Saturday March 3, 2007

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

It is our first full day in country. Vietnam. For some Americans, the name may trigger a certain tightening in the gut. But it's been more than 30 years since that sad war ended. Now we find ourselves in a whole new era. It's estimated that two-thirds of the population in Vietnam is under age 30 so many citizens have no recollection of what is known here as the "American War." Yet even the elders who lived through it seem to harbor no resentment or bitterness toward Americans.

I am traveling with a Vietnamese native who fled his homeland in 1975 at age 18. Son Michael Pham escaped Saigon as the last of the American troops withdrew. His family first settled in Chicago but now he calls Sammamish, Washington home. In 2001, Son founded "Kids Without Borders." (You will learn more about this life-altering organization as the days unfold.) With us on this visit are two of KWB's dedicated supporters, Kathy Okawa and Larry Symonds, a married couple from Bothell. This is their third trip to Vietnam with Son. Myself, I've been here once before as a tourist, in 2001. My husband and I fell in love with Vietnam on that trip and pledged to return one day. I just didn't think it would take this long.

Although it is 8:00 in the morning, the heat is already shimmering. After shivering in Seattle, this extreme warmth feels so good. Ducking into a cool taxi, we dart along narrow streets clogged with shops, peddlers, cafes, and scooters! Our first destination is Thu Duc, one of two orphanages we'll visit today. It was founded many years ago by Pablo Picasso's niece, Marina. Son Michael says it has gone downhill since the government took it over a few years ago. Funding has evaporated. About 300 orphans, from infants to 18-year-olds live here. Larry and Kathy deliver huge duffel bags stuffed with toiletries, clothing and other treats. Since most of the older kids are busy at school, we head for the baby room. Metal cribs line the room and form rows down the middle. Inside, the air is hot and still. Some babies are fast asleep. Others wriggle and cry out a little. I'm trying to figure out how I can take one home. How could you choose? In a second room filled with toddlers, your eye is drawn to a corner crib where a little boy bobs up and down, smiles, claps and blows kisses. Son explains he was born with a hole in his heart. Surgery saved him and now he's the rowdiest one in the bunch. We find it hard to leave.

The second orphanage, Go Vap, is located in the heart of one of Ho Chi Minh City's poorest and most congested neighborhoods. You can tell this facility has been around for more than 100 years. Again, about 300 kids live here but in much more crowded conditions. As we come through the door, the kids swarm Son Michael, affectionately referring to him as "uncle." They thrill at the bubbles and toys Larry and Kathy unwrap. This is where some of the city's most severely disabled children end up. Some suffer wretched birth defects. Their overwhelmed parents have no way to care for them at home. Other children are victims of poor prenatal care. Also common here are kids who have debilitating conditions brought on by exposure to Agent Orange, the chemical defoliant used during the war by the American military. Bed after bed, room after room, we see children suffering from hydrocephalus, a condition where excessive internal fluids flow into the head, causing it to swell grotesquely. If detected early enough, a shunt can be surgically inserted. The fluids are safely diverted, allowing the child to live a normal life. But for nearly all of these hydrocephalus patients at Go Vap, it is too late. The swelling has caused irreversible brain damage and the child will eventually die. It is simply heartbreaking to behold. Son calmly goes from child to child, quietly comforting them. Larry is in tears. He has seen it before but knows it is something you never get used to. Kids Without Borders is working with dedicated doctors and other organizations in Vietnam to try to stem this treatable problem. If there is any solace, it is in witnessing the absolute devotion of the Go Vap staff to these needy children. If these little ones are lost, they most certainly depart this world knowing they were loved.