Bill returned to Ho Chi Minh City after his 2 day excursion in the Mekong Delta region, packed his bags and flew north to Da Nang.  Da Nang is where the U.S. marines landed in 1965 officially starting the U.S.invasion of southeast Asia  precipitating the largest  build up of U.S. military strength in a foreign land  since World War 2. There was very little evidence of the U.S. presence  for Bill to witness but he did manage to go to China Beach which was the premier rest and relaxation site for American soldiers and sometimes the last moments of relaxation they had before entering battle.
Bill hired a taxi (Renting a car is next to impossible in Vietnam. Chickens and pigs on the road make it too dangerous for the foreigner to drive.) and left Da Nang, his final destination to be My Lai. However there  were a few stops to make on the way and more reparations to be doled out.|
Rice paddies are plentiful in Vietnam and during the war  became a symbol of the heartiness and courage of its people much as the plains farmers were in the American west.   I remember seeing a  TV news broadcast of American planes bombing the jungles of South Vietnam, huge explosions reigning destruction in the background, while in the foreground, stoic Vietnamese farmed their rice fields. This symbolism was not lost on Bill. On seeing farmers irrigating their field, Bill had the driver pull of the road.

but, it was kind of symbolic for me to make a statement that, here I am, that instead of drooping napalm on you as an American, I actually want to make a contribution to your society."

Bill and his driver continued their drive towards My Lai and made one more stop. They stopped at a restaurant operated by a "disabled" North Vietnamese Veteran who sported a prosthesis and a scar inflicted on him by an ARVN soldier. After eating in the restaurant and overpaying for his meal as well as giving a huge tip Bill was invited into the man's house to see his Icon to his grandparents or alter, a common form of worship for Bhuddists.