THE DOCUMENTARY
The film Finding Thuy was begun in August 2005, when Filmmaker Neil Alexander was asked to join the Whitehurst brothers on their journey back to Viet Nam. Alexander has been in possession of an english translation of Dr. Dang Thuy Tram's diaries for over 14 years. A personal friend of Robert Whitehurst, he has been closely associated with the story and its recent developments for the past 4 years. Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, home for Robert Whitehurst and Alexander, only 2 weeks after their return from their historic visit to Viet Nam.


The profound effects of the storm presented extraordinary obstacles in the timeline for the project; however, as of July 07, 2007 nearly 60% of the film has been shot. That footage includes exclusive and intimate documentation both in Viet Nam and the United States, such as:

Viet Nam:
- Family members at home in Ha Noi out of the glare of all the media attention that was focused on the Brothers historic visit.
- Interviews with Madame Tram and sister Kim Tram
- Interviews with Rob and Fred in Ha Noi
- Family moments with the brothers and sisters on the train to Da Nang
- Interviews with Fred and Rob in Duc Pho and surrounding hamlets



United States:
- Madame Tram and Thuy's sisters at The Viet Nam Center Archives of Texas Tech University in Lubbock, where they first held and read the original Diaries.
- Mrs Whitehurst, Fred and Rob's mother, and Madame Tram (both 82 years old) in Bethel North Carolina, at her home. It was here that Thuy's mother and Fred's mother met for the first time. Sitting around her living room with Fred and Thuy's sisters Phuong, Hien and Kim.
- The Trams and Whitehurst brothers emotional visit to The Wall, The Viet Nam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C., as well as the formal ceremonies at the Embassy of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam.

Alexander plans a return to Viet Nam in the fall of 2007 to complete shooting both in Ha Noi and Quang Ngai Province. This work will include follow-up interviews with Thuy's mother, her three sisters; Phuong, Hien and Kim , as well as other family members. Interviews are also planned with Dr Tram's colleagues from Medical School and High school.

-In Quang Ngai Province there will be interviews with some of Thuy's former patients and colleagues. In the spring of 2007, additional filming was done in Bethel North Carolina with the Whitehurst families. Plans to film at the National Archives in Washington D.C. and the Viet Nam Center Archives in Lubbock Texas are scheduled for the fall of 2007

The film is seeking completion funding. Distribution opportunities are being considered in North America, Asia and European markets. To date nearly 450,000 copies of the diaries have sold in Viet Nam. Translations are being done in several languages including Chinese and Thai.

In September 2007, Random House, through their imprint Harmony Books, plans to launch the English translation of Thuy's diaries, titled Last Night I Dreamed of Peace, The Diaries of Dang Thuy Tram.