by the Viet Cong, is just a five minute drive from the location of one of the seven US air bases built in Da Nang during the war. He tells participants that he lost an eye when he was beaten by US soldiers and that his brother was killed during the war. He explains that many Vietnamese people were farmers by day and Viet Cong by night.
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Without the centre these young people would face a life of isolation and discrimination.
Da Nang is classified as a dioxin hotspot because of toxins used by US forces during the Vietnam War. In a bid to force the Viet Cong into the open, a range of chemicals code-named by colour such as Agent Blue and Agent Black were sprayed from planes to destroy the jungle and crops. More than 80 million litres of chemicals were sprayed, 65 per cent of which was the most notorious herbicide, commonly known as Agent Orange.

Dioxins cause developmental abnormalities during pregnancy and this has devastated the generations born after the war. During a visit to two support centres for Agent Orange/Dioxin victims, Peace Boat participants gained a first-hand understanding of the shocking effects that these chemicals have had on the Vietnamese people. Here they met with dozens of children who were suffering from genetic abnormalities such as fused joints and spina bifida.
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Participants play with children.
A large group of participants including Hibakusha, survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, ate lunch with those under the care of the Da Nang Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin (DAVA). The centre was set up four years ago by Nguyen Thi Hien who says that it was opened to support victims and help them become more integrated into everyday life. "There are those who are more capable and we teach them things like crafts so that they can find work," he says.

Many of those at the centre are extremely disabled, and it was confronting to see so many people whose lives were terribly affected by the legacy of the war. But the atmosphere was brightened when Peace Boat participants brought out some gifts for the centre. The room became a traffic jam of balloons, balls and bubbles which shot through the air. Coloured pieces of paper littered tables as participants and young people at the centre worked together to make small origami paper cranes and flowers.
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The centre's founder Nguyen Thi Hien (right) thanks Peace Boat for the donation of supplies.
Peace Boat used the visit to the centre to donate boxes brimming with supplies. These include stationary, pens, pencils and other goods donated by people living in Japan. Small items like these are much-valued because they give young people at the centre who are suffering with deformed limbs the chance to develop more dexterity in their fingers and wrists.

After a banquet of Vietnamese spring rolls, soup and noodles, six people from the centre performed a traditional dance. As this finished, people in the audience including other young locals and Peace Boat participants rushed to the stage for an impromptu dance-off. There was a sense of optimism in the room as participants gained a first-hand understanding that they can help create a brighter future for the children of Viet Nam.
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This helicopter was seized from southern forces and used by the Viet Cong.
Before leaving Da Nang, participants also visited the Ho Chi Minh Museum, dedicated to the leader who fought to make Viet Nam the nation that it is now. The grounds are littered with US tanks, guns and aircraft, all captured by northern fighters during the war. Our guide, Mr Nguyen, speaks proudly about Viet Nam's former leader who lived in Europe while planning to revolutionise his country.

As we leave the museum Mr Nguyen says that the memory of the war is slowly falling from the nation's psyche. "The new generation doesn't know the war. They don't care," he says with a carefree smile. Maybe this generation will be able to truly unite the country that is so eager to celebrate its reunification.