Page 30 - COM Outlook - Spring 2013

30 COM Outlook . Spring 2013
Hands-On Humanitarianism Highlights
Inaugural Odyssey to Vietnam
hy would you want to go there?” was a typical
response when discussing the December 2012
medical outreach trip to the Mekong Delta region of Viet-
nam. This reaction did not come as a surprise. After all, the
name of this communist country reminds most Americans
of a sinister period in our history. For many, it brings back
memories of a war that left scars on American society; scars
so deep they would change a generation and fuel a cultural
revolution. But to the 14 student and physician volun-
teers, this trip offered an opportunity of medical care and
cultural immersion unlike anything we have experienced
before. None of us had any idea of what to expect, but we
all knew we were in for an incredible journey.
Less than a day after our final exams, the volunteers
boarded the 30-hour series of flights to Ho Chi Minh City
(Saigon), Vietnam. The group of 10 second-year NSU-
COM students was led by Sam Snyder, D.O., chair of
internal medicine, Almos Trif, M.D., Ph.D., J.D., professor
of pathology, Harold Laubach, Ph.D., professor of micro-
biology and dean of the College of Medical Sciences, and
his wife, Victoria. Our plane carried us over the top of the
world and back down over Russia, China, and finally, to
Vietnam. We arrived in Ho Chi Minh City around 2:00
a.m. local time. The warm humid air reminded us we
were back near the equator and foreshadowed what our
working days would be like.
The next day was spent getting to know our Vietnam-
ese counterparts from the nonprofit organization Aid for
Kids, which provided us with five translators who recently
graduated from local universities and two Vietnamese
“W
physicians, all of whom would work, eat, and explore Viet-
nam with us for the duration of the trip. The Vietnamese
staff members welcomed us into their country and proudly
shared their culture with both humor and humility. They
would be instrumental in the success of our medical work
in the coming days and would soon become our friends.
The area where we would provide medical care, Ben Tre
Province, was two hours south of Ho Chi Minh City by bus.
As we left the progressive city behind, it felt as if we had
traveled into another world. From the bus window, we saw
the first of what would be endless communist party pro-
paganda. Red seemed to adorn everything, from the pic-
tures and statues of Ho Chi Minh to signage on billboards.
Grandiose government buildings rose out of the rice paddies
where farmers worked the field by hand. Above-ground
tombs dotted the rice fields and every so often, we would
pass a memorial to those who had fought in the war. The
hammer and sickle were displayed next to the national flag
and served as a constant reminder of who was in charge.
Before we could start work, our entire team was invited
to meet with government officials from the Department
of Labor in Ben Tre. In the conference room of an open-air
building, the group exchanged pleasantries with the offi-
cials over freshly cut coconuts and hot tea. The government
officials expressed their gratitude for our commitment to
help the underserved citizens of Vietnam and explained
how happy they were to develop a positive relationship
with American students and physicians. After several photo
opportunities, the façade of communism seemed to be lifted,
and our focus turned to the patients we would soon treat.
By OMS-II Logan Huff International Outreach at NSU-COM