In 1968 the United States Navy assigned Brown to the prestigious Defense Language Institute (DLI) in Monterey, California, to learn Vietnamese. After a year of study, Brown was stationed in Vietnam and served as an interpreter. “It was a great assignment,”Brown states. “Unlike most other servicemen, I really enjoyed myself. I was so glad I took the time to learn Vietnamese.My job was mostly to smooth the cultural differences between the Vietnamese and the Americans.”

The “Learn Vietnamese” videos became so popular that I eventually made 20 more and created a website to give resources to others that want to learn Vietnamese. “The website http://www.vietnamese101.info/ is now getting more and more popular,” says Brown,”especially since Vietnam has opened its doors to the world. The people and culture are just fantastic. I encourage everyone to go and experience Vietnam. But first, try to learn some Vietnamese so you can enjoy the experience even more!”