Vietnamese New Year

I believe its the Vietnamese New Year today - the year of the rooster. Chuc Mung Nam Muoy!

Dr. Flamm from the history department had come to our meeting, at our request, to talk to us about the Vietnam war. I felt that he is an excellent speaker because he didnt ramble like a lot of people do. He went straight to the point and covered both perspectives - the American and the Vietnamese. He hasnt been to Vietnam yet, but what he said about today's Vietnam echoed what I have read in books, heard from Thanh and Nga and some other news sources I read regularly. That showed me how meticulous he must be when he reads and talks to people to keep the truth and chaff out whats not. Overall, I was impressed with Dr. Flamm and his knowledge and learned a lot. Some facts I remember from the talk - US forces sprayed 19 Million Tons of the defoliant named Agent Orange. There are children still born today with deformities caused by Agent Orange coming in contact with their parents or grand-parents. More than 2 Million people were killled or severely injured in the war from the Vietnamese side - thats 10% of their total population. There are still unexploded mines and bombs in the country which kill hundreds of people in Vietnam even today. Mind-boggling!