With a gracious invitation from Dr. Nguyen Tien, Director of the National Hospital for Obstetrics and Gynecology, IOWD members packed their bags with wonderful supplies and took off for Hanoi, Vietnam. It was the beginning of a new program for IOWD…and the doctors and nurses who participated were excited to be part of this new experience.

Phuong Lan Pham, Deputy Director of the Hospital’s Training Center had arranged for all the finite details to make our visit go so smoothly….introductory meetings with Vietnamese doctors and nurses, walk-through of the hospital operating rooms and wards, transportation to and from the hospital, lunches, dinners, sight-seeing…so many wonderful gestures of hospitality. We will never be able to thank Lan enough for all that she did to insure that our visit would be perfect!!!

We had arranged to present lectures, and true to Dr. Tien and Lan’s word, an auditorium was filled with medical staff, not only from the National Hospital, but also from the outlying provinces and other Hanoi hospitals. IOWD doctors lectured to this large audience…their power points had been translated and presented on screens in Vietnamese and in English. As our doctors spoke, Dr. Hung, an Obstetrician/Gynecologist, translated simultaneously to the Vietnamese audience. While IOWD doctors operated, the surgeries were transmitted on a large screen in the auditorium for all to watch…Dr. Wallach explained the procedures to Dr. Hung and he carefully translated the information to the audience. It was quite amazing to have the ability to share so much knowledge with so many people at one time!

We were honored to have the Vice Minister of Health, Dr. Nguyen Ba Thuy, give a wonderful opening speech, as did Dr. Tien…again, publically welcoming the IOWD team.

IOWD is proud to announce the start of a program of cooperation with the National Hospital for Obstetrics and Gynecology for the teaching of surgical and postoperative skills in regard to urinary incontinence and prolapse. Dr Tien is determined to be able to offer these surgeries to the many women of northern Vietnam who experience the horror of incontinence or prolapse. Until now, it has been an unspoken problem…with women too ashamed to tell a doctor, and nowhere to go for help.

With the support of Director Tien and the Vietnamese government, two Vietnamese doctors will be coming to America in May for an IOWD ‘Observer Fellowship’. They will be hosted by IOWD doctors in San Francisco, Sacramento, Virginia and New York….staying in America for at least 8 weeks…and observing surgical procedures, postoperative care, general hospital procedures, office consultations…as well as meeting with many American doctors and their families. What a fantastic opportunity for all of us to learn from each other, not only medically, but also about our cultures…and our hopes and dreams for the future.

IOWD is grateful to a dear friend, Diep To Le…of Sisters Tours in Hanoi… for introducing Dr.Tien and Lan to us. It was Diep’s determination to bring help to the women of Vietnam that brought about Dr. Tien’s invitation to IOWD to visit his hospital. It has truly been a remarkable experience for all of us. Thank you, Diep.

Dr. Hung, who will be coming to America to work with IOWD doctors, and Phuong Lan Pham, Director of the Training Institute.