Reflections of Vietnam

Ho Chi Min City, Vietnam - I honestly had no pre-conceived notion of what the Vietnamese culture, people or landscape would be. Sure, I have seen Vietnam portrayed through the lens of films, but as a student of medium I tend not to build my worldview on that which is spoon fed to me by Hollywood. The culture was a fascinating mix of incredibly industrious individuals who lived against an ancient backdrop of pagodas and rice paddies. The urban settings of Ho Chi Min, Da Nang and Hanoi were frantic and energized with motor bikes, shops selling all manner of consumables and large billboards promoting socialist agendas. Yet just outside these mecca’s were rural communities struggling to exist and support each other. On any corner, on any roadside there were individuals making the most of what they were given. If they lived by a river and could catch fish, it was fish they would sell. If they lived by mountain made of marble, they carved and sold elaborate statues made of marble. Everywhere I traveled, someone was selling something. At times I would simply think, who is buying? Then I realized it’s the local community that’s buying. There is no “one-stop” shopping in the Vietnam I visited. If you want building lumber you go where the wood is. If you need the nails, that’s next door. A hammer or saw, that’s down the road a bit. Each one of these stops supports individuals, not the stock options of shareholders or overseas mass produced products. While the American viewpoint would simply dismiss this shopping “inconvenience” as annoying, to the masses around the world this is life. To them, this community is their lifestyle. As an outsider looking in, this community seems to instill a greater sense of purpose among the individuals. Sure they are poor. Sure they want to improve their quality of life for their family, but so many were grateful for what they had – and most did not have much. It made me think when America reflected this sense of individual industriousness and community and how in our great quest for convenience we seemed to have lost it. We always seem to refer to countries like Vietnam as “developing” - it makes me question the end goal if America is the model of “developed”.

Socialist Reminders

Vietnam Story

Sac Son, Vietnam - We traveled north to visit one of Hanoi’s poorest areas, the Soc Son District were UniReach and its partners had assisted in the construction of a new school designed to be a prototype for inclusive school buildings throughout the country. Handicapped children have traditionally been ignored in Vietnam. Literally hidden away from society by family and overlooked by the socialist government. Today this prototype school educates 300 students, with 120 having special needs.

While we were there we encountered a recent graduate. Although 19, here physical impairments made her looks far younger. A girl had such a sweet spirit and a smile that lit up the room. The school had taught her a trade – sewing, and she had gone on to become a seamstress. Although a success story on the surface, after more discussion we learned she worked from 7am to 6pm seven days a week. For her labor, her monthly income was $30 – a staggering $1 a day. Due to here impairments she lives with here parents to which she gives all her income. When we asked her if she liked her work and what she wanted out of the future her countenance sank if only for a second – an expression I will never forget. Then, almost as if she realized she was required to be optimistic for the sake of foreigners or the cameras, she rallied, flashed a smile, and responded she didn’t know what the future would bring – after all she was handicapped.

Happy Socialists

Dr. Do's Clinic

Hanoi, Vietnam - In an non-descript section of greater Hanoi, down a long alley you can find a small miracle workers shop dedicated to changing lives. When Dr. Do retired from a long and distinguished career as a maker of orthopedic devices for handicapped people, he chose not to retire. He turned the first floor of his home into a clinic where he regularly sees children in need of prosthetic devices. Dr. Do’s patients are the poor children of Hanoi. He knows by name, more than 1,000 children in Hanoi who need prosthetic devices but whose families cannot afford them. Dr. Do is systematically working his way through that list with the goal in mind of providing the needed devices to the children free of charge to them or their families. UniReach helped fund the establishment of Dr. Do’s clinic, the oven for curing plastic, cast saws and numerous other tools. They continues to support the clinic by purchasing the materials needed to construct the devices for the children and teen-agers. The average cost per device is around $125 with the most costly ones at about $250. Meeting Dr. Do and seeing the work he is doing among the limbless poor in Hanoi made me think about the last time I spent $125 for something that perhaps I didn’t need.

Dr. Do's Clinic

Dr. Do's Clinic