Readers' Comments (1)

1. The Information Section Of Da Hieu Vietnam Military Academy had the honor to read General Nguyen Van Hieu's homepage. He was a competent leader of the ARVN, a beloved elders of former military cadets of the VNMA (Dalat MA). (Internet Section/VBQGVN)

2. We are the promoters of Vietnam Sun weekly magazine in Toronto, Canada sent you this letter to request that you allow us to publish your article on General Nguyen Van Hieu. Because we viewed this is a precious document and very few people knows about a competent and virtuous general of the ARVN, we ask you the permission to publish it in our magazine for everybody to know. [...] Our purpose, when we receive your permission, is to publish the article "My Brother, General Hieu" to remind, to record the fact of a competent and virtuous General of the ARVN. Perhaps because of his honesty and non-flattering character, he was unknown to many. We also ask your permission to publish the article so many more would know about a beloved General of our generation in the past, a gem lost among common sands and stones. (Nguyen Van Minh, Vietnam Sun Magazine)

3. Thank you for allowing me to visit your homepage. Since you asked for my opinions, here is my response: it's very interesting, because around 4/75, so many unknown heroes had died for the country. If there is no one who knew about these heroes and recorded the events, how would the posterity know about them. Am I right? Did you see that the VC listed their heroes among female heroes Trung and Trieu? (NMH, NJ)

4. Thank you for letting me know about your website. I'll link your homepage to my website http://www.bdqvn.org/. I hope you will do the same.(Nguyen P. Hung, webmaster BDQVN)

5. Your new homepage is so COOL!(Thuy Lich, Philadelphia)

6. I did notice a great improvement in your home page, your website now includes Anh Hieu's picture, a resume of his military career, and other articles by various authors. All this contributes to a live memorial for Anh Hieu. A meaningful initiative. Great job!(Tri, Philadelphia)

7. Sorry for not responding to you earlier. Here are some of my comments:

1. General Hieu is one of the most revered ARVN heroes whom I have always respected and admired.

2. Your homepage is so beautiful despite of your novice skills.

3. We need to see more subjects such as yours to attract web surfers.
(Nguyen P. Hung, webmaster@bdqvn.org)

8. Your homepage is now beautiful and so sophisticated. You use frames to allow surfers to maneuver. (Kelvin Luong, CA)

9. I have read your homepage about General Hieu. It is necessary to your family and to the future history.

Your brother was a sacred general. That was why he nudged you into publishing this homepage. I am a researcher in psychic science. I understand your brother has possessed you under the form of pen-psychic. Try to ask him this and that, then hold a quiet while sitting quiet, and see if general Hieu wlll moved in and answer the questions. If you can practice it, please e-mail me his responses. Sincerely. (Nguyen Thien Thu, Ottawa)

10. Dear Tin. I have started looking at your home page which Bill McBride (Vietnam Veterans Page) sent me...I am absolutely fascinated, but dead tired tonight, so I am reluctantly closing down here, and will continue reading this over the weekend...what a labor of love...I lived in Saigon from 1961-1965 and then Thailand, and Laos and left my heart in Vietnam and Laos...My 20 year old brother was killed in Laos while visiting my parents (my father worked for the state department), and the love of my life (I was 19, but he has always remained in my heart- it will have been 10 years next week...) was shot down the day before returning to the US.....I am half French and half American, and living in the US now after years in France, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Holland and Germany.....I am a pre kindergarten teacher now with 2 daughters, and 2 grandsons, and a heart that remained in southeast Asia.

I will look at your whole home page, and write back...just wanted to tell you that the first glimpse really struck me hard....you have done a wonderful job. My very best to you. (Marie-Colombe Perry/Wright)

11. Dear Tin. I wonder with amazement where did you dig up all the information pertaining to Anh Hieu's personal rapport with the various officials and generals of the time. It's very informative and insightful. Your article "General Hieu in his rapport with others" managed to integrate a lot of scattered information into a meaningful whole picture. It provides a very helpful understanding of our brother that I would not get just from reading the various articles you have written prior to this one. (Tri)

12. Dear Tin. Through HoustonViet I was able to read MG Nguyen van Hieu's homepage. I wanted to weep. Just yesterday, I and my former company commander (405 Recon company, 22 division) had a telephone conversation in which I asked him which General he respected the most. He answered without hesitation: General Hieu.
I reported to 405 Recon unit when General Hieu was division commander (8/1967). And my unit was very dear to him. Because we were very close to him, and achieved dangerous tasks he assigned to us with confidence. Each time our unit conquered an objective, his helicopter immediately came down to give us comfort and encouragement. On 9 May 1968, our unit was ambushed on Ky Son's hilltop, we suffered very heavy casualties, with 4 officers KIA, including an American advisor, right that afternoon, General Hieu's helicopter landed down and he bent his head on a stone for half an hour. And for the entire following week, he ordered the flag to be hung half pole.

I carry with me his image, his love for his soldiers, his humanity so that I can be proud for being his subordinate. He gave to each one of us a very beautiful knife, because he very much appreciated us.

Now you are dead, not by the hands of the enemy but by the hands of a group of hooligans... I would like to light an incense stick to offer you my respect. Dear Sir, do you still remember that near-sighted lieutenant with a ranger's hat that you had more than once pinned medals onto his chest? (Tran Hoai Thu)

13. I got absorbed into your wonderful webpage. I am moved and impressed with all of your effort, research, documentation, and especially your cherished sentiments and frank opinion about the modest lifestyle, brilliant career, and suspicious death of your beloved brother, General Hieu. I wish and hope that, while exposing those events and facts, sometime or some day, someone will come out the dark shell and talk more about it, providing to you and us more interesting and valuable information on your and our General Hieu. In addition, all photos of your 1144 Simpson are impressive, reflecting your unique skills (unexpected to me!) and hard labor. (Thomas Nga)

14. I have just read your website about your brother, General Hieu. I was saddened by his death all those years ago, and I am saddened today by the revelations you have made. I too am a victim of a corrupt government cover-up, related to the MIA status of my fiancee in the A Shau Valley, Vietnam in 1972. I sympathize with you on your feelings and your on-going search for the truth. But I am sorry to say, that I think that you are even more unlikely than I to find the truth. Your brother was a famous person, a bright shining star...and his death if perpetrated by the government, will REMAIN covered up because of its sensitive nature. I cannot even get the truth about an Air Force gunship crew who were shot down 27 years ago, and I am sure the information on their case was much less sensitive than that about your brother. I will pray that you are able to find answers anyway. Please accept my well intended condolences to you and your family, and may God bless you on your search for the truth. (Beverly Haire , http://users.sunline.net/voices/)

15. Thank you Tin, I am reading your articles. Very rich and touching. I very much respect our ARVN hero. I encourage you to keep on proceeding forward to glorify Major General Hieu and the ARVN. I admire your huge research task. I wish you much success. Have you contacted Ngay Nay publishing company of Vo Van Thanh yet? I hope your book will come out soon. (Pham Thoai)

16. Hello, my name is Nicole, thank you for telling me about your site, which is wonderful. I have visited it twice. I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions. I am doing a third year thesis, as part of my degree (studying photojournalism) at university in England. I am doing it on the effect photojournalism had on the Vietnam war. I have had many responses to my questions from American war veterans but was wondering if you would give me your point of view also. Basically I want to know if you believe the media portrayed your (the south Vietnamese) situation accurately, what you thought of newspaper coverage at the time, and also your opinions on photojournalism at the time. Things like that. If you think you can help, please e-mail me back, as I am desperate to find people to represent the south Vietnamese perspective. Thanks, I look forward to your reply. (Nicole, United Kingdom)

17. [...] And so I "met your general...as I received this note from you, I was reading more at your site. I am enjoying it very much. There is a wide range of material and it is presented very well. A "rich" fabric is woven of a man's life, his family and his times. I frequently hear from many Americans/Europeans" ... but where are the stories from the Vietnamese themselves?"... because people want to know what the Vietnamese can tell us about the truths of those times. And so I "surf" looking for VN content and when I find historical material such as presented at your site Tin, I hurry it to others who will speed to learn more.

It is nice to meet you. I have quite a few pages on VN... but, very short as that is my style. I try to avoid the "controversy" of VN ... and focus on the individuals and their experiences. But that is my writing style on everything! said with a laugh.[...] I would like to add your pages on General Hieu to my links page: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Aegean/8961/linx.htm.

You are weaving a very good site Tin. And you should be very proud of your work. (Brenda M. Montgomery, Vancouver, Canada)

18. I have had the privilege of reading many of your fine pages on your brother, General Hieu.

What I am learning, more and more, is that the people of Viet Nam, think in very respectful terms. When I first tumbled into the VN groups, I was shocked, and that is the word, to find people communicating by way of poetry ... at first I could not believe my eyes and figured I had fallen into a "poets' web" ... but no, time and time again, the spirit of the VN people is displayed by poetry. This is a quality unique to the people and heritage of VN. I have not seen in collectively among any other group of people.

Now, in reading your pages on your General ... I see the words "loved", "sacred", "beautiful general", "virtuous", and so on ... not words associated with "generals". said with a smile. This is tribute not only to your brother, but to the people who served and fought and lived during the terrible times 54 - 75 and before and since. This is the enduring quality of a long history of respect and love. This is a rare quality in any people and speaks highly of the heritage passed on generation to generation.

I am rarely moved to tears. But, your General moves me to tears. A small choke in my throat. A need to know more about this man and his times grows. It is time for more VN heroes to be profiled on the web.

I sat most recently with a group of VN fighters, dressed in old jump suits/ camouflage/ uniforms ... we sat only a few feet away from the Consul General of China in Vancouver at the opening of the Chinese Canadian Military Museum on November 7, 1998. The CG was very aware of our presence. He was "alert" when he watched us. It was a very interesting occasion. I am proud to wear their group pin on my blazer which they gave me in friendship and I am privileged to know some of these fine fighters.

Learning about your General, your brother, gives me a larger appreciation of these fine veterans, their heritage, their history. Your tribute to your brother is a Gift ... to me personally and I have much to reflect on this evening.

Thank you so much for sharing. Keep up your good work. (Brenda M. Montgomery)

19. I have read other things through the years, and met an American adviser some years back who went to school with your brother (can't remember name) but remember him bragging about how good your brother was in school, and saying that he WOULD be a General very early! Then when your brother was killed, I remember reading the news stories and thinking, He was assassinated! I know how governments do these things and lie to the people! But just remember, it is the GOOD ones they assassinate! the ones they cannot corrupt! (Beverly Haire).

20. I have just visited your home page. Thank you for preparing the page. We Americans hear very little about the ARVN with whom we fought. The material about your brother is an excellent tribute to him. If possible, could you encourage more people to establish pages similar to yours? We need to hear the story of the ARVN, both as a military force and as individuals. (Joe Schlatter, Colonel, US Army (Retired)

21. The photo looks good...a handsome general! Your page is very educational, and much needed to counter the media's popular stereotyping of ARVN troops as not wanting to fight the enemy. The facts simply do not bear out that claim. I posted a page on war casualties at http://www.war-stories.com/bodycont.htm that proves ARVN soldiers did their share of the fighting and dying during the war. Killed In Action: 223,748 (nearly four times U.S. KIA), Wounded In Action: 1,169,763 (U.S. WIA: 304,000). Terrible casualties for both countries.

I also think it important for the young people from Vietnam to discover their heritage. They are coming of age where they will naturally seek out such pages as yours, and they should find out there were heroes that stood as giants against a determined and ruthless foe. In the end, valor was not enough. Might was not enough. As appalling as warfare is, it must forever be fought to win quickly, violently, and decisively...only then will the people support such causes for freedom. (Don Poss, webmaster at War Stories, http://www.war-stories.com/)

22. That is a great page and a very nice tribute to a brave and dedicated man who served his country well. (Carl J. LaMonica Sr., http://www.megsinet.net/~cjlsr/)

23. Thank you for pointing out the page of this distinguished hero. I have added a link to General Nguyen Van Hieu's homepage from my own Vietnam page. (Richard Shand, http://home.fireplug.net/~rshand/reflections/vietnam/vietnam.html)

24. [...]Your brother sounds like a wonderful man, and it is clear to me that you are very proud of him, and seems to me you have good reason to be.[...] I took the liberty of adding a site to my site about your brother: http://www.cruznet.net/~ske/sandy/links/brotherslove.html. (Sandy Cruz).

25.Thanks for giving me the opportunity to visit your web site on General Hieu. He was a great general and a great patriot. I had the privilege of serving some of my time with the 5th ARVN Ranger Grp. They were real warriors as was your brother. (Bob Gibeautl, 199th LIB 66-67, 187th AHC 67-68 RVN).

26.Your web site is a moving tribute to a brave warrior. If there had been more like him, maybe things would have turned out different. (Ulf R. "Ron Hueller, http://www.ionet.net/~uheller/index.shtml.)

27. I don't know how or why I received the link to your brother's Home Page...but 'm glad I did. I Salute you... Drive on...you and your family should know the true fate of your dear brother.

I'm a Viet Nam Veteran, I served with the 1st Cavalry Division in 1965 and 1966 in the Central Highlands II Corps...General Kinnard was our Commanding General, Gen. Kinnard left the Division in May 1966...It must been November 1, 1965 that Gen. Hieu visited Gen. Kinnard, just before the battles in the Ia Drang Valley Nov. 14, 15, 16, 17 ...

I find the page very interesting...I'm still not finished going through it... Have you written a book about this odyssey?...I believe it deserves to be told...although you are telling it here on the web.

Viet Nam has been a big part of my life...can't erase the memories...I've even gone back to Vietnam. Anyway...just wanted to thank you for the link...I will pass this on to my Vietnam Veteran buddies on the internet...I'm sure most would find it as interesting as I have. I want to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas & a Healthy & Prosperous New Year... In Vietnamese...Chuc Mung Nam Moi?? (Ron)

28. Thank you for your beautifully done Home Page for General Nguyen Van Hieu, your brother. I am touched by the sensitivity, strength, and beauty with which you have shared your brother's life with us.

That time in history was such a tumultuous one, and had such an effect on all our lives. It is indeed, enlightening to have another perspective to see it thru another's eyes.

So far I've read thru the first part of it, don't want to miss a word...but even before I finish, I want to respond to let you know how happy I am that you shared it. I look forward to reading it completely. (Resha Sabre, US Army Nurse Corps RVN 68-69)

29.[...] I just have those days of November 1965 imprinted into my memory...the most profound and horrifying days of my life... I relive them nightly...Many of my good foxhole buddies were KIA & seriously WIA during those days...

I see General Kinnard yearly at the "Ia Drang Valley 1965" Veterans reunion in Washington DC...we get together every November to pay our respects to the 243 men who were KIA in the valley of death.

I'm amazed by the wealth of documents that you have. They really give one an insight as to the actions of the ARV's and their commanding general. I'll be reading more of your page tonight.

I am sending your link to my good friend Joe Galloway. Joe is a senior writer for U.S. News & World Report. Joe and my former CO Lt. Gen. Harold G. Moore wrote a book about the battles in the Ia Drang..."We Were Soldiers Once and Young". I'm also going to send it to Jack Smith, another veteran of the Ia Drang battles...Jack is a correspondent for ABC News. Maybe they will pick up on your search for answers. (Ron).

30. I read the web pages about General Hieu with much interest. I served in Viet Nam for six years and worked very closely with the Vietnamese Armed Forces for the first four and one-half years. There were many other Vietnamese like the General who served their country with distinction but they never came to the attention of most Americans. I am very happy to see this web site spread the word about one of the best. (Howard A. Daniel III)

31. Thank you for the visit to, I assume, your [Brother's] site. I haven't had a lot of time to explore it or Him, but I will make the effort very soon to learn more of Him. It is nice you have taken the time to honor your [Brother] and I'm sure, from the little I read, he was a Great Man and you do well by being so proud of Him. Thank you for the information and may you and your family have a nice Holiday Season. (Sherman Breeden, alias Snore)

32. Competence, Uncorrupted, Virtuous are rare characteristics to be found in a poor country. This is a heritage of your family, in particular, and a great gift to be added to the history of Vietnam.

I don't know why I have sympathy toward you, maybe because of the sincerity and sensitivity transpiring from your words, or maybe because we experienced the same situation: my uncle lieutenant general Nguyen Viet Thanh died in a helicopter accident in 1970 (40 years old), my father colonel Nguyen Viet Can KIA in An Loc in 1972 (40 years old).

I read General Hieu's biography 3 times, and shed tears once. I am very proud reading and understanding exceptional individuals. I have made 3 sets of copies, for my 2 sons and friends, approximately 1,500 pages. (Nguyen Viet Trong, son of Colonel Nguyen Viet Can and nephew of Lieutenant General Nguyen Viet Thanh).

33. I want to thank you for sending me your Home Page on your brother General Hieu. I myself served at Bien Hoa Airbase 67-68, and only have the highest regard for the South Vietnamese Armed Forces. I greatly appreciated reading of General Hieu's military career and his great loyalty to his country. We must always search for the truth and continue to make the would aware of its misgivings. I honor you Mr. Tin. (Mike Hoffman).

34. What a wonderful tribute. May the General rest in peace. (Dick Carey, USMC Vietnam Tankers Assn.).

35. I heard about the 1974 Battle of Svay Rieng before and now come to understand it through your page. It was a painful event: a son of my mother's cousin gave his life in that battle.

General Hieu is a shining star in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam due to his competence and virtue. He already went into history and everybody appreciates his deeds. May his soul rest in peace and protect his family as well as your extended family, so that you can conclude this dossier with a closure by rendering justice to his death; and so that the whole world understands the Vietnam war: so many families had sacrificed for the cause of freedom by shedding their blood for all these years, and yet they had to leave their country empty hands. This page is very valuable in terms of historical and military documents. (TV, Canada)

36. Thank you for the strong and tender treatment of a person who is remembered for his good and constant character. Alas, such important qualities are all too rare in this age. It takes a strong and committed man to keep such convictions in the face of threats and danger. It is these traits which are most necessary in leadership positions of both military and government, not to mention the mundane business world. (Daniel Bonnici)

37. [...] I served my country in your country.[...]I feel that if there were more like your brother, things in your country would not have turned out the way they did. I have great respect for him, and feel sad for your loss of him and your country. (Mike Wunder).

38. The web-page is outstanding. Your brother was very fortunate to have a family who cared so deeply as to honor him in the way that you are campaigning. He was no doubt a great warrior and patriot of Vietnam.

I served two tours in Vietnam, 1965-1966 and 1968-1969. My first tour was with the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines in Chu Lai. My second tour I served as an ARVN Advisor under the command of General Van Phat Lam in Danang. Semper Fi. (Arthur Eppley. LtCol, USMC,ret.).

39. Very few of us that served in Vietnam understood our mission there, most were 18-20 years old, and ignorant of the "real world", we simply did the best we could to stay alive until we could come home. It was almost 30 years ago that I came home, yet I carry vivid memories of Vietnam, and not all bad ones. I remember smiles from children when we would share our food with them, I remember smiles from their parents when our corpsmen would treat their various infections. I was a grunt, I served with India co. 3rd bn. 7th marines, in Quang Nam province, and I got to see some of the countryside on foot, a beautiful country, at least where I was. I am almost 50 years now and I still surf, I am one of the few Americans that have surfed Red Beach, I would like to do it again. I carry other memories too, such is the price of answering call of duty, this is not a complaint, simply the way it is. I enjoyed your brother's webpage. Honor and dignity, devotion to principle and loyalty to ones' friends are rare these days. Keep up the good work. Semper fidelis...still. (WINONOMO).

40. Greetings from a Canadian Vietnam Veteran who chose to volunteer for military service with the U.S. Marine Corps and proudly served in Vietnam during 1967-68.

I was pleased that the 2/5 webmaster has included your web link and I was able to review the excellent and highly informative information pertaining to Major General Nguyen Van Hieu. My only regret is that there seems to have not been enough Vietnamese soldier/leaders of the caliber represented by General Hieu to possibly change the outcome of the Vietnam War.

As a Canadian and Vietnam veteran I am glad to have served in Vietnam with honor, however I regret the loss of many lives, the disruption and displacement of families, and the pain and sorrow that Vietnamese, American and other brave soldiers continue to experience today. (Cpt Alexander Kandi, Fox Co. 2/5, USMC).

41. Those battles [Svay Rieng, An Dien] are the missing pieces of the puzzles: these are evidences of his ability to lead at the Corps level that one of the American generals have alluded to, not just at the Division level. (Tri Nguyen).

42. I think that a movie should be made about General Hieu...He is really something...WOW... I went through your site and was Very Impressed. (Tony Shaw, Las Vegas).

43. I have to say, it is a very informative and moving homepage. I like what you are presenting to the Vietnamese community and the world. I learned a lot from reading the articles in your homepage. I don't think I can find any of those information from my History text book. Above all, I would like to thank you for doing this wonderful homepage. Keep up the great work. (M.N.Phan, TCU).

44. I am really impressed with [this site] and your readers' comments. I have added your website to mine: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Plains/5854/VIETNAM.HTM (Tom Premo)

45. Very nice page! Thanks for writing. (Jim Claeys).

46. The Homepage is EXCELLENT and I would not attempt to tell you how you could improve it. Your brother would be proud of how he is represented and of how hard you have worked to accomplish such a homepage. Thank you. (Tom Zangla).

47. Woawww! veryyy HEROIC!!!! General Hieu is really COOL! Thanks for sending me that!! (Stela).

48. 4th inf div in the central highlands, 68-69. Let me apologize for the politicians, who sold all of us out, your countrymen, and mine. My brothers and I always wanted to win freedom for Vietnam, but in this country, the military doesn't have a free hand to do things, it is controlled by politicians, money and public opinion, it was an unpopular war to the people in the states, no matter what the G.I.'s wanted. SORRY to hear about the general, please accept my condolences on your loss. Respectfully. (David Debilio).

49. Here are my comments: 1. very useful homepage, 2. made me cry, 3. brave brother you got there, 4. painful, 5. historical, 6. new info, 7. need more pics of General Hieu, 8. Cool page. (Diana Duong).

50.Thanks for sending me this site. I enjoyed learning about Gen. Hieu. I was stationed in Hue, Phu Bai during the years 68-69. Remember those times well. (Stephen B. Salkot).

Section 2: 051 - 100.
Section 3: 101 - 150.
Section 4: 151 - 200.
Section 5: 201 - 250.
Section 6: 251 - 300.
Section 7: 301 - 350.
Section 8: 351 - 400.

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