“Peace – that was the other name for home.” Kathleen Norris
The Peace Homes initiative is a natural extension of our
work to promote peace and understanding.
We work with our partner, the Vietnam USA Society, and local government officials to find needy Vietnamese families who need either a refurbished home or a completely new one. Sometimes the homes are constructed in the areas where our fathers died. Others are in cities, where the need is great. The homes typically cost between $2,500-$4,500 USD each, with the price based on whether we’re refurbishing a home or building a new one, and if the location is easy to access or in a mountainous area.
To date we have built 12 Peace Homes in Quang Tri, An Giang and Ho Chi Minh City. We have three more currently scheduled in 2025, but many more families are in need.
The Beginning
Susan Mitchell-Mattera has raised funds for five Peace Homes, including for the An/Lac/Phi home
Phan Ngoc An, Luong Thi Lac and Nguyen Thi Phi in their new Peace Home
Susan Mitchell-Mattera originated the idea of a Peace Home. She had traveled to the An Giang province in 2015 and 2018, and was struck by the state of the homes in the village where her father died in 1970, and the condition in which families were living.
“At first it seemed like such a big task, but when I told people that I wanted to build a home for a family, a whole community came together in support. Gold Star children and wives, my church community, family, and so many friends of the 2 Sides Project all contributed to make not just one but five homes possible. Now we can share in the joy of seeing these smiling faces. Our fathers would be proud we are turning tragedy into service to others."
The Latest Peace Home Recipient: Ms. Loi and her sister Muoi
Ms. Loi Thi Nguyen lives with her younger sister Muoi in Ho Chi Minh City. Their home was a dilapidated, damp house with a rotten roof and no drainage system, so when it rained, water seeped into the walls and flooded the floors. Even more challenging: their only access to a toilet was down the street at their sister in law’s house.
Loi and Muoi had no means to rebuild their house. So teacher Erin Sullivan and her students of the Rho Kappa Social Studies Honor Society at the Cab Calloway School of the Arts, stepped in. They raised almost $3,000 to help Loi and Muoi build a new home. The home was dedicated in January 2025 in a ceremony attended by local government officials and our friends from the Ho Chi Minh City Union of Friendship Organizations (HUFO). What a transformation! We are so grateful to Erin and her students for giving this life changing opportunity to Loi and Muoi.
HUFO partners Huy (far left) and Diem (far right) with Ms. Loi and her sister Muoi at the turnover ceremony for their new home.
Before: Ms. Loi standing in the main area of her old home.
Before: the interior of Ms. Loi’s home
Teacher Erin Sullivan, upper left, and 2 Sides Project founder Margot Carlson Delogne spoke with Ms. Loi during the handover ceremony in Ho Chi Minh City.
The students of the Rho Kappa Social Studies Honor Society at the Cab Calloway School of the Arts.
Other Peace Homes
Before: The home of Ho Am Pong near Khe Sanh, the area where PFC Ronald Reyes, Ron Reyes's father, was killed on March 30, 1968.
After: at the opening ceremony for the new home that Ron Reyes built for the Pong Family.
FAQs
What is the process to build a Peace Home?
We first talk about where you’d like to help build a home, or for what type of family. Some people want to donate to the family with the greatest need. Others specify they’d like to help elderly people, or families with young children, or those with a handicap. We’d have a conversation at this point too about your goals for fundraising, so we have a budget in mind when we start work with our partner in Vietnam, the Vietnam USA Society, to identify and get the details about potential families that meet the criteria. We usually get a few options of families, along with specific cost estimates, and you make a choice from there. After that, we send the official documentation to Vietnam, get a timeline for the home, and wire the money so that construction can begin. Then we wait for the first pictures celebrating the start of construction! We keep tabs on the progress and then organize a formal handover ceremony so you can watch the family receive the home.
Are donations for Peace Homes or other donations to the 2 Sides Project tax deductible?
Yes. The 2 Sides Project is a 501c3 organization with a Federal Tax ID number, which we provide upon receipt of a donation.
What if I can’t raise enough money for a home? Is there something else I could do?
Absolutely! You can contribute to appliances for a new home, education for children, small furniture and other things. Just specify on the donation form how you’d like us to direct your contribution: to the construction of the next Peace Home, supplies, or anything else.
Interested in building a Peace Home?
Please contact 2 Sides Project Founder Margot Carlson Delogne at mdelogne@mac.com.
I want to support the U.S. side including U.S. Veterans. What can I do?
One idea is to find organizations that support finding homes for veterans, such as the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans.