Thank you, Children’s Surgery International for another adventure to Vietnam, where we will be performing urology surgery on children in need.

Our team traveled from various starting points around the globe. We all met up in Hanoi and then took a bus for an additional four hours to Thanh Hoa, Vietnam. The long air journey was filled with excitement, plus a couple of calls to duty. Both flights heard pages overhead “is there a doctor or nurse on board?” Nurses Ana and Laura helped a dehydrated hypertensive woman by starting an IV and administering fluids and medications. Our new CSI colleague, pediatric urologist Dr. Donald Nguyen, didn’t hesitate to help a woman who had fainted. He performed vitals and assessment in a dimly lit airplane aisle.

Hanoi is a busy, interesting city. We awakened to fog, bustling streets and a loud monotone voice broadcasting announcements through the streets. After checking with our local guide, he confirmed our thoughts – each area of the country is split into districts, and the government gives instructions every morning through loud speakers located on most street corners.

Our team was also joined in Hanoi by IPSAC’s Father Joseph, Thanh Nguyen and our highly skilled translation team Hoàng Tuấn Khang, Joey Do, Minh Hang Hoang (and others). We breathed a sigh of relief that we finally arrived and can really get this mission started! We can’t wait to meet our patients, their families and see our local colleagues. We will try for some sleep, and we will be ready to start seeing kids and families in the morning!

By: Stacey Brown and CSI Vietnam team.