Le Thanh Duc meets with us in the same room where he met with Kelly Howell in 2013. His three daughters are lying on the same large bed that they lay on two years ago, and seem bathed in the same colors and afternoon light. They are now aged 30, 27 and 29. They interrupt our talk with short barks and moans.

Mr. Duc and his wife Ho Thi Hong have suffered another tragedy since they met with Kelly. Their youngest son died in 2014 at the age of 18 in a car accident. He had been spared Agent Orange and the irony was striking. Everyone was so nervous when Mr. Duc’s oldest son joined the army that AEPD even asked the authorities to keep an eye out for him.

The loss of her son has further unnerved Mr. Duc’s wife, who has never come to terms with the illness of their three daughters. Linh, our translator, says she is “shocked, depressed and sad – not at all normal.” Mrs. Hong appears midway through our discussion and bursts into tears when we produce a print-out from the AP website which carries a photo of her daughters.

The problem is that she is also a primary caregiver in this damaged family. Unlike other families, where the mother is strong, Mrs. Hong clearly needs care herself.

Luckily, it is not all bad. In a reversal of roles, her husband is upbeat and optimistic. Since he met with Kelly in 2013, Mr. Duc has used a loan from AEPD to launch a new business to make fish sauce. He also appeared on television on December 3, 2014, to celebrate International Disability Day. This turned him into a celebrity and he tells us with pride that a company in Hanoi donated 100 million Dong to disability causes after seeing him on television. “I like to raise awareness!” he says through Linh.

Mr. Duc is bursting to give us a tour of his business, which he runs with his sister, and he takes us down the path to a shed where it all happens. Oblivious to the smell, he tells us that AEPD loaned him 17 million Dong (through Irish Aid) in 2013, which he used to buy ten large pots and other equipment. Each year he borrows 10 million Dong to buy anchovies, which he stores in the pots for several months. It normally costs about 12 million Dong to fill the pots, but it cost almost double in 2014 because of the storms, which the Vietnamese put down to climate change. After a year of stewing, the fish sauce is ripe, ready and very strong. It is also very popular in restaurants.

Mr. Duc earns 3.4 million Dong from selling fish. In addition, he receives 9 million Dong a month from the government for the Agent Orange sickness suffered by his daughters, himself and his wife. This may seem like a lot, but his expenses are considerable: 1 million Dong to pay for home care and several million Dong a month to pay for electricity and the repayment on his bank loan. It does not leave much. And as Armando points out, his fish business depends on the whims of Mother Nature.

Mr. Duc is undaunted. He wants to buy more pots and open a store. He also wants to put photos on the walls of his house, which are bare. His enthusiasm is infectious – and unexpected.