Other Vietnam Impressions:
Life in Hanoi

Hospital Internship

by Cam Chau, UC Berkeley

My alarm rang at 7 a.m. Thursday. It had been two weeks since my arrival in Vietnam, a land my mother had designated as my true home. To me, it felt like an unfamiliar “habitat” I must try to survive in and make home for the next three and a half months.

I rushed to the bathroom to get ready for my first day at the hospital. I was surprised to find just enough hot water trickling from my faucet. I put on what little I’d thought appropriate for the hospital—my roommate’s red Converse, size 5, my faded khakis, and a 30,000 dong ($2) white shirt I’d bought at a local market 10 minutes from the dorm. With my hair tied back, I ran down 5 flights of stairs, waved down a xe om, bargained for the fare, and arrived at the hospital at 7:40 sharp.

A double door separated the outside from a different more peaceful world inside—a refuge from the annoying honks of the traffic outside and from the scorching sun. When I reached the second floor the medical director, a man in his early 40s with a wonderful smile, greeted me quite warmly and introduced me to the staff of several divisions. I was well received by both doctors and nurses. I accompanied doctors on their rounds, sat in on several conferences, and watched numerous procedures. By midday, I suffered from a severely dry throat from endless chattering to everyone on the ward who repeatedly asked where I came from and why I was here.

Besides its serenity, the hospital resembles the hospital back home with its plain gray walls, and well-equipped rooms. White is the dominant color of the ward. Doctors wear white coats—one was given to me. Nurses wear white scrubs, unlike the colorfully mismatched scrub nurses back home.

During my rounds with the internal medicine physicians, I was surprised when a nurse offered the patient “anh an chau, pho hay bun,” which translated to mouth watering, stomach growling dishes. As my multiple sensory organs began to run wild, I tamed them with the thought of the hospital food back home—the overcooked vegetables and bland entrees.

I quickly realized that doctors here are not just healers; they play multiple roles. In one instance, after explaining procedures to a patient, a doctor shuffled some papers, and quoted the patient her balance due. A stethoscope dangling from his neck, he was also a cashier in disguise.

My day lasted until 5 p.m. when I exited the hospital with a big smile and stories to share with my roommate. But most importantly, my first day was a learning experience I can prolong and remember while I am here as well as when I return home.

My goal is to become a physician for the Vietnamese community in the U.S. so an internship like this one is surreal. I had never imagined I would have such an incredible opportunity, especially in a country an ocean away from what I had previously called home.

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