Peter Heeres

We were colleagues in Vietnam, and in close contact with one another, professionally and privately, even more so in last 3-4 months since Peter was diagnosed with cancer. I considered Peter one of the finest professionals and CTAs, and privately a most pleasant and warm person. I knew what was coming, and yet when I heard last week Thursday that Friday would be ’the day’, it still came as a shock… And our Whatsapp connection remained silent… His words to me some time ago: Alain, don’t forget to live your life! Peter is in our hearts and prayers, and I will remember him at one of the old and famous Hue pagodas.

Dear Peter, I was very fortunate to have walked some of the way with you and I thank you for helping me understand some of the quirkyness of Vietnam all these years back when … but even more so to always stay calm, collected and composed when confronted with some tough heads or utterly wonderous situations in our line of work. Thank you also for your friendship during my second season in Hanoi and I am missing our lunches and exchanging notes. You have enriched not only my professional live but also personal in letting me getting to know a small portion of you which showed me what a good person you are. I think this quote of the late Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh’s sums up my feeling towards you: ” I don’t see why we had to say “I will die”, because I can already see myself in you, in other people, and in future generations.” Know that you have made an impact on many lives, you have lived and done good. Hugging you from afar, Sandrine

I first met Peter in Cao Bang as a newcomer to the world of development cooperation and he regaled me with many tales of past professional experiences in the large number of countries he had lived and worked in. Every now and then you come across people who radiate integrity, decency and a simple sense of “goodness” – Peter was one of them and I’m glad our paths crossed if only for a short part of his journey. My most sincere condolences to Peter’s family and friends