A visit from Ted Engelmann

On 6 May, our high school Vietnamese language and literature classes had the opportunity to hear from Ted Engelmann, an American air-force veteran in the Vietnam war. He is renowned for returning the diary of Dang Thuy Tram, a former doctor who served in the war. The diary covered her daily hardships, with the responsibility of treating wounded soldiers. The diary was found and brought back to the US, being preserved for 35 years before ending up in the hand of Ted who brought it back to Tram’s family through a scanned CD. During the session, Ted shared insights on the process of returning the diary, his personal relationship with her family, and how it resonated with him. The diary has been translated into 16 different languages with the English title being “Last night I dreamt of peace.”