This tragedy is underscored by the desperate plight of the Vietnamese war orphan. At present. there are at least 800.000 childrenthe figure may run as high as 1.5 million young Vietnamesewho have lost one or both parents in the war. While some orphans have been taken in by relatives. countless others have been cast adrift in festering refugee camps. jammed into filthy. overcrowded orphanages or simply left to wander the streets to beg or steal. It is estimated that. throughout Vietnam. 700.000 orphaned and abandoned children are without the adequate food. shelter. or clothing necessary for a minimal existence. As one American doctor has said: It is a tragedy of life and limb. the magnitude of which we shall never know.