#memo9g

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NGÀY 01 and 02: Hello Vietnam!

After weeks of preparation and training, we finally made it to the airport! We all brought our belongings + the boxes that we assembled during inventory day. We were on the plane to Hong Kong for about 14 hours, and then transferred to a flight to Ho Chi Minh City.

Butts were sore for sitting for prolonged periods, and some had sore necks from sleeping in weird positions. Between the flights, we were able to socialize, play games like Taboo (so competitive..), and express our excitement/anxiety of getting to Vietnam.

When we got out of the Ho Chi Minh airport, the hot & humid air slapped us in the face. Good thing I acclimated in the sauna for about a month prior to the trip, so the temperature difference wasn’t too shocking.

The first thing we did after leaving the airport was get cơm tấm (broken rice) for lunch and it satisfied our hunger, except that Cathy found a fly in her soup…. no worries though she’s still alive and healthy!

We finally reached Hoang Hai Long Hotel 2 and everyone rushed to the showers. Everyone was more than enthused to settle in, clean up themselves, and get some rest after the constant traveling. Tonight, we will begin the adventures of exploring Vietnam! Can’t wait to come across all the treasures that our motherland holds and start practicing our (non)haggling skills!

Peace and love!  

- Cathy & Kathleen

MEMO 9G in Hong Kong waiting for our next flight to Vietnam

Spencer Kieu poses with some suitcases upon our arrival in Saigon.

First stop:  Cơm tấm Cali

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Humans of Vietnam: Clinic Patients

“We all came here at 7am and waited for your clinic to open this morning. It is not very often that free healthcare services like this are offered in our town, so we all make the effort to get here early when we heard about you coming. There has been a lot of people who came in, but you all have been quite efficient. We are very thankful for you students to come all this way and help us. Hopefully, you may all return next year.” 

**unfortunately as I was talking to these ladies I forgot to ask for their names before they had to leave :( 

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NGÀY 12 and 13: Bến Tre Clinics

Doctors Le, Phung, and Bui pose in the above picture, excited to carry out our final clinic

At the closing of our 9G mission trip, we concluded with two medical and dental clinics in the province of Bến Tre. Leaving Saigon at 4:30 am, we reached Bến Tre around 7am and had our services set up by 9:30. Our clinic locations change every year because MEMO aims to fulfill its mission by providing free health services to a wide array of villages where such resources are scarce. We cater to people of all ages, but have found that a large portion of our patients consist of the elderly.

At these clinics, our entire team is put to work providing health services including: dental, ultrasound, EKG, physical therapy, vital signs, pharmacy, and general doctor checkups. We experienced several technical difficulties on the second day due to a power outage in the village where our clinic was left operating entirely by a single generator; however our team and the local healthcare providers were able to pull it off and carry out a final successful clinic day and address the patients’ needs. These clinic days were the most tiring of our trip, but the most worthwhile because we were able to see every single member put in their trained skills and compassion to help real patients in the community.

These patients were already waiting when we arrived at our site. Some come as early as 6am. The total number of patients that we saw for both days estimate slightly under 1000. 

Dr. Phung and Dr. Duy address the health complaints of two patients

Dr. Belville shows MEMO student Sherman Chu the ultrasound results of a patient

Michael Nguyen, Michael Huynh, and Antonia Nguyen work hastily and efficiently in the pharmacy department to provide patients with their needed medications. You wouldn’t believe how large the crowd for pharmacy was! 

Alex Pham instructs a patient proper physical therapy exercises for reduced body strain and pain

Rosemary Ha organizes dental instruments in preparation for our doctors and assistants

Gavin To measures the blood pressure of a patient before she continues on to our other services

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NGÀY 11: Kỳ Quang Orphanage

At the heart of Ho Chi Minh City lies Kỳ Quang Pagoda- a center for Buddhist monuments and practice. Kỳ Quang Pagoda runs its own orphanage and takes in disabled children of Vietnam. There are currently approximately 200 children cared for by this orphanage. Many of the children either have Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, blindness, or hydrocephalus. In addition to our annual excursion to Thien Binh Orphanage, MEMO also visits Kỳ Quang Orphanage each year to broaden the perspectives of MEMO students. We gained the opportunity to learn about the prevalent diseases affecting those in Vietnam that can easily be cured in America. Hydrocephalus in America may be cured by a simple method using a shunt to drain excess cerebrospinal fluid from the brain’s ventricles to other parts of the body where it may be absorbed. In Vietnam however, this procedure is more costly and many see it as more of a burden to care for the child and rather choose to abandon them. It was certainly an eye-opening experience for all of us. 

Tamara Chan keeps company with a baby named Loc, living with hydrocephalus. Loc is 3 years old and is blind due to his disease. Dr. Belville explained that although we may interpret what these orphans are feeling as constant pain, they do not because the sensation of pain is learned. Since this has always been what they experienced, they do not understand it as pain. As volunteers, we may merely help by showing our affection through touch and keeping them company. 

The volunteers here often sit by the babies’ sides stroking their hands, singing to them, and feeding them throughout the day.