‘Our days were filled with laughter and learning from each other’ Edith Cowan University nursing student, Zoe, beautifully wraps up her experience in Vietnam by highlighting her life-changing experiences on nursing placement.
Nursing
Edith Cowan University
Vietnam
November 2019
Favourite part: The group watched the natural birth of a healthy baby girl in the delivery room
Author: Zoe Green
Where we went
Trip Itinerary
Perth, Australia
Hanoi, Vietnam
Mai Chau, Vietnam
Travel Log
Week 1
Wow, how has it been a week already, our minds are blown.
We arrived to Hanoi via Singapore at 11:30 am, greeted with the hot and humid weather. Once we made it through customs, Trang and Thang has greeted us with smiles and a wealth of knowledge. Once we were settled in Hanoi, we had a welcome dinner and rickshaw rides.
Whilst we were in Hanoi, we had orientation, visited a few local restaurants that helped disadvantaged people and visited the night markets. Two days later we departed for Mai Chau, where Sunny and Tiup had joined us the bus ride was around 3 hours (which some of us were still catching up on sleep). We arrived in a home stay lodge and we had to ride to Mai Chau Hospital to greet Dr Chang and have a tour.
The next two days we were in Mai Chau Hospital, walking around and talking to patients. On the first day we got to watch an appendectomy, natural birth and 2 caesarean’s happen! Every one was so excited. Day two we got to visit more areas we didn’t get the chance to and talk to different patients (even catch up with the cute newborns that we watched being delivered). We also got the chance to see a uterus fibroma being removed, another caesarean and an ovarian cyst with a surprise ectopic pregnancy surgeries. We also had the chance to sit down with the local doctor and nurse to find out about Vietnamese health care.
We departed from Mai Chau to Bao La village, where we met with the local nurse there and asked about the community clinics and what her role was. We also learned about the common medication given to the residents. We also had our first local mobile clinic in the afternoon which was an eye opening experience!!
The highlight of the first week was that we were in the delivery room watching a natural birth waiting to happen. The patient had delivered a healthy baby girl. As a group we had wanted to give her a present to say thank you and she said that us 7 ladies in the room gave her strength and empowerment to keep pushing! We will definitely remember that one for sure.
The journey continues
Week 2
We had spent 2 days getting used to mobile clinics and we departed Na Chao village and headed to our lodge back in Mai Chau. We spent the weekend relaxing by the pool, visiting local markets and getting massages to recharge ourselves. The time came on Sunday where we had to say goodbye to one of our fellow students as she departed home and set on our way for Phung Village.
The impact we made
This was an hour bus trip from Mai Chau, where one we arrived, we were greeted by the local children with flower bouquets and lots of smiles. We had spent the next 4 days at Phung Village, running mobile clinics with the local nurses, teaching the local school children about hand hygiene, oral hygiene and teaching local women about Days for Girls. Whilst at Phung village, we also had the chance to participate in local cooking class at our home stay without the translators, which was a good experience!
At the end of the four days, it had come to our farewell party where the whole village came to celebrate together helping the local people. We had a performance from the local dancers, the translator comedy skit and we performed some great performances for the people that they wanted more!!
Our last few days consisted of saying goodbye to Thanh, Tieup and Sunny upon return to Hanoi, and a day trip to Halong Bay and a farewell dinner with Trang at Koto. I have to say a special thank you to them because our days were filled with laughter and learning from each other.
Overall, we had seen 500+ villagers and gave them the health assistance they needed. I can say on behalf of the team that we had a positive experience visiting Vietnam, making memories and friends. We hope that you too will visit here and share in the experience!! It was amazing and being present was life changing.
“Overall, we had seen 500+ villagers and gave them the health assistance they needed. I can say on behalf of the team that we had a positive experience visiting Vietnam, making memories and friends. We hope that you too will visit here and share in the experience!! It was amazing and being present was life changing.”
- Zoe Green, Bachelor of Nursing,
Edith Cowan University