The Physicians With Heart delegation to Vietnam landed safely in Hanoi, the first city on our itinerary,
at 1:25 p.m. Feb. 18. We were a bedraggled but
happy bunch after 20-plus hours in the air.
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The Adventure Begins
February 18, 2001
Mounds of brightly colored fruit and vegetables await customers on a street near the Melia Hotel in Hanoi -- but buying customers appear to be few and far between.
Our 53-member delegation includes 21 FPs and other medical professionals and volunteers, with a few students accompanying their parents.
Each participant has his or her own reasons for making the journey, but many of the physicians share the opinion of John Patz, D.O., an FP from Seattle who is making his first Physicians With Heart trip.
"I decided to come on this trip because I wanted to visit Vietnam -- however, as I learned more about it, I discovered that the real reason I wanted to come was to promote family medicine in a developing country," said Patz, whose 5-year-old daughter, Kally, was anxious about the trip. "Daddy, get some other doctor to do it," she said to her father before his departure from the United States.
Vietnam, a country of 80 million people on the Eastern coast of the Indochinese Peninsula, is made up of 54 ethnic groups, many of whom live in rural areas with an average yearly household income of about $600.
"Our mission is to provide humanitarian assistance and continuing medical education regarding our specialty of family practice," said AAFP's Daniel Ostergaard, M.D., vice president for international and interprofessional activities. With the support of sponsors and donors, the pharmaceuticals and medical supplies valued at more than $4 million will be distributed to hospitals and clinics in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Thai Nguyen, Hai Phong, Binh Phuoc and Can Tho.
This trip represents the ninth airlift by Physicians With Heart and the first project outside the former Soviet Union. Physicians With Heart is cosponsored by the AAFP, the AAFP Foundation and Heart to Heart International, a humanitarian aid organization based in Olathe, Kan.
Each participant has his or her own reasons for making the journey, but many of the physicians share the opinion of John Patz, D.O., an FP from Seattle who is making his first Physicians With Heart trip.
"I decided to come on this trip because I wanted to visit Vietnam -- however, as I learned more about it, I discovered that the real reason I wanted to come was to promote family medicine in a developing country," said Patz, whose 5-year-old daughter, Kally, was anxious about the trip. "Daddy, get some other doctor to do it," she said to her father before his departure from the United States.
Vietnam, a country of 80 million people on the Eastern coast of the Indochinese Peninsula, is made up of 54 ethnic groups, many of whom live in rural areas with an average yearly household income of about $600.
"Our mission is to provide humanitarian assistance and continuing medical education regarding our specialty of family practice," said AAFP's Daniel Ostergaard, M.D., vice president for international and interprofessional activities. With the support of sponsors and donors, the pharmaceuticals and medical supplies valued at more than $4 million will be distributed to hospitals and clinics in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Thai Nguyen, Hai Phong, Binh Phuoc and Can Tho.
This trip represents the ninth airlift by Physicians With Heart and the first project outside the former Soviet Union. Physicians With Heart is cosponsored by the AAFP, the AAFP Foundation and Heart to Heart International, a humanitarian aid organization based in Olathe, Kan.
First impressions
The warm and steamy weather had delegates peeling off layers of clothing as we made our way through multiple airport checkpoints. We then boarded a bus for transport to our hotels. We passed first through an agriculture area where peasants in conical hats toiled in lush green rice paddies. As we drew closer to the heart of the city, we held our collective breaths as our bus navigated through throngs of Vietnamese riding motor bikes and bicycles. The streets teem with activity -- shops line the sides of every road and alley, with an endless stretch of merchants offering breathtaking produce, flowers and everyday necessities such as clothing.
The beep and blare of horns is constant and unrelenting.
The beep and blare of horns is constant and unrelenting.
Some, but not all, Vietnamese on the street are happy to pose for Western cameras.
An old woman seems curious about the busload of Westerners visiting the Ho Chi Minh Relic Area.
A man demonstrates his product, hoping to entice tourists to buy his wares near the Ho Chi Minh Relic Area in Hanoi.
Vietnam 2001
