A Permanent Mark in Vietnam

In October 2008, the crew of A Permanent Mark and our main American interview subjects traveled to Vietnam. The journey was long, there were challenges and surprises, but my expectations for filming were exceeded in every way. We touched down in Ho Chi Minh City, visited the Mekong Delta, flew to the Central Highlands city of Pleiku, flew on to DaNang, drove to the ancient city of Hoi An and then to Quang Ngai City, wove our way into the mountains of Dong Ha (where my stepfather Bob served), and at last flew to Hanoi. Along the way, we interviewed many Vietnamese experts on Agent Orange, met Vietnamese veterans affected by the herbicide, played with children and met their families, and came to love Vietnam.

The beautiful country of Vietnam bears few obvious scars from the war or from the spraying of Agent Orange from 1962 to 1970. Hotspots remain, but for the most part the jungles, forests, and fields have recovered. People like Mr. Tiger and his son, whom we interviewed in the Mekong Delta, have created nurseries growing plants and trees to help the local environment recover and thrive. It’s the people of Vietnam who bear the scars of Agent Orange. We saw evidence of cancer, birth defects, and neurological disorders that are very suspicious and may have their origin in dioxin contamination.