Taste of Laos in Richmond school garden

Taste of Laos in Richmond school garden

Click on the link to get more news and video from original source: http://www.sfgate.com/homeandgarden/thedirt/article/Taste-of-Laos-in-Richmond-school-garden-4298443.php#photo-4220806

Joe Eaton and Ron Sullivan

Updated 1:13 pm, Friday, February 22, 2013

Kert and Saeng Doungdara tend to their garden at the Verde Partnership Garden in Richmond. Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle

This is the third in an occasional series on urban farmers working to preserve their cultural foodways by growing heritage crops in the Bay Area. For previous installments, go to http://bit.ly/QCQKM9.

The Verde Elementary School Partnership Garden is a reclaimed treasure in urban North Richmond, a flourishing melange of row crops and ornamentals, fruit trees and butterfly plants. On our first visit 14 years ago, we saw Southeast Asians and Central Americans swapping chili peppers and beans. A Mien woman used the school kitchen to make sweet corn pancakes to share.

Since then, changes in demographics and funding have reshaped the garden; it’s still producing and teaching under the care of Bienvenida Mesa, who works for the Richmond nonprofit, Urban Tilth. Alongside her projects there’s a plot or two to spare, and Saeng and Kert Dohngdara, a Lao couple in their 70s keep up the tradition of raising Southeast Asian crops in the exotic soil of West Contra Costa County.

Laos is a complicated little country, and not all Laotians are ethnic Lao. The Lao are or were a majority of the population, mostly settled farmers along the Mekong; before the Pathet Lao took over, the ruling class was Lao. But they’re relative newcomers, having displaced the Khmu, who have ties to the Khmer of Cambodia. Farther into the highlands lived groups like the Hmong and the Mien, swidden farmers and hunters. Subgroups exist within these, based on language and customs: for example Green Hmong and White Hmong. Several groups, including Lao, Khmu and Mien, have settled in Richmond since the conflict in the former Indochina ended in 1975.

Food bridges some of the ethnic gaps. Every cook has a recipe for laab (or larb), the minced-meat salad also popular in northern Thailand. Sticky rice is a staple. The corn pancake the Mien woman made is included in the first English-language Hmong cookbook, “Cooking From the Heart: The Hmong Kitchen in America” (University of Minnesota Press). The Lao use herbs like dill, uncommon in Southeast Asian cuisine. Unexpected ingredients like rattan (only the shoots), water buffalo hide (yes, hide) and giant water bug (reputedly tastes like gorgonzola) turn up. Bottled essence of giant water bug is an acceptable substitute for the last. You can buy that locally nowadays, and the Dohngdaras can buy their seeds and plant starts, though like their predecessors here they still save some of their own.

They visit the school twice a week to tend their section of the garden. The harvest goes to their extended family and others in the local Lao community. Their plot includes two dry-land taro patches (“One variety for the leaves, another for the root,” Kert Dohngdara explained), dill, three kinds of basil, small incendiary bird chiles and bitter green eggplants, the aromatic knotweed that he calls pachpal and the Vietnamese call rau ram. There’s Malabar spinach, whose arrowhead-shaped leaves are cooked with meat. Some familiar plants play unfamiliar roles in Lao cuisine: “You cook the roots of lemongrass like onion, with shrimp.”

We also saw an unfamiliar herb with a perfoliate, scalloped little leaf. “I don’t know what it’s called,” Kert told us. “I didn’t plant it. The root is used for fever.” We looked it up; apparently it’s a pennywort. The Hmong call it lauj vag and treat coughs with it. Other hillfolk in Thailand apply it to cuts and wounds as a poultice. We couldn’t find its Lao name. The plant may be a holdover from the time of the Mien or some other ethnic group.

Maybe Saeng Dohngdara could have told us more about it if we could have worked through the language barrier and her shyness – she did communicate that she’d steep the root, like tea. Herbal medicine among at least some Laotian peoples is women’s province. A few years back Jan Corlett, Ellen Dean and Louis Grivetti of UC Davis interviewed Hmong women involved in a community garden in Sacramento. They reported that the older participants grew more medicinal plants than the younger ones – another case of traditional knowledge fading away as the first immigrant generation passes.

The Dohngdaras have been involved with the school garden for 17 years. Kert’s family grew rice in the Mekong Delta. He left Laos in 1980 and lived in Atlanta and Boston before relocating to the Bay Area, where he had relatives, and worked as a machinist before back problems forced him to retire. Dohngdara sometimes recruits his children and grandchildren (his oldest son is 55) to help weed and harvest, but he and Saeng keep their hands in: “It’s better than sitting at home watching TV.”

Resources

Urban Tilth’s Verde Partnership Garden page: www.urbantilth.org/gardens/verde-partnership-garden

Joe Eaton and Ron Sullivan are naturalists and freelance writers in Berkeley. E-mail: home@sfchronicle.com

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/homeandgarden/thedirt/article/Taste-of-Laos-in-Richmond-school-garden-4298443.php#ixzz2NEfK14yo

U.S. Air Force officials publicly thanked Hmong fighter pilots: With a belated salute, Hmong pilots reunite

Click on the link to get more news and video from original source:  http://www.startribune.com/local/east/159321185.html?page=all&prepage=1&c=y#continue

• Article by: ALLIE SHAH , Star Tribune
• Updated: June 16, 2012 – 10:29 PM

In a rare ceremony, U.S. Air Force officials publicly thanked Hmong fighter pilots for helping American forces during the “Secret War” in Laos.

Members of the U.S. Air Force and the T-28 also called the “Chao Pha Khao” Hmong pilots take a commemorative photo after receiving their service awards at their first reunion in Maplewood, Minn. on Saturday, June 16, 2012

For the first time since their fighter pilot days in Laos, the surviving members of the “Secret War’s” best-kept secret gathered Saturday in one spot — in Maplewood, of all places — to receive a public and official thank-you from the U.S. military.

In a rare ceremony, 38 elite Hmong fighter pilots, who flew alongside Americans during the Vietnam War, were awarded personal letters of appreciation signed by the U.S. Air Force’s Chief of Staff, Gen. Norton Schwartz. Of those awards, 21 were posthumous.

“All Hmong aviators represented something greater. They became a symbol of the Hmong people, people’s resolve to live free. And they were a source of inspiration for both the Hmong people and the American servicemen,” Lt. Gen. Eric Fiel, commander of Air Force Special Operations Command, told the packed hotel banquet room. “Today we recognize the Hmong aviators who weathered many storms, braved walls of artillery, kept a steady hand on the stick, surfing the skies. … On behalf of General Schwartz, I thank you very much.”

As honored and moved as the Hmong pilots were by the special recognition, their biggest thrill may have come from seeing one another after nearly four decades. Thirteen pilots made it to the reunion. Like the Air Force tribute, they said, the reunion was long overdue.

“I’m happy with that. It’s just a bit too late, in my opinion,” Ya Lee, 59, a pilot from Vadnais Heights, said earlier this week about the recognition. “Many of my friends sure did a lot more than me. They’re not here to see it.”

The last time flier Yia Kha saw his old friend Lee was in an overcrowded refugee camp in Thailand. It was 1975, and they had fled to Thailand after U.S. forces left Laos. Those who had fought with the Americans against the pro-Communists were in danger in Laos.

Like most of the surviving pilots, they eventually resettled in the United States — Kha in Pennsylvania and Lee in Mississippi. Lee, 59, recently moved to Minnesota.

Last Wednesday, the day Kha arrived from Pennsylvania, the two friends stood inches apart at the Hmong Village shopping mall in St. Paul.

“Aw, what’s up, man? Long time coming to see,” Lee said, greeting his pal with a handshake and a pat on the back. Kha grinned, then stepped back to size up his friend. “He’s changed a little bit,” he said, playfully pointing to Lee’s biceps. “He’s a muscle man.”

They were joined by pilot Phong Yang of Maplewood, who helped organize the reunion. The trio’s mini-reunion at the Hmong Village kicked off a weekend of reminiscing for the pilot crew, once known by their code name — “Chao Pha Khao” or Lords of the White Mountains.

‘Fly until you die’

From 1967 to 1975, five waves of Hmong men completed a U.S. training program in Southeast Asia, where they learned to fly T-28 propeller planes and helicopters. In all, 38 men swore to “fly until you die” and became part of the Hmong fighter pilot squadron.

Under the leadership of legendary Gen. Vang Pao of the Royal Army of Laos, the Hmong pilots flew many times a day in Laos during the U.S.-led covert war against pro-Communist forces. They bombarded the Ho Chi Minh Trail — the Viet Cong supply route — and provided cover for ground troops. They also helped rescue downed pilots and assisted U.S. forces in communicating with Hmong allies.

More than half of them were killed in action.

“If you look at what they did, they’re really, really brave guys, said Mike Martin, public affairs specialist for the Air Force Special Operations Command. “Their operations tempo — how many missions they were doing — it’s amazing. They were really fighting hard.”

Back in Laos, the pilots were like a family. Here in America, they keep in touch by phone and exchange pictures, but they hadn’t all been together since leaving Laos in 1975. “Many of us still have to work for a living and we live far apart,” Lee said.

‘It’s long overdue’

The idea for Saturday’s reunion was born when one pilot, Kha, was honored in 2010 at the Pentagon. He received a certificate of appreciation and congratulatory words from Gen. Schwartz himself.

“We’re here to remedy something that wasn’t done right, to acknowledge the service of our partners many years ago,” Schwartz told Kha at the ceremony. “Certainly I would call them battle buddies. It’s long overdue.”

Kha, the general noted, distinguished himself as a particularly courageous flier who many times ignored his own personal safety. One mission in particular stands out. An American pilot was suddenly in need of a Hmong “backseater” to fly with him and help in a dangerous rescue mission of a downed U.S. pilot.

Kha, then known as Robin ’09, volunteered to fly with American pilot Craig Duehring into a heavily contested zone. Duehring went on to serve as assistant secretary of the Air Force and was key to finally getting all the pilotsrecognized.

Eve Vang, whose father, Maj. Lee Lue, was a legendary pilot who flew thousands of missions before being shot down in 1969, was moved to tears while watching a video. It showed old photos of the Hmong pilots with cocky smiles standing proudly next to their planes. She said she was struck by how much her father and the other young Hmong men had to overcome to learn how to fly so quickly.

“These pilots were teachers. They were farmers. They didn’t know anything about guns or flying,” she said. “It shows they had potential.”

The sound of champagne corks popping echoed across the room as the pilots toasted their fallen buddies.

At the close of the ceremony, they already were talking of more reunions — only this time, they vowed, they would not wait so long.

Allie Shah •  612-673-4488

Thank You For Your Service: DEDICATED TO THE U.S. SECRET ARMY IN THE KINGDOM OF LAOS 1961 – 1973

(Danny Johnston/ Associated Press ) – Madeline Grace Wallace, 4, carries flags at the National Cemetery in Little Rock, Ark., Friday, May 25, 2012.

The girl and her mother visited the cemetery to place flags on graves for Memorial Day.

May 21, 2012

This time of the year, thousands of visitors come from around the world to Arlington National Cemetery to honor and remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice. Zackary Leetham, pictured, visited Arlington with his family. The Leethams didn’t have a friend or loved one buried at Arlington, but came to honor all others. Photo by 2LT James Wirthlin, USAF.

The story of this Memorial is a story of sacrifice and patriotic valor by American Advisers, Lao and Hmong combat soldiers in the jungles of Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War.

In Memory of Legions Lost and the
Soldiers of the Secret War in Laos.
_______________________________________________________

We stand in tribute of forgotten men…for their sacrifice, courage
valor and honor. We honor them by this living memorial…starkly
beautiful in its simplicity, for it stands defiantly alone, as did those
soldiers in their seasons of death. It will serve as a poignant reminder
of our battlefield allies, and is a tribute long overdue to proud Human
endeavor…courage and valor in a long war lost in the unfulfilled hopes
for Southeast Asia.

As the fallen leaves of Autumn
in unregimented ranks,
Countless unrembered soldiers
rest…eternally.
Let us now praise forgotten men…
and some there be,
Which have no memorial;

Who have perished, as though
They had never been.
But they served, they died;
for cause and by happenstance…
Expended in the hopes for Southeast Asia,
and will forever be remembered,
Mourned for their sacrifice.

If by weeping I could change
the course of events,
My tears would pour down ceaselessly
for a thousand Autumns.

Thursday, May 15, 1997
Salute to Lao/Hmong Patriots
& their American Advisers
Arlington National Cemetery

—

Press Release

U.S. – LAOS, HMONG MEMORIAL DAY EVENTS:  DEDICATED TO THE U.S. SECRET ARMY IN THE KINGDOM OF LAOS

WASHINGTON, May 25, 2012 — National ceremonies and public policy events are being held in Washington, D.C., regarding Laos and Vietnam.

The U.S. Congressional Forum on Laos and Vietnam continues on Capitol Hill following earlier veterans’ memorial services.

Topics of discussion in the U.S. Congress include: economics; trade; hydroelectric dam projects, human rights; religious persecution; refugees; and, veterans’ issues.

“Our people, who were left behind in the jungles of Laos, are still suffering from the causes of the Vietnam War,” said Colonel Wangyee Vang, President of the Lao Veterans of America Institute.

“We have come from across the United States to pay tribute and remember our fallen soldiers who have died to secure the freedom that we all enjoy today,” Vang stated.

“The plight of Lao, Hmong and Vietnamese political and religious dissidents remains of concern to policymakers,” said Philip Smith, Director of the Center for Public Policy Analysis (CPPA) in Washington, D.C. “This includes the status of allied veterans who served in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War, and their refugee families still suffering in Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam.” http://www.centerforpublicpolicyanalysis.org

“It is also important to note that an official wreath-laying and memorial service, was conducted at the Lao Veterans of America (LVA) monument in Arlington National Cemetery, on May 11, to honor the Lao and Hmong veterans, their families, as well as the American clandestine advisors, who served in defense of the Kingdom of Laos, and U.S. national security interests, during the Vietnam War,” Smith continued.

“A U.S. Department of Defense Joint Armed Forces Honor Guard, U.S. Army wreath-bearer, and bugler, helped lead the ceremony,” stated Smith.

“Following the wreath-laying ceremony at the LVA memorial in Arlington, the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DOD) honor guard also posted colors, and a bugler played ‘Taps’, in memory of the Lao and Hmong veterans and their American military and clandestine advisors…,” Smith commented.

“I am very honored, and pleased, that we are once again gathered here…,” said historian Dr. Jane Hamilton-Merritt.

Flowers were laid at a memorial ceremony held at the Vietnam War Memorial on May 12.

Participants discussed H.R. 3192, legislation introduced by U.S. Congressmen Jim Costa (D-CA) and Frank Wolf (R-VA), to grant burial benefits to Lao and Hmong-American veterans at U.S. national cemeteries.

Arlington memorial service cosponsors include: LVAI; CPPA; LVA; the U.S. DOD; Army; Air Force; Arlington National Cemetery; Counterparts; Hmong Advance, Inc.; Hmong Advancement, Inc.; and, Members of the U.S. Congress.

Speakers, and those providing statements, at the Arlington ceremonies include: Wangyee Vang, LVAI; Philip Smith, CPPA; Mike Benge, former POW; Hugh Tovar, Former CIA Station Chief, Laos; Toua Kue, LVA; Jane Hamilton-Merritt; D. L. Hicks, U.S. Special Forces Association; Christy Lee, Hmong Advance, Inc.; U.S. Congressman Jim Costa; and, other Members of the U.S. Congress.

The events also commemorate National Lao and Hmong Recognition Day, and Vietnam Human Rights Day, marked annually in May.

SOURCE: Center for Public Policy Analysis

Center for Public Policy Analysis:

Maria Gomez

or

Philip Smith 202-543-1444

National Laos, Hmong Policy Events Continue in Washington

News Release

2012-05-17 23:40:53 -

May 17, 2012, Washington, D.C.

National memorial ceremonies and public policy events are being held in Washington, D.C., to highlight the service, and ongoing plight, of Lao and Hmong veterans who served in Laos during the Vietnam War.

We have come from across the United States to pay tribute and remember our fallen soldiers who have died to secure the freedom that we all enjoy today said Colonel Wangyee Vang, President of the Lao Veterans of America Institute.”  “It is also important to remember that our people, who were left behind in the jungles of Laos, are still suffering from the causes of the Vietnam War Vang stated.

Events are continuing in the U.S. Congress this week, regarding domestic and international policy matters of concern, including veterans, human rights, refugee, religious persecution and economic issues.

On May 11, a wreath-laying and memorial service, was conducted at the Lao Veterans of America (LVA) monument in Arlington National Cemetery to honor the Lao and Hmong veterans, their families, as well as the American clandestine advisors, who served in defense of the Kingdom of Laos, and U.S. national security interests, during the Vietnam War. www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO1205/S00337/laos-hmong-veterans-honore ..

“I am very honored and pleased that we are once again gathered here today at Arlington said Dr. Jane Hamilton-Merritt, a Southeast Asia scholar, journalist, and author of the book “Tragic Mountains: The Hmong, The Americans and the Secret Wars for Laos.” www.tragicmountains.org

“A U.S. Department of Defense Joint Armed Forces Honor Guard, U.S. Army wreath-bearer, and bugler, participated in the ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery to assist in honoring the Lao and Hmong veterans and their families said Philip Smith, Executive Director of the Center for Public Policy Analysis (CPPA) in Washington, D.C. www.centerforpublicpolicyanalysis.org

“Following the official wreath-laying ceremony at the Lao Veterans of America memorial in Arlington, the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DOD) honor guard also posted colors, and the bugler played ‘Taps in memory of the Lao and Hmong veterans and their American military and clandestine advisors” Smith observed.

“With covert American assistance, Lao and Hmong special forces operated in defense of the Kingdom of Laos and U.S. national security interests Smith commented.

Flowers were laid at a memorial ceremony held at the Vietnam War Memorial on May 12.

Event speakers are highlighting the importance of legislation (H.R. 3192), introduced by U.S. Congressmen Jim Costa (D-CA), and Frank Wolf (R-VA), to grant burial benefits to Lao and Hmong-American veterans at U.S. national cemeteries.

Event cosponsors include the LVAI, CPPA, LVA, the U.S. DOD, Army, Air Force, Arlington National Cemetery, Counterparts, Hmong Advance, Inc., Hmong Advancement, Inc., and Members of the U.S. Congress.

Speakers at the veterans’ memorial events include: Wangyee Vang, LVAI; Philip Smith, CPPA; Jane Hamilton-Merritt; Mike Benge, former POW; Hugh Tovar, Former CIA Station Chief, Laos; Toua Kue, LVA.; D. L. Hicks, U.S. Special Forces Association, Texas;
Christy Lee, Hmong Advance, Inc.; U.S. Congressman Jim Costa (D-CA); and, Members of the U.S. Congress.

The events also commemorate National Lao and Hmong Recognition Day ceremonies held annually in May.

Contact:
Maria Gomez or Philip Smith
Center for Public Policy Analysis
2020 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Suite 220
Washington, DC 20006
USA
Telephone: (202) 543-1444
info@centerforpublicpolicyanalysis.org

History can not reversed: Vietnam-Laos special friendship

Vietnam-Laos special friendship

Click on the link to get more news and video from original source:  http://english.vietnamnet.vn/en/special-report/22314/vietnam-laos-special-friendship.html

Last update 19/05/2012 08:00:00 AM (GMT+7)

-

VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam-Laos friendship is proven very clearly at the Prince Souphanouvong (late Lao President) Museum in Vientiane, Laos.

President Ho Chi Minh took photo with Ms. Ky Nam and her children.

The most respected memories of late President, Prince Souphanouvong are related to President Ho Chi Minh and Vietnam. The first photo that Prince Souphanouvong taken with President Ho Chi Minh is placed next to pictures of the prince’s family.

That is the picture which was shot on September 4, 1945. After the August Revolution, Prince Souphanouvong was a bridge-road engineer and was working in Vietnam’s Vinh City when he was requested by his brother to come back home to take care state affairs.

According to Mr. To Huy Rua, head of the Central Party Organization Committee, President Ho Chi Minh invited Prince Souphanouvong to Hanoi to discuss alliance between Vietnam and Laos.

That historical meeting was the turning point in the history of Vietnam-Laos relationships. Prince Souphanouvong joined the Indochina Communist Party and began his revolutionary career.

According to the museum’s guide, in that meeting, President Ho Chi Minh and Prince Souphanouvong agreed with each other about many important issues related to the two countries. President Ho invited the prince and his wife, Ms. Nguyen Thi Ky Nam, a Vietnamese, to have meal with him.

The meal only had fish, salted shredded meat and boiled spinach with soybean jam. Perhaps after this meeting, Prince Souphanouvong turned from a prince, a patriotic intellectual into a revolutionist and then a communist.

Four years later, in 1949, Prince Souphanouvong returned to Vietnam to see President Ho in Tuyen Quang province.

The museum used to be the house of Prince Souphanouvong. On the second floor, there is a small living room and two workrooms of the princess and his wife.

The workroom of Prince Souphanouvong is simply decorated, with a rattan-made table and chairs, some bookcase and a cabinet. On the cabinet top is the portrait of President Ho, a censor and a pair of candlesticks.

The workroom of Ms. Ky Nam is simpler. On her bookcase is a small statue of Trung sisters, Vietnamese heroines.

Many photos featuring Prince Souphanouvong or his family with President Ho and Vietnamese leaders like Ton Duc Thang, Le Duan, Pham Van Dong and Vo Nguyen Giap.

In a visit to Ms. Thongvin, the wife of former Lao President Kayson Phomvihan, together with a delegation of the Ho Chi Minh Youth Union, I saw a photo of Mr. Kayson and President Ho in her living room.

Prince Souphanouvong and his Vietnamese wife, Ms. Ky Nam.

Ms. Thongvin, over 80, who was the first secretary of the Lao Democratic Youth Union, said: “I’m very happy to see the two Youth Unions are side by side to build the two countries. You must maintain and follow the tradition of the special relations between Vietnam and Laos, remember!”General Saman Vignaket, former Politburo member and former Chair of Laos National Assembly, told Mr. Nguyen Dac Vinh, the first secretary of the Ho Chi Minh Youth Union and his Lao counterpart Vilayvong Bouddakham and the Vietnamese delegation: “In the 70s-80s, I went to Hanoi to meet with Mr. Pham Van Dong; he told me: ‘Comrade Saman, our generation is about to see President Ho. We have to educate the young generation to urge them to pursue our revolutionary cause and the special solidarity between the two countries’. I met Mr. Vo Nguyen Giap and he also told me like that.”“The solidarity between Vietnam and Laos is the one in this world. Prince Souphanouvong said: we have many strategic friends but nobody is better than the friend who fights in the same trench with us. There are many relations but the relations between Vietnam and Laos is always more special than others because we share the same trench,” he added.General Saman Vignaket is called the ideologist of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party. He was born in Thailand and worked for a Vietnamese family in Thailand when he as a boy. This family adopted him and gave him a Vietnamese name “Duc”. He joined the army led by Kayson Phomvihan.Laos-Vietnam familiesThanks to the deep affection between the two countries, many Lao and Vietnamese become husband and wife. Prince Souphanouvong and his wife, Ms. Ky Nam is an example.

At the Souphanouvong Museum in Vientiane, there is a photo of a young and beautiful couple, with captions in Lao and English: “Prince Souphanouvong and Ms. Nguyen Thi Ky Nam in their wedding in Nha Trang, January 19, 1938.”

At the age of 11, prince Souphanouvong was sent to Hanoi to study at the Albert Sarraut School. After that, he went to France to study at the Paris Civil Engineering University. He was the first civil engineer in Indochina.

Returning to Indochina, prince Souphanouvong worked in central Vietnam, at important positions like the chief architect of Nha Trang, chief technician of the civil engineering department of central Vietnam. He designed and observed the construction of many irrigation works in Vietnam. Seven of them are still used today.

Ms. Ngoc Anh.

Phan Thiet water tower, designed by the prince, is praised by experts as a beautiful and the most unique water tower in Vietnam. It has become an official symbol of the central province of Binh Thuan.

He also built Yen Xuan Bridge across the Ca River, Do Luong, Thanh Chuong and Bai Thuong dams in central Vietnam. Bai Thuong dam, which is 160m long, 23.5m high, supplies water for more than 50,000 hectares of fields. It used to be a tourist attraction and was printed on stamps.

Working in Vietnam, the prince got married with Ms. Ky Nam, a girl from central Vietnam. Someone said that Ms. Ky Nam is a cousin of Vietnam’s last King Bao Dai.

When the prince was appointed as the chief architect of Nha Trang, he hired a hotel room in Nha Trang, where he met with Ms. Ky Nam, a schoolgirl of Dong Khanh High School in Hue city, who returned home during a summer vacation.

The same year, Ms. Ky Nam was crowned Miss Central Vietnam. They got married on January 19, 1938. Their honeymoon was a trip along rivers in central Vietnam.

Ms. Ky Nam had a Lao name – Viengkham. She became the deputy director of the Lao Institute for Social Sciences.

There is a photo of the couple, taken in 1972. They still looked young and happy like in the wedding photo they took 34 years ago. They had 10 children, including eight sons and two daughters. There is also a picture featuring Ms. Ky Nam, her children, with President Ho.

During the visit of the delegation of the Ho Chi Minh Youth Union to Laos, we met with Dr. Kongkeo Xaysongkham, Vice Party Secretary and Chair of Bolikhamxay province. We paid a visit to his home on the way to Vientiane.

Dr. Kongkeo’s wife is Ms. Ngoc Anh, a Hanoian. Ngoc Anh felt in love with Kongkeo, a Lao student at the Hanoi Transport University, and then they got married. (Dr. Khampha Phimason, who studied at the National Economics University in Hanoi also got married with a Hanoi girl. This is also similar to many other Lao-Vietnam families).

Asking Ms. Ngoc Anh about their love story, she only smiled and said perhaps it was their destiny. Several days later, some people in Vientiane, who knew clearly about the couple, said that Mr. Kongkeo attended a wedding near Ngoc Anh’s home and their love was at the first sight. They now have two children, a son and a daughter.

Receiving Vietnamese newspapers as gifts from the first secretary of the Ho Chi Minh Youth Union, Ms. Ngoc Anh said that these were valuable spiritual gifts and added that her children can speak Vietnamese fluently.

“They were born in Vietnam but study in Laos. During summer, I sent them to their grandparents in Vietnam to study Vietnamese,” she said.

Vietnam-Laos friendship keeps growing

The deep-rooted sentiments between the two nations have been developed. This year – 2012 – is considered as the Friendship and Solidarity Year, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and Laos. The two countries recently revealed the cooperation plan in 2012.

Both sides agreed to popularize a project on the history of special Vietnam-Laos ties and the Vietnam-Laos combat alliance and continue to gather more evidence to complete the project.

The two countries will increase the exchange of information and implement commitments within the multilateral cooperation framework, including ASEAN, the Greater Mekong Sub-Region (GMS) and the East West Economic Corridor (EWEC).

They will examine Vietnamese-funded projects in Laos and sign a new investment protection and encouragement agreement to replace the 1996 agreement.

Both sides agreed to hold groundbreaking and inauguration ceremonies of major joint cooperation projects invested by Vietnamese businesses to celebrate key anniversaries in 2012.

They will effectively implement their trade development scheme for 2008-2015 to raise two-way trade to US$2 billion by 2015. They will complete the formulation of the Vietnam-Laos border trade development master plan and coordinate with Cambodia to soon sign the tripartite road transport agreement.

At the session, both hosts and guests shared the view that in 2011, Vietnam and Laos boosted cooperation in education and training, closely coordinated at multilateral forums and reached high consensus on international and regional issues.

The two countries closely coordinated in implementing Vietnamese-funded projects in Laos and increased the exchange of experiences in culture, sports, museums and other fields.

By the end of March, Vietnamese enterprises had had 212 investment projects worth nearly US $3.5 billion in Laos, mostly in hydroelectricity, mining, agriculture and forestry.

Mr. Tran Bac Ha, Chairman of the Association of Vietnamese Investors in Laos (AVIL), said that Vietnamese investment in Laos has increased in both project number and capital in recent years.

In 2011, Vietnam had 15 investment projects worth nearly US$500 million licensed in Laos. Now, Vietnamese-invested projects are implemented in 16 out of 17 Lao provinces.

Vietnam is Laos’ second biggest foreign investor.

Tien Phong