Viet Nam - Blog I
An Overview
The final three days of my trip to Southeast Asia were spent in Viet Nam. This was a follow up trip to my October 2005 visit. I focused on three issue areas: HIV/AIDS, Avian Influenza and the safety of imports. Meeting the new health minister was a priority as well.
As a general overview, I arrived in Hanoi on Tuesday night, the 15th of April. I spent Wednesday the 16th of April there working. On Thursday, I flew to Ho Chi Min City, where I spent the day working, and then on Friday, I was able to go out into the countryside, which always turns out to be a highlight.
In Hanoi, I visited the Ministries of Health and Agriculture; spoke to the American Chamber of Commerce; spent an hour interacting with students and faculty at the Hanoi School of Public health; and then met with Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung. In the evening, my new friend, Nguyen Quoc Trieu, the Minister of Health, held a banquet that none of our delegation will ever forget. This was not your routine diplomatic gathering. It was a party, full of personalities, music and bonding.
On Thursday I did media interviews, traveled to Ho Chi Min City, and toured the seaport in the same way I have many American ports; working to understand their role in the safety of imported products. I then visited a clinic our HIV/AIDS money supports, which is setting up the nation’s first methadone clinic as a way of assisting in the prevention of HIV/AIDS, and then met with the party leaders of the city.
Friday morning early, we drove into the countryside about three hours. Seafood is one of the biggest trade items between the U.S. and Viet Nam. I wanted to get a sense of the processes and sophistication levels in that industry, in a similar way as I was able to in India. The three hour drive by itself was worth the effort of going. I saw many different kinds of communities along our route in varying degrees of change.
I visited a large seafood processor and had a two hour discussion over lunch with a group of shrimp growers, a regulator and fellow who appears to have a job similar to an extension agent. I then went to meet with a group of chicken growers in a rural residential area along with public health people. We talked avian influenza.
In the evening, we had a reception at our hotel and picked up the midnight flight for a connection in Tokyo for D.C. These trips are non-stop events. By the time I get to the end of the week, I’m usually feeling exhausted, but greatly enriched. This was a successful mission, but I’m ready to get back into a normal routine. With the time zone changes, different beds most nights, and fifteen hour days, the last seven days feels like one continuous day.
I was able to keep better control of my diet and exercise routines this trip. Both usually take a hit on these forced marches. I think I got exercise all but two mornings and with only one major banquet, didn’t do any serious caloric damage. It’s a small victory in my long fight to stay healthy.
Having provided this overview of the trip, over the next few days I’ll post a series of observations I have as a result of the trip.
Posted on April 25, 2008 in Health Diplomacy
, HIV/AIDS
, Import Safety
, Pandemic Influenza
, Southeast Asia
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Secretary Leavitt,
Thank you for taking up the cause of Avain Influenza.
Just after you left Indonesia they did a massive Bird flu drill. (source:http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iB2SZX9N0iuouw3Mp8r6SIEdUjAQ)
Have a great weekend and thank you for keeping us more informed than NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX or even The Colbert Report.
Kobie
Posted by: | April 25, 2008 at 03:41 PM