September 1, 2012 Events

 “Vietnamese Friends of Photography: A sublime one-room show”           

The Vietnamese Friends of Photographers photo exhibition was held today in Westminster, CA featuring over 40 different Vietnamese photographers. Among them, Thanh and Kim Cuong Nguyen are veterans of Project Vietnam’s medical missions and have served on its dental team.

            I found the photographs mounted on acrylic. Each was astounding on its own right, and ranged in subjects, moods and techniques: the glowing city skyline of Saigon-by-night, a lone boat floating down a river at sunrise, a bird catching its dinner, breathtaking sceneries of national parks and lesser known gems.

            The exhibit is on Sep 1-2 at Hội Trường Văn Lang (11am-6pm) at 14861 Moran Street, Westminster, CA 92683. 

Selected photographs will be displayed at the Rose Center at our Annual Gala on September 22, 2013, courtesy of VFoP.

Tuan Nguyen, volunteer-blogger

Project Vietnam volunteers and members of Vietnamese Friends of Photography 

Summer Camp 2013 Reunion

“Summer Service Camp 2012 Holds Reunion”

            Spirits were high among this year’s Summer Service Camp alumni as they enjoyed a warm summer day in Irvine, CA at their first reunion, joined by previous years alumni. The 28 volunteers enjoyed the generous hospitality of Tiana and Kevin Keenan, and reveled in past shared experiences and how it changed their lives. “It was definitely an adventure,” said Rebecca who worked in the north highlands at the post-camp project, under the primitive local conditions of remote Quang Minh commune in Yen Bai province.

            Every year, 60 students 16-35yo are chosen to embark on a 2-week mission to rural areas in Vietnam. There they work at health clinics, undertake rehabilitation/construction projects, and visit children with special needs at orphanages & centers for handicapped children.

All summer camp volunteers are recruited to help on social networks such as Facebook, and the new http://OneVietnam.com – please write your support on the Project Vietnam Foundation page and help meet the challenge of 40 additional donations (even $1) before September 20!

For more information, visit http://www.pvnf.org/summer-programs/.

Tuan Nguyen, volunteer-blogger

Clinic 7: End of the Road

Narita: All Good Things Must End

I'm currently writing my final blog entry as I sit in Narita International Airport on the outskirts of Tokyo. Alan and Jacob have just left for their home and I'm on hour six of an eight hour layover.

Six hours is a long time to think and write. Alex already figured the exact number of minutes we all spent together so I won't do that again. But I will try to recollect as much as I can of the tail end of this surreal blur of events that has been my life for the past 20 days.

1. Looking at, picking out, and then eating two deliciously crispy fried snakes. The next day, taking shots of another snake's blood and then endlessly nibbling on its rubbery flesh while drinking more of its blood with the waiter.
2. Haggling tank tops down to $2 dong each, changing colors and sizes repeatedly, and being cursed by the merchant. Feeling guilty yet triumphant after every success at Ben Thanh market.
3. Getting a thoroughly intimate massage at Quynh Nhu Hand & Foot Massage parlor. From a very flexible man.
4. Trying to find the legendary Highlands Coffee club sandwich and failing.
5. Considering but never actually using the toilet-showers at the Kien Giang hotel the way they were obviously built to be used.
6. Teaching hundreds of kids how to brush their teeth at one of the clinics. Actually spending most of that time running around and scaring kids with the teeth models.
7. Appreciating the view from the roof of the hotels in Kien Giang.
8. British accents. All the bloody time.
9. Getting excited to observe a pelvic exam, hearing the words "lube those fingers up", and backing out of said pelvic exam.
10. Singing the "Star Spangled Banner" at the end of a hilarious night of karaoke, feeling paranoid about communists, and then singing "Sai Gon Dep Lam."
11. Dancing with locals and security guards, trying on Japanese slippers, and generally integrating Zara into the PVNF after hours itinerary.
12. Somehow adjusting our bodies to wake up at 5, eat, sleep for 3 hours, work for 7 hours, sleep for 3 hours, eat, relax/rage, and repeat.
13. Ingesting jitters-inducing amounts of caffeine, ice, condensed milk, and sugar.
14. Helping hundreds of people a day and changing thousands of lives (patient, volunteer, and professionals alike) over the course of our two week adventure.

I'm positive I've forgotten so much cool stuff that happened but then again, most of my memory is tied to my camera and what it remembers. I am also beyond sad that I missed the last night with everyone with PVNF. I'm sure this list would have been quite longer if I'd been there to see the festivities last night. However, I think everyone deserves a little break for all of the amazing work that we did together these past two weeks. I've said this before but this 2011 PVNF Summer Service Camp has been one of the most fun and rewarding experiences I've ever had, an ideal blend of work and play. I am glad that I can call many of you friends and I hope that we all can see each other again, whether that be in the States, Canada, or France.

To hard work done, new friendships made, and life in Vietnam!

-Sean Nguyen

Kien Giang: Take 5

Today we took a 3 hour bus ride to a beach in the Kien Giang province. The bus ride there was long, sleepy, bumpy, and completely worth it. We first toured a cave with a Buddhist temple inside of it; the views from one of the natural openings of the surrounding rice paddies and mountains was awe inspiring. Many of us bought little flavored ice bags for about 20 US cents. When we got to the beach we were treated to a delicious meal of canh chua (for the 5th or 6th day running? Not complaining though), seafood and steamed vegetables, fried pork, and rice. Then there was the beach. The water was perfect for relaxing and enjoying the natural beauty of the surrounding water and sand; not too warm to be uncomfortable but cool enough to be refreshing. We played frisbee (poorly on my part) and chicken (much better). Some of us wrestled and others looked on with concern. Although we only got to stay for about an hour, the break from the constant work of PVNF really balanced the trip out. Appreciating the natural beauty of Vietnam and its people gives us a more personal connection to the work we do with PVNF. Floating in the salty water looking at clear blue skies or laying in a reclining chair and taking in the panoramic beach at the edge of tropical rainforest covered hills is completely surreal, something you only see on Corona commercials.

But I see it almost as a generous payment for our volunteerism. I would gladly do crowd control and clean dental equipment to be able to go to beaches like the one here in Kien Giang, paddle down a river in Ben Tre, or have a blast at any of the tours that we have been lucky enough to experience through PVNF. To another day starting bright and early at 5AM tomorrow!

Clinic #4: Vinh Thuan Commune

Yesterday morning after leaving the hotel at 5 a.m. and a 3/12 hour bumpy bus ride, the members of PVNF Summer Camp finally reached their destination for the fourth Clinic at the Vinh Thuan Commune Clinic in Rach Gia. Thang Dong, member of Team S, laughs as she runs through the early morning rain before arriving at the Clinic.

Quoc Bui plays with a baby waiting to get a medical exam.

PVNF Student Volunteers look on as Tuanh Hathi-Nguyen performs a tooth extraction on a young patient.

A week's worth of Clinics and humidity that seems to pull the moisture straight out of your body, finally took its toll on members of the PVNF Summer Camp. Despite the wide spread physical and mental exhaustion, over 500 patients were seen in what was the most productive and efficient Clinic yet.

After a full day of service, PVNF members hold on tight to a little wooden water taxi that transported them to and from the remote Clinic at the Vinh Thuan Commune.

Moving on

Last night, the PVNF team had a farewell dinner, a bittersweet moment for both us and the Ben Tre students we met. The food was nothing special, but it was still a memorable night. I could see the joy in the Ben Tre professionals and students as they received gifts of gratitude from the leaders of both the camp, and their own teams. They were also obviously disappointed that our time in Ben Tre had come to an end. Personally, I had come to hold a deep respect for these students that came everyday to help us at clinics. These students had taken times out of their days to devote to helping improve their own community, attempting to strengthen the well-being of those around them. One of the Ben Tre student's motivation and dedication inspired me to working harder during clinic. After working in the burning sun for 1 1/2 hours, we were told to take a break. The Ben Tre student refused to take a break, and continued to work throughout the day. This gave me motivation to work harder, seeing this girl work twice as hard as I did.

The next morning was one of the most exhausting bus rides I have ever experienced. Although we were scheduled to leave at 6:45, we did not end up leaving until 8:30, spending time waiting for an extrta bus, since there was an excess of people. The 6 hour drive was filled with bumpy roads, hot air and flat tires. When we finally arrived to lunch, we quickly consumed the food, and listened to a speech by the leader of the new Vietnamese students. We then settled into the hotel, and sorted pills in preparation for the next day of clinic. I am very excited to see the new site, and work with this new group of college students.

Ben Tre Bridge Building

After making his way across the current unreliable bridge, this child leaps to land barely missing a fall of about 10 feet.

Students help workers move wood through a narrow opening in barbed wire that will be used as scaffolding during the construction of the bridge.

The new bridge will provide safe passage to a nearby school that these children attend.

After work, PVNF Summer Volunteers pose for a group picture at the site of the new bridge that is dedicated to a former member.