The Sconi

A group of Vietnam veterans are back in the U.S. after embarking on a two-week visit to Vietnam in April, during which they got to visit several different landmarks, including the Dragon Bridge in DaNang, the Presidential Palace in Saigon and the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum.

“Going back to Vietnam, you forget about the bad times,” Vietnam War veteran Keith Hess, who organized the trip, told WeAreGreenBay.com. "You remember the good times. It’s a beautiful country.”

That’s not to say Hess and company didn’t have challenges it making it all happen, including a handful of the veterans who made the trip not being able to return as scheduled. Eight of the 19 group members ended up contracting COVID-19 and were forced to quarantine in Hanoi. The outbreak came after the virus had already delayed the trip for two years.

“Everybody is feeling fine,” Hess told WeAreGreenBay.com. “The positive tests took them all by surprise. They all got retested and tested positive a second time. They’re going to get retested on Saturday and hopefully, they can come home Saturday.”

As for the infected members, Hess added the group does not know the details of when they will be able to return home, but he planned to keep in close contact with them and figure out the situation.

As for the trip on a whole, Hess said all the veterans made new memories they won’t soon forget, like meeting Vietnam President Nguyễn Xuân Phúc, who was staying at the same hotel as the group. The president exchanged stories with the vets and even took time out to shake hands with each one.

“To meet the president of Vietnam, it’s just something you can’t believe happened,” Hess told WeAreGreenBay.com. “It was something we did not expect, honestly.”