Erased from history: Vietnam's shunned WW1 veterans Just one photo is all that remains of Dang Van Con, a young Vietnamese repairman shipped to France at the outset of the First World War along with tens of thousands of colonial conscripts from Indochina. His grandson recalls how Dang's wartime effort allowed the family a 'civilized lifestyle' and how it would later cause problems for them once the communists took control of the country. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES