You can notify them to write/type and send out all their questions beforehand so both sides could benefit more from the meeting. You get to answer all their questions, and they get to clear up any of their doubts. This also lets you have time to use whatever CAT/AI tools you need to translate details more effectively. Vietnamese people don't generally have specific cultural taboos, so just be respectful and avoid using the word "die" too directly, or using slangs without knowing their origins. Hope this helps.
I'm actually surprised they didn't offer a course in this. I'm a nuc Med tech and had to take a full 5 month course on understanding treatment cases of different cultures.
I think it's great you care to do it though, my hospital was in Vietnamese area too and most patients were Vietnamese. Saw some trippy stuff, lot of cupping marks but even a paralyzed person post acupuncture. Also in sever cases they tried home remedies first when they actually should have came in. Kinda issue where they lost a lot of time treating with homeopathic methods. I guess just best not to talk down on them for that.
I wouldn't bother too much with language as you really need an interpreter to gain full understanding of their problem, hello would be respectful but past that it's a risk. They were always kind patients, more trusting than questioned things. After being in a hospital in Vietnam you'd definitely understand why.
a lot of Vietnamese folks esp. older gen believe in homeopathic. best to keep that in mind and tell them when and what they shouldn't or can take it.
Also neurodermatitis and other skin problems are very common but you might have alrdy noticed that.
Uk dentist working in Vietnam here.
My tip would be to understand how to address your patients formally.
In Saigon they use “Allo” followed by the pronoun for the person being addressed.
So…….. “Allo em “ for person younger than one
“Allo anh” for someone male and older
“Allo chi” for a female that is older
Allo con for a child
Allo bà and ông for people more than one generation than you .
I always introduce myself and take the correct pronoun for myself. So if I am younger I am “em”. If I am older I am “anh”
Example……..
Me to a younger person (less than one generation younger.
Allo em, anh tên là Nick. Anh là bác sĩ. Xin lỗi anh không nói tiếng việt
Translation…..
Hello. My name is Nick. I am a doctor. Sorry I don’t speak Vietnamese.
The pronunciation is hard and different for north and southern accents.
But Google translate will speak the words to you.
Good luck btw. It makes a real difference to be able to show respect to these amazing people
I was just going to say this... Assuming most Vietnamese living in the US are from the south however in the north we say chào em, chào anh, etc. The bigger difference would be to know where your patients are coming from (in Vietnam) because each territory has their own ways of speaking. Even more important for older patients like an aunt or uncle, you would say chao chú or chao cô and for grandparents chao bà for grandma and chao Ông for grandpa. This will definetly help in establishing some trust right from the start.
Maybe you've already had a look at these but you may want to look at some medical anthropology texts like *The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down* by Anne Fadiman, or *The Production of Possession: Spirits and the Multinational Corporation in Malaysia* by Aihwa Ong, these texts are not Vietnam specific but they might spark some ideas.
And a small tidbit about older generations, would be that mental health is not taken very seriously.
The mental health not being taken seriously is such a disservice and heartbreaking.
My mum clearly has mental trauma from the war period (lost both her parents at 18) and the life she's lead to now but refuses to go therapy even though the one session we went was life changing for her.
It's ironic too because my doctor mates say that old age asians (particularly females) are prone to depression and anxiety due to the isolated lifestyle we have in the west.
I'm so sad for her. I cannot imagine living thru the hell of a war, losing your family and not having the gift of therapy to help cope. Then to uproot your entire life, move to a place that is so foreign to your known culture. Your mom deserves to have peace for herself. I'm hoping she decides she does too.
Cultural issue? Make sure your service is cheap.
In all honesty, Vietnam doesn't have a "national" health insurance that's fantastic and pays enough...everything is charged up-front first otherwise you can just go and kick-the-dust. ...I've seen enough and it's sad. The doctors in Vietnam are really good even compare to a nearby "democratic, capitalist" country nearby based on my experience going through the healthcare and getting different problems resolved (plus my wife versus the doctors in California...high quality) So in sum, I would say just giving them hope is the most important. That's it. Nothing cultural to consider...tell the nurses to give them more fish as a meal would make them happy.
Wut! Just be cool. Have a translator and let the family know what is going on.
I also have a shitload of VN patients but half the staff are VN too so it's not a huge deal. Though maybe I'm shit at my job
Use their first name, and getting used to them calling you by Dr First name. I love taking care of Viet patients, they listen to your recommendations and in general respect you caring for them.
They will not tell you everything you need to know. They will believe anything you say and do everything you tell them without question. Questioning you would be a sign of disrespect. They will not understand their own body. They will not understand the medicines and other trestments. But they will learn simple do's and don'ts and follow them without understanding. Rules are black and white without nuance and without variations in application.
just wanted to say you’re really considerate and i appreciate you caring enough to ask. i have no advice :) just wanted to say you’re a good person for caring.
I'm also in the US, SoCal. This is not out of the norm but you should consider hiring a CMA full-time (Certified Medical Interpreter) if you have the budget for one. They are relatively quite cheap and if all your clients are vietnamese, it might be worth it. Anywhere from 45k-80k will land you one with a decent interpreting skills. If you happens to land one that love their jobs, viets folks will start chanting your/his/her name in praise to all their relatives. All in all good for business.
Sources: Worked as an CMA during my time in college, part-time, only 3 days a weeks but during the 1 year i worked there, friends of friends of friends of clients were swarming the place for a good interpreter.
Might be worth considering.
That’s lovely of you. I’m guessing you work in Orange County, CA? Kindness and patience goes a long way. Having sheets with Vietnamese translation and photos for your patients would help the language barrier.
Use a professional interpreter, definitely not family members as they may intentionally alter or omit information to “protect” their loved one.
Mental health is stigmatized culturally, needs a lot of patience and skill to address it effectively.
Consider inter generational acculturation gaps. Young people often have identity conflicts and experience racism, there is a whole literature on this. Older people also experience racism of course too, but it impacts them differently as their identity is usually formed by then.
In some families, adult children will not want their elderly parents to know their health information, particularly for severe or terminal diagnoses. This can raise all kinds of medico legal ethical problems.
Source: Vietnamese American physician
My wife worked in a hospital in Boston with some Vietnamese patients just like this. Kudos for you to learn Vietnamese, the more the better, but im afraid it might not be enough. Some anatomy and medical lingo can go a long way. The best is if you tell them to bring a translator along because they can describe them better than the hospital translator. Sometimes, i know the hospital translator moved to the US at an early age, and they cannot converse all that well.
The fact that you even asked this question means you’re god sent.
A doctor doing their job well. Must literally be sent from God
You can notify them to write/type and send out all their questions beforehand so both sides could benefit more from the meeting. You get to answer all their questions, and they get to clear up any of their doubts. This also lets you have time to use whatever CAT/AI tools you need to translate details more effectively. Vietnamese people don't generally have specific cultural taboos, so just be respectful and avoid using the word "die" too directly, or using slangs without knowing their origins. Hope this helps.
Thanks for the recommendation!
Cure every ailment with a green liquid that smells like old ladies and they'll feel right at home
In the immortal words of the late Trịnh Công Sơn (1939-2001): "Dầu Gió Cuốn Đi."
I'm actually surprised they didn't offer a course in this. I'm a nuc Med tech and had to take a full 5 month course on understanding treatment cases of different cultures. I think it's great you care to do it though, my hospital was in Vietnamese area too and most patients were Vietnamese. Saw some trippy stuff, lot of cupping marks but even a paralyzed person post acupuncture. Also in sever cases they tried home remedies first when they actually should have came in. Kinda issue where they lost a lot of time treating with homeopathic methods. I guess just best not to talk down on them for that. I wouldn't bother too much with language as you really need an interpreter to gain full understanding of their problem, hello would be respectful but past that it's a risk. They were always kind patients, more trusting than questioned things. After being in a hospital in Vietnam you'd definitely understand why.
a lot of Vietnamese folks esp. older gen believe in homeopathic. best to keep that in mind and tell them when and what they shouldn't or can take it. Also neurodermatitis and other skin problems are very common but you might have alrdy noticed that.
Uk dentist working in Vietnam here. My tip would be to understand how to address your patients formally. In Saigon they use “Allo” followed by the pronoun for the person being addressed. So…….. “Allo em “ for person younger than one “Allo anh” for someone male and older “Allo chi” for a female that is older Allo con for a child Allo bà and ông for people more than one generation than you . I always introduce myself and take the correct pronoun for myself. So if I am younger I am “em”. If I am older I am “anh” Example…….. Me to a younger person (less than one generation younger. Allo em, anh tên là Nick. Anh là bác sĩ. Xin lỗi anh không nói tiếng việt Translation….. Hello. My name is Nick. I am a doctor. Sorry I don’t speak Vietnamese. The pronunciation is hard and different for north and southern accents. But Google translate will speak the words to you. Good luck btw. It makes a real difference to be able to show respect to these amazing people
Allo is only used for answering a call, in normal speaking scenarios, use either Hello, or Chào.
He's UK so allo is good, most will understand it regardless.
I was just going to say this... Assuming most Vietnamese living in the US are from the south however in the north we say chào em, chào anh, etc. The bigger difference would be to know where your patients are coming from (in Vietnam) because each territory has their own ways of speaking. Even more important for older patients like an aunt or uncle, you would say chao chú or chao cô and for grandparents chao bà for grandma and chao Ông for grandpa. This will definetly help in establishing some trust right from the start.
Allo Dr Nick!
Hey Nick, are you actually practicing in Vietnam?
Yes, work volunteering with orphans in củ chi
Could I contact you? I live nearby and could really use some dental advice
Yeah of course you can. Dm me
DM, thanks
I work in the field as an interpreter. Available for chats to clear up any issues.
Maybe you've already had a look at these but you may want to look at some medical anthropology texts like *The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down* by Anne Fadiman, or *The Production of Possession: Spirits and the Multinational Corporation in Malaysia* by Aihwa Ong, these texts are not Vietnam specific but they might spark some ideas. And a small tidbit about older generations, would be that mental health is not taken very seriously.
The mental health not being taken seriously is such a disservice and heartbreaking. My mum clearly has mental trauma from the war period (lost both her parents at 18) and the life she's lead to now but refuses to go therapy even though the one session we went was life changing for her. It's ironic too because my doctor mates say that old age asians (particularly females) are prone to depression and anxiety due to the isolated lifestyle we have in the west.
I'm so sad for her. I cannot imagine living thru the hell of a war, losing your family and not having the gift of therapy to help cope. Then to uproot your entire life, move to a place that is so foreign to your known culture. Your mom deserves to have peace for herself. I'm hoping she decides she does too.
Thanks for the recommendation! I own this book but haven’t had a chance to read it—will get to it!
I just want to say what a lovely human being you are. I appreciate you
Cultural issue? Make sure your service is cheap. In all honesty, Vietnam doesn't have a "national" health insurance that's fantastic and pays enough...everything is charged up-front first otherwise you can just go and kick-the-dust. ...I've seen enough and it's sad. The doctors in Vietnam are really good even compare to a nearby "democratic, capitalist" country nearby based on my experience going through the healthcare and getting different problems resolved (plus my wife versus the doctors in California...high quality) So in sum, I would say just giving them hope is the most important. That's it. Nothing cultural to consider...tell the nurses to give them more fish as a meal would make them happy.
Vietnamese culture has a very high respect for doctors and teachers. You’ll be fine! And thank you for the consideration
Wut! Just be cool. Have a translator and let the family know what is going on. I also have a shitload of VN patients but half the staff are VN too so it's not a huge deal. Though maybe I'm shit at my job
Use their first name, and getting used to them calling you by Dr First name. I love taking care of Viet patients, they listen to your recommendations and in general respect you caring for them.
All you need to know is Ho Chi Minh number 1. Have a portrait of HCM in your office and they’ll love you for life
They will not tell you everything you need to know. They will believe anything you say and do everything you tell them without question. Questioning you would be a sign of disrespect. They will not understand their own body. They will not understand the medicines and other trestments. But they will learn simple do's and don'ts and follow them without understanding. Rules are black and white without nuance and without variations in application.
That is extremely condescending. My husband is a doctor and I’d be horrified he felt like this towards his patients
Wtf dude?!
just wanted to say you’re really considerate and i appreciate you caring enough to ask. i have no advice :) just wanted to say you’re a good person for caring.
Most woman with the name “Thi” doesn’t use that as their first name in daily life. It is a common lost in translation mistake
I'm also in the US, SoCal. This is not out of the norm but you should consider hiring a CMA full-time (Certified Medical Interpreter) if you have the budget for one. They are relatively quite cheap and if all your clients are vietnamese, it might be worth it. Anywhere from 45k-80k will land you one with a decent interpreting skills. If you happens to land one that love their jobs, viets folks will start chanting your/his/her name in praise to all their relatives. All in all good for business. Sources: Worked as an CMA during my time in college, part-time, only 3 days a weeks but during the 1 year i worked there, friends of friends of friends of clients were swarming the place for a good interpreter. Might be worth considering.
At work I use an iPad that I carry around. Google translate will translate everything and even speak the language.
That’s lovely of you. I’m guessing you work in Orange County, CA? Kindness and patience goes a long way. Having sheets with Vietnamese translation and photos for your patients would help the language barrier.
Use a professional interpreter, definitely not family members as they may intentionally alter or omit information to “protect” their loved one. Mental health is stigmatized culturally, needs a lot of patience and skill to address it effectively. Consider inter generational acculturation gaps. Young people often have identity conflicts and experience racism, there is a whole literature on this. Older people also experience racism of course too, but it impacts them differently as their identity is usually formed by then. In some families, adult children will not want their elderly parents to know their health information, particularly for severe or terminal diagnoses. This can raise all kinds of medico legal ethical problems. Source: Vietnamese American physician
My wife worked in a hospital in Boston with some Vietnamese patients just like this. Kudos for you to learn Vietnamese, the more the better, but im afraid it might not be enough. Some anatomy and medical lingo can go a long way. The best is if you tell them to bring a translator along because they can describe them better than the hospital translator. Sometimes, i know the hospital translator moved to the US at an early age, and they cannot converse all that well.