Bob Frank, President of Friends of Project RENEW (USA). (Photo: Dinh Hoa)

Outside the window, the early morning sunlight had spread across the treetops. In the small room, a silver-haired man with kind eyes and a calm, measured voice recounted more than 25 years of his connection with Viet Nam. He had travelled across many parts of the country, met countless people and witnessed the many changes Viet Nam has undergone since the war. I asked him what, after all those years, remained most vivid in his memory.

Bob Frank did not mention meetings, projects or work trips. What he remembered most could be summed up in a single number.

11.

Eleven bombs discovered beneath the sports field of a secondary school in Dong Ha (now Dong Ha Ward, Quang Tri Province).

He recalled:

“My connection with Viet Nam began in 2000, when I was the treasurer of the Viet Nam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF). That year, we brought a delegation of about 20 members of the advisory board to Viet Nam.

Students at Trieu Hoa Secondary School in Quang Tri learn how to respond when encountering bombs, mines and other explosive remnants of war during an experiential project designed by RENEW in April 2023. (Photo: RENEW)

The trip made us realise that the United States needed to do more to address the consequences of the war, particularly the issue of unexploded bombs, mines and other explosive remnants of war. It was not enough simply to clear mines and bombs. We also needed to raise public awareness of the dangers posed by unexploded ordnance and support victims. At that time, accidents caused by bombs and mines were still relatively frequent. From then on, I devoted many years to this work.

I have many profound memories of Viet Nam, but one thing I will never forget is when we built a baseball field at a secondary school in Dong Ha, Quang Tri Province.

Before construction could begin, the site had to be cleared of bombs and mines to ensure safety. The result left all of us stunned: as many as 11 bombs were discovered directly beneath an area that students had been using as a sports field for many years.

That moment reminded me that the remnants of war were still lying beneath children’s feet, and that there was still much work for us to do.

In the years ahead, Friends of Project RENEW will continue to prioritise preventing accidents caused by bombs, mines and other explosive remnants of war, while expanding Project RENEW’s effective model to more localities across the country.

In my view, cooperation in addressing the consequences of war not only helps resolve the lingering problems of the past, but also contributes to building trust and strengthening ties between the people of Viet Nam and the United States.”

Two US Veterans on Mission to Bring Vietnam’s Fallen Soldiers Home For nearly a decade, Richard Magner and Bob Connor have been examining archival wartime footage, battlefield records, and the memories of US veterans to identify locations believed to contain mass graves of fallen Vietnamese soldiers. The information they have provided has contributed to the recovery of 80 sets of remains at Bien Hoa Airport and more than 200 sets of remains at Loc Ninh Airport, while also helping compile 250 case files to support search and recovery efforts.

Strengthening Vietnam-US Cooperation to Ease Pain of Agent Orange The working visit by a delegation from the Ho Chi Minh City Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin (VAVA) provided an opportunity to directly inform friends in the United States about the long-term consequences of Agent Orange in Vietnam.