A trip to remember: US congressman visits Vietnam in ode to late father
Phillips’ goal of visiting Vietnam was to reconnect with memories of his father, who died when he was just six months old. The trip was coordinated by Le Cong Tien, deputy head of the Americas Department under the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Dean Phillips (R) shakes hands with Le Cong Tien, deputy head of the Americas Department under the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, after landing at Pleiku Airport in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai. Photo: Nguyen Khanh / Tuoi Tre So far, Phillips and his team have spent time cycling and exploring Vietnam’s northern provinces where they have had a chance to experience the extreme warmth, friendliness, and hospitality of the local people. Following his time in the north, Phillips visited Pleiku City in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai to learn more about his father, a U.S. Marine named Atur Pfefer, who died on the city’s Ham Rong Mountain on July 25, 1969. Though Phillips never h...