Lac Montagnards of Lam Dong Province

I visited the Lac Duong village in Lam Dong Province in November 1994. I am not a veteran, just a tourist who likes to go to far off places. A relative of mine (far removed) fought under the French in Indochina. Anyway, my husband and I were in- vited for tea into a Montagnards hut. While we talked we learned that he was able to get his daughter out of Vietnam and to the U.S. I started writing and calling her, and in 1996, I finally got to visit with her twice. We met many of her people and heard the most interesting stories about the war, about guerilla warfare etc. One was desperately looking for his American "commander" and asked me to help him find this Green Beret. With luck and tenacity I finally found him in East Texas. In the meantime, I continue to correspond with the Montagnards in Lac Duong, and once in a while, I also find a way to send them money, which they use to improve their houses, rent a tiller to till a new coffee patch, buy clothes for the children etc. I admire these people, who live under such squalid condition, very much. Hopefully, I will return for a visit this spring. I am very interested to know if one still needs a special permit from the Da Lat police to go visit there. I would also like to know if there is a well organized organisation who coordinates all the help for the Montagnards in Viet Nam and the U.S.