A Golden West Book for Vietnamese Children
Late in 2007, I had the opportunity to travel around Quang Tri Province, Viet Nam with my good friend John Stevens from the US Department of State, Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement. John was meeting with various NGOs working in the area whose demining operations were sponsored by PM/WRA and are part of the generous program by the United States of America to help eliminate the threat of explosive remnants of war world-wide.
We were traveling with a team from the Mines Advisory Group, led by Mr. Mark Russell, looking at various sites where the authorities had requested assistance in clearing land for development projects. Returning from a meeting with Peacetrees Vietnam at a former battlefield outside of Khe Sanh, we turned off the main highway and traveled over dirt, single-lane road that follows the edge of the Da Krong River. It was raining and many waterfalls could be seen next to the road as we passed over small bridges.
We eventually came to the small village of Xuan Lam, which is part of the Trieu Nguyen Commune in Da Krong District of Quang Tri Province. We were told that periodic flooding of the village area was a big problem for their development. They wished to move the village further up the slope to higher ground to avoid the impacts of these endemic floods, but believed there were unexploded munitions in those areas. They hoped MAG might develop a project to investigate the area and remove the UXO, making the area safe for development. After meeting with the local authorities, we walked up the hill to get a sense for the terrain.
I thought that maybe a book for the kids, something they could hold in their hands, might help them understand the dangers of unexploded munitions. I especially wanted to emphasize the context of scrap metal collection which is endemic and generates most ERW-related deaths and injuries in the Province.
I can tell a simple story, but it takes a special individual to tell a story in pictures. I talked to my brother, a talented illustrator in the United States, to see if he was interested in helping with the project. He immediately agreed to work with me on the book project.
I wanted the book to be attractive, entertaining and to be bi-lingual in Vietnamese and English. I thought this might also help them learn English which they study in school. Most of all, I wanted the book to tell a story that would be familiar to the children and that would reinforce doing the right thing.
Out of these requirements, we wrote Vinh and Trinh’s Adventure©, the story of two Vietnamese children who travel to the countryside from their home in the city to celebrate lunar new years with their extended family. While visiting, they meet another child who tells a sad story of being badly hurt by an unexploded bomb. She tells Trinh and Vinh what to do if they see unexploded munitions – run away and tell someone!
Later they discover their cousin trying to take apart several small bombs in a field behind the village. They warn him with what they have learned, but he says he has done it before and besides, he needs the money he will get for the scrap metal. They run and tell their Uncle what they saw. He calls the authorities who send an Explosive Ordnance Disposal team to remove the threat. They safely eliminate the dangerous ordnance and praise the kids for their bravery. Everyone goes on celebrating the Tet holiday.
I initially planned to finance the book personally, but this wasn’t necessary due to the generosity of the Children’s Education Division of the Golden West Humanitarian Foundation. Golden West provided the means and encouragement to make this book a reality.
The book was first printed in Hanoi, Vietnam in December 2008, and we owe a special thanks to Ms Thai Thi Hanh Nhan, of Catholic Relief Services for her help with the Vietnamese translation. Her comprehensive personal knowledge of Central Vietnam and regional dialects was invaluable.
In April 2009 the first thousand copies of our book were distributed to ten schools in Trieu Phong District, Quang Tri Province, with the cooperation of the Quang Tri Provincial Education Department. Since that time, copies underwent multiple printings and the Foundation has distributed 10,000 copies in Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, and Quang Tri Provinces. The Provincial Military Command EOD teams of Quang Tri, trained by Golden West and operating to resolve residual contamination management challenges across the Province, are still distributing copies of Vinh and Trinh’s Adventure to children as part of their EORE program. The Foundation should be very proud of the impact this little book continues to accomplish.
Al Vosburgh
Chairman