Today the delegation split into two teams -- the north team stayed in Hanoi, while the other delegates flew
south to Ho Chi Minh City.
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Two Delegations
February 20, 2001
Plane arrives in Hanoi
After a wait, we were allowed through the airport gates and ushered into the VIP lounge. A little closer now, we could see, through the glass, the jet's gaping cargo door with pallets of product waiting to be unloaded.
This morning, the north team headed to the Hanoi airport to greet the Federal Express plane delivering the Physicians With Heart pharmaceuticals and medical supplies. The plane was already on the ground when we arrived outside the airport gate. The front end and tail of the enormous airbus were visible through the trees in the distance.
After a wait, we were ushered into the VIP lounge, grateful for the assistance of U.S. Ambassador Pete Peterson. A former POW in Vietnam, he has great interest in our project. He stuck with the delegation for close to two hours, making repeated calls on his cell phone to help gain clearance from various government officials -- customs, airport authorities, security police.
After a wait, we were ushered into the VIP lounge, grateful for the assistance of U.S. Ambassador Pete Peterson. A former POW in Vietnam, he has great interest in our project. He stuck with the delegation for close to two hours, making repeated calls on his cell phone to help gain clearance from various government officials -- customs, airport authorities, security police.
U.S. Ambassador Pete Peterson and Barbi Moore, Heart to Heart International senior vice president of international programs, worked with officials at the Hanoi airport to get permission to unload the cargo from the plane.
When the pilots finally were allowed to disembark, the delegation welcomed them as heroes. AAFP President Richard Roberts, M.D., J.D., of Madison, Wis., said, "I'd like to offer my personal thanks for your role in this humanitarian effort."
We learned that Federal Express and former U.S. Navy pilots Capt. P.B. Scott Sanwick and Capt. Rick Barr had volunteered for this mission. "I felt it was my duty," said Sanwick, regarding the 30 tons of medical supplies he had just landed on the tarmac.
We learned that Federal Express and former U.S. Navy pilots Capt. P.B. Scott Sanwick and Capt. Rick Barr had volunteered for this mission. "I felt it was my duty," said Sanwick, regarding the 30 tons of medical supplies he had just landed on the tarmac.
Plane departs for Ho Chi Minh City
FP Gary Morsch, M.D., of Olathe, Kan., Heart to Heart International Founder and President, strapped himself into the jump seat of the Federal Express airbus taking the donated products from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City -- allowing him to witness the arrival of the materials in both cities.
The south team of delegates, along with U.S. Consul General Charles Ray, were waiting at the airport when the airbus arrived at the Ho Chi Minh airport about two hours after leaving Hanoi.
When the plane landed, the pilots handed the airplane manifest (documenting all the medicine and medical supplies) to a professor from Ho Chi Minh City Medical University.
In contrast to what transpired in the north, the south team was not only allowed on the tarmac, but also invited to board the plane and peek around.
A formal press event ensued, with 24 members of the Vietnamese media present. AAFP Foundation President William Coleman, M.D., Ph.D., of Scottsboro, Ala., brought greetings, and Federal Express Regional Vice President for Asia Pacific Peter Yin addressed a crowd of about 200.
The south team of delegates, along with U.S. Consul General Charles Ray, were waiting at the airport when the airbus arrived at the Ho Chi Minh airport about two hours after leaving Hanoi.
When the plane landed, the pilots handed the airplane manifest (documenting all the medicine and medical supplies) to a professor from Ho Chi Minh City Medical University.
In contrast to what transpired in the north, the south team was not only allowed on the tarmac, but also invited to board the plane and peek around.
A formal press event ensued, with 24 members of the Vietnamese media present. AAFP Foundation President William Coleman, M.D., Ph.D., of Scottsboro, Ala., brought greetings, and Federal Express Regional Vice President for Asia Pacific Peter Yin addressed a crowd of about 200.
The team that stayed in Hanoi to await arrival of the Federal Express airbus was not allowed on the tarmac at the airport, so everyone assembled in the VIP lounge instead.
Blind School in Ha Tay Province, Hanoi
The children sat at a long table and demonstrated their skills at braille as their teacher recited a lesson. After this third grader finished writing, he stood and read aloud for us.
From the airport, the north team traveled across town to deliver gifts to the children who sang at our banquet on Monday night. The Blind School is funded by the Adventist Development and Relief Agency in Vietnam. Director Roger Kopitzke said the children live at the school, leaving their families for up to nine months at a time to become proficient in braille.
Kim Mai, an ADRA coordinator and teacher, said, "The children cry when they come, and their parents love them very much. But we teach them reading and writing, and we teach them to take care of themselves. They wash their own dishes and clothes and do everything by themselves."
Each child received a plastic bag with a new coat, two hats, a pair of sandals and toiletries from Physicians With Heart. The children smiled as they ran their fingers over animal-shaped balloons protruding from smaller gift bags bearing toys and snacks.
Kim Mai, an ADRA coordinator and teacher, said, "The children cry when they come, and their parents love them very much. But we teach them reading and writing, and we teach them to take care of themselves. They wash their own dishes and clothes and do everything by themselves."
Each child received a plastic bag with a new coat, two hats, a pair of sandals and toiletries from Physicians With Heart. The children smiled as they ran their fingers over animal-shaped balloons protruding from smaller gift bags bearing toys and snacks.
Vietnam 2001
