…Huynh Thi Huong, was sentenced in 1976 to a reeducation camp for the crime of having an American boyfriend during the Vietnam War.  Huong, along with thousands of others from all over Quang Nam Province, was sent to a small village named Ky Nghia in the mountains above Tam Ky.  She  would work alongside mountain Katu Tribespeople for 4 years to build what would become Phu Ninh Lake.  This artificial reservoir is the central source of water and electricity for Tam Ky, Phu Ninh, and Nui Thanh Districts.

The building of Phu Ninh Lake was done by hand.  The area to be cleared was a fiercely contested war zone, resulting in heavy bombing and artillery shelling of the region.  Before actual clearing of the land, unexploded ordnance had to be cleared.  This work was also done by hand and resulted in significant loss of life and limb.

On my trip to Quang Ngai Province I met with Ngo Dinh Khoi who met his wife at the Phu Ninh Reeducation Camp in 1976.  The parents of both had worked for the Americans during the war.  They worked side by side for four years until their release in 1980.  Today, they own and operate a coffee shop in Tam Dan.