It's time for the homeland and family to pay tribute to the "unsung heroes", who had selflessly supported the people of Ho Chi Minh City through the pandemic.

Unforgettable days

“Getting out of the airport, we’re transported to the city center. I could never imagine the vibrant and bustling Ho Chi Minh City could one day be so quiet. Our team was so surprised at first but as we moved closer to the gathering place, no one said a word to each other but only looked around. Looking at my colleague sitting next to me, we both nodded and self-acknowledged that the upcoming journey would be tough.”

That’s sharing by a doctor from the central province of Nghe An, who joined the frontline workforce in HCM City in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic in July 2021.

Sixty doctors and medical experts from many leading hospitals in Nghe An province volunteered to go to Ho Chi Minh City in the burning hot weather, when the city was buckling under the COVID-19 pandemic.

As soon as they got off the bus and were briefed on their duties at the Trung Vuong Hospital, 60 health workers, including 27 men and 33 women, took on the responsibility of supporting critical COVID-19 patients who needed support from ventilators, high-flow oxygen, and dialysis.

In tight protective suits, sometimes for up to ten hours continuously, doctors overcome both physical and mental fatigue to support patients as much as possible.

Besides taking care of COVID-19 patients, the doctors and nurses undertook other important tasks, such as performing Cesarean sections for pregnant women, providing testing and administering vaccination to HCM City people, etc.

Doctor Nguyen Dinh Hiep, the team’s leader, said that the whole group had immediately discussed and carefully selected the personnel to board the flight to the South as soon as they heard that Ho Chi Minh City needed support.

“No one knows how long the journey would be, but everyone had a great sense of responsibility and wishes to join hands with their colleagues to help the people in Ho Chi Minh City. In the medical group, there were also women who had recently given birth and had newborn babies, who temporarily left their families to fulfil this noble mission”, Hiep said.

Coming to "share the fire" with the frontline forces in Ho Chi Minh City, the doctors and nurses of Nghe An brought themselves the burning flame of responsibility and their whole heart. However, during the work, there are also moments of “smoldering fire” …

“We have witnessed a lot of life and death stories throughout our career but in the middle of this fight, the boundary is too fragile. There were happy moments of successfully curing a seriously-ill patient that we celebrated but there were also other patients to whom we couldn't bring the miracle. There were cases where we were cheerfully talking to the patients but the condition suddenly deteriorated, requiring dialysis, mechanical ventilation just right after we left. Those were the moments that we would remember till the rest of our lives," Hiep said.

A “temporary end”

More than two months of wearing protective suits for ten hours a day under the burning sun and raging storms, more than two months of putting patients' lives above their own health and their families, it's finally time for the medical group to come home.

It is impossible to say that the pandemic has been defeated yet, but there have been positive signs in Ho Chi Minh City. The number of infection cases has decreased and the number of hospital discharges has been more than 50%. The city has gradually allowed several types of businesses to reopen and the people are adjusting to the new normal. It is also time for the "white-blouse soldiers" to return home, with the mentality of always being ready to provide aid when needed.

On a late September afternoon, HCM City’s Tan Son Nhat airport saw off 60 doctors and nurses from Nghe An Provincial Department of Health back to Hanoi. The flight was sponsored by Traveloka and Vietnam Airlines, flying the "white-blouse soldiers" to reunite with their families after the epic journey at no cost. Taking off their protective suits, the doctors and nurses returned home as proud father, mother, brother, sister, and children of the family.

The medical team of Nghe An Provincial Department of Health at Tan Son Nhat Airport.

A photo marks the end of the most memorable business trip for many doctors and nurses.

Goodbye to all the days of exhilaration, joy, and tears, it's time for the "white-blouse soldiers" to return home.

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are still dozens of flights in the sky of Vietnam, carrying medical forces and transporting equipment between provinces. Quietly coming and leaving, each flight brings a hope for a bright future to the country's fight against pandemic.

Collaborating with Vietnam Airlines to organize the flight transporting medical staff, Country Manager of Traveloka Vietnam - Ms. Huynh Thi Mai Thy - emphasized that this activity shows the commitment to support the community in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, part of #WalkTogether Against COVID-19 movement initiated by Traveloka.

She also paid special tribute to the staff of the Health Department of Nghe An province, as well as other "white-blouse soldiers" who are carrying out this noble mission through day and night.

The flight that took off and carried hope for Ho Chi Minh City now brings the team back home to reunite with their families. This is not only a thank-you from Traveloka or Vietnam Airlines but also the whole country’s gratitude to the medical group of the Department of Health of Nghe An province in particular, and other groups on rotational flights to support the pandemic fight in general.

A good rest and recovery for the frontline medical staff’s physical and mental health should always be prioritized. By having elite and resilient "white-blouse soldiers," Vietnam is taking one step closer to the success of the fight against COVID-19 pandemic.

The victory can only be achievable when the whole country joins hands with an optimistic spirit, unites to prevent and treat COVID-19. The sky will soon be bustling with flights again, bringing the future of a new normal to Vietnamese.

PV