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As I walked down the street in Hanoi, there were so many people trying

to sell us their goods.  Especially books!  I had read most of them, so

my answer to the street vendors was a quiet "NO."  A young man came up

to me asking if I wanted to buy a book and I quickly said, "No," but

then I realized he had a book I did want to buy.  I asked him how much

it was and in very good English he said, "Five American dollars."  I

gave him a little bit more than five dollars and he started jumping up

and down for joy.  From that moment on, I couldn't get rid of him and he

followed us all over the city that first day and then met us the next

morning while we were walking at the lake.  He took us to a temple set

back on a little side street and showed us a part of Hanoi we never

would have seen.

Vi's story is not an easy one, but one that has to be heard.  He was

born in 1983 and abandoned at the hospital by his mother.  At the age of

three he was taken in by an older woman who raised him until she died

when he was ten.  He has lived on the streets since then, selling books

to make a living and taking care of some of the younger street children.

Vi has two dreams.  The first is to find his biological mother, and the

second is to learn how to read and write in his own language.  His two

dreams may never be realized, but I'm sure this young man will live the

rest of his life trying to fulfill them.

He captured my heart, and Craig's too, and he is a memory I will truly

treasure the rest of my life.  My thoughts will be with him everyday

hoping his dreams come true.