FROM A “BUFFALO BOY” TO OPERATION SMILE VOLUNTEER

I had the pleasure of working with Nguyen Vu, a special person, in Medical Records during the 25th Anniversary Mission of Operation Smile in China…

Vu grew up in Can Tho, a southern province of Viet Nam’s Mekong Delta… Because, his family was very poor, at the age of 5, Vu had to work in the rice fields and tended the buffalo for a small sum of money.

When he finished school at the age of 15, he qualified for a three year scholarship at the French College IT. . After graduation, he worked 1.5 years for the college, teaching business computer. In 1995, he was referred by one of his professors to the Gannon Company, which, incidentally, donated to Operation Smile. After working for them, he then participated in his first Operation Smile mission.

Joel Woodcock, Vu’s manager, left Gannon to start his own import company, Lantern Moon, in Oregon. Vu became the company supplier of handicrafts, purchased from Land Mine victims in Cambodia. Lantern Moon continues to support both the land mine victims as well as Operation Smile.

Vu has now been on 6 Op Smile missions in Vietnam as a specialist in Computerized Medical Records. He has been a pleasure to work with and to know.

He was honored to have been selected to participate in the opening of the first Operation Smile Hospital and 25th Anniversary Mission in Hangzhou, China.

Vu currently lives in Ho Chi Minh with his wife and their 2 children ages 3 and 7.

- Barbara J. Sokol, Operation Smile Medical Records Volunteer