A Story Witnessed Along the Way
What began with the meeting of two former enemies became a journey witnessed far beyond the two men who lived it. Over the years, journalists and television crews in both the United States and Vietnam documented parts of that journey—preserving moments of reconciliation that crossed the same divide war had once created.
The First Meeting
Paul Reed and Nguyen Van Nghia meet for the first time in Vietnam. Their joined hands marked the beginning of a friendship between two men who had once stood on opposing sides of war.
America Witnesses the Story
CBS 48 Hours brought the story of Paul Reed and Nguyen Van Nghia to a national television audience, using footage from the original Kontum Diary TV documentary—including this silhouette image of the two former enemies together in Vietnam.
The Story Comes Full Circle
Years after two former enemies first met, Vietnamese media documented the continuing journey of reconciliation. During this VOV interview, Paul Reed and the journalist look together through the closing pages of the book, Kontum Diary, where Nguyen Van Nghia’s poems appear—a story born from war returning to Vietnam as a story of friendship and peace.
