Project TVD is paying tuition for 2 physicians from Da Nang Oncology Hospital (Benh Vien Ung Buou Da Nang) to learn English from instructors who are native speakers. We feel that this is an invaluable skill for a physician similar to learning how to do surgery or auscultating heart sounds. With a command of English, the de facto language of medicine, these physicians will be able to communicate with their colleagues from other countries, keep up with new medical developments, and even publish their observations and findings in international journals. These 2 young young physicians are gynecologic oncology fellows in the IGCS sponsored training program. Their English skills will serve them well during their months of study abroad as part of their training.

With heavy hearts, but not seeing any other reasonable option, we are cancelling the Project TVD trip to Da Nang, Vietnam this year. Our work week, scheduled for August 10-14, is coming up fast; thus, we feel the need to make a decision early given the many responsibilities that we all have to our family and our work.

This year’s trip would probably have broken records for the number of team members. The hospitals in Da Nang were looking forward to hosting us. Myn Demmon and Mimi Dinh have planned great activities for you and your families.

However, with the Covid-19 situation still so unsettled in the US, it does not appear that we can make a commitment to go, and we should let our friends and colleagues in Da Nang know sooner rather than later. Tri recently communicated with one of our physician friends in Da Nang and life there is slowly returning to normal. Schools are opening up again for students, having been closed since the Tet holidays in late January. Our colleagues in Da Nang follow the situation in the US closely and they often wished that they can do something to help us in the US.

Although we are unable to go to Vietnam in 2020, we are not stopping our engagement with Da Nang. We hope to sponsor some Vietnamese physicians to the US for “mini-sabbaticals” later as the travel restriction eases. We will keep you updated!

We will return again to Da Nang and work alongside our friends soon; we’ll email you again once we have set a date for 2021. In the meantime, stay safe and take care of yourself and your family.

The date for project TVD 2020 work week is August 10-14, 2020 . We ask that our volunteers arrive in Da Nang by Sunday August 9, 2020 for a meeting. We are tentatively scheduled to stay at the Pullman Resort on beautiful China Beach again!

Our work was recently featured in the magazine of Monmouth University. Thank you to Dean Robin Mama for being the person who got us linked up with the great volunteers from Monmouth U. Read about us at

Project TVD

The dates for the 2018 Project TVD work week in Da Nang are May 28-June 1, 2018 (Monday – Friday). This includes Memorial Day. We ask that you arrive in Da Nang by Sunday, May 27th. Hotels and other details TBD. See you in Da Nang!

We were in Da Nang from July 3-7, 2017 working at all 3 hospitals. There were 10 physicians total working at Da Nang General Hospital, Da Nang Hospital for Women and Children, and the Da Nang Oncology Hospital. At the General Hospital, we had physicians working in Cardiology, Plastics Surgery/ Dermatology, and Radiology. Gary Goble, a volunteer from RAD-AID went also to evaluate Da Nang General as a site for a PACS (radiology image storage) system. Our work week also overlapped slightly with those of our friends from the Children’s Genital Reconstruction Project. It was great to see Greig and Na Huong Craft, Dr. Roberto DeCastro and his fellow Italian urologists again. The surgeries and symposium went great at the Hospital for Women and Children. Finally, we launched the IGCS gyn oncology fellowship at the Da Nang Oncology Hospital with Dr. Quynh (Tran Thi Nhu Quynh) as the first fellow!

The children’s craft project was a success with a great team consisting of Mimi Dinh and the Frey family- Mom Danielle and Hadley and Kieran. Hadley and Kieran had sold lemonade in Jacksonville to raise funds to buy the crafts supplies!

So many good memories and new friends on this trip. The karaoke wasn’t bad either!

Project TVD is proud to welcome Dr. Phuong Nguyen to Jacksonville Florida for a 2 month sabbatical study. Dr. Phuong (Vietnamese go by their first name) is a radiologist at Da Nang General Hospital and hosted our project TVD teams during their trips there in 2015. Special thanks go to Mark McKinney, one of our board members, and the chair of Radiology at Mayo Clinic Florida, for making Dr. Phuong trip possible. Thank you also to the staff in the radiology department, especially Drs. Candice Bolan and Hector Robles who will help host Dr. Phuong while she is in Jacksonville.

Our trip in July is from July 3-7, 2017 (the work week). Please arrive in Da Nang by Sunday, July 2, 2017. We will have a meeting at our hotel (TBD) that night for orientation. The hospitals will pick us up to start our work the next day (usually around 8:00 am).

There was a typo on the website previously, listing the date as June. Sorry!

We’ll team up with Greig and Na Huong Craft’s team again. Looking forward to seeing Roberto DeCastro and his team of pediatric urologist from Italy.

We are applying for 501(c)3 non-profit status. Thanks to UNF Small Business office for their help! Stay tuned.