In Long An , Lieutenant Colonel Mai Van Chu, former deputy police chief of Can Giuoc town, sold his family's ancestral land and, together with a friend, contributed money to buy a vehicle and establish a charitable emergency medical center.
On a late afternoon in early May, the meal of the staff at the Can Giuoc District Charitable Emergency Center was interrupted by a constant ringing of the hotline. "A needy family just called asking us to transport an elderly woman who is dying at Cho Ray Hospital back to her hometown in Tra On, Vinh Long, " said Mr. Chu (55 years old), the center's director, after guiding them through the necessary procedures.
Mr. Mai Van Chu received a call from the patient's family on the afternoon of May 10th. Photo: Hoang Nam
Leaving their meal unfinished, the driver and two paramedics quickly prepared oxygen tanks. The nine-seater ambulance immediately started its engine, its siren blaring, and set off for the rescue point nearly 100 km away. After completing their mission, they returned to the center in the middle of the night. The center was still brightly lit, with another team on standby. From then until dawn the next day, the volunteer paramedics transported four more emergency cases.
After four years of operation, Mr. Chu said that was one of the "easiest" working days for the 22 drivers and ambulance staff. During peak holiday seasons, the center sometimes receives up to 25 cases a day and night. They have four ambulances, but the schedule is so packed that the vehicles haven't even had time to cool down before they have to head out again for duty.
Having been a criminal investigator for many years, Mr. Chu recounted how, during night patrols, he saw many critically injured people, and the limited number of ambulances from hospitals significantly reduced their chances of survival, which was heartbreaking. The idea of establishing a charitable emergency center began to take shape in his mind. In 2019, with only one year left until retirement, Mr. Chu discussed the matter with his wife and decided to realize their vision.
To cover expenses, they sold the 5,000 m2 ancestral land left by their parents. Around this time, Mr. Chu coincidentally met Mr. Bui Thanh Tung (54 years old, owner of a bakery in Ho Chi Minh City), who was a volunteer ambulance driver. Sharing the same ideals, the two brothers then pooled their money to buy two vehicles and renovate the old house into an emergency center, at a total cost of over 4 billion VND.
Initially, the center had only a few staff members. Later, seeing the group's effectiveness, the number of volunteers increased steadily, ranging from police officers and youth union members to small business owners, drivers, landscapers, car drivers, security guards, and motorbike taxi drivers. The center's staff received basic first aid training and fundamental patient care skills. In addition to transporting patients in Long An and Ho Chi Minh City, the center also transported critically ill patients or corpses from hospitals back to their hometowns.
"There have even been cases where patients renting accommodation in Ho Chi Minh City died but were in difficult circumstances, so the group still transported the bodies back for cremation and then handed the ashes back to the family," Mr. Tung said.
Staff at the oxygen transport center prepare for patient transfer. Photo: Hoang Nam
Along with the ventilators, the center's oxygen tanks are provided free of charge by a supporting unit. Over the years, to fund its operations, the center has received contributions from generous individuals near and far. To ensure transparency, the center stipulates that it does not accept any fees from victims' families, and staff are not allowed to accept gratuities.
"Besides being provided with home-cooked meals, we jokingly say that here we only accept kindness. In many cases, seeing how much the patients' families are suffering, even though the drivers aren't well-off, they still reach into their pockets to give extra money," Mr. Chu revealed.
With the increasing number of applicants, the center has added a 16-seater ambulance to its existing fleet of 9-seater vehicles. Grateful for their generosity, a benefactor donated another 16-seater. The former deputy police chief of the town said that the group assists nearly 300 patients per month on average. The center always has about 4 drivers and staff on duty, answering the hotline day and night. Each ambulance has a logbook, clearly recording each emergency case and patient transfer for easy management and monitoring.
Having moved from Ben Tre to Ho Chi Minh City to sell coconuts at the market two years ago, Phan Nguyen Minh Luan (19 years old) hasn't had much money. Yet, for the past three months, every afternoon, he has been riding his motorbike 50 km back and forth to help out with the ambulance team. Luan sells at the same market as a member of a charitable emergency center, and after hearing him talk about his work many times, he admired him and asked to join to help.
Among the volunteers, the most notable are the two brothers, Pham Hoai Vu (37 years old) and Pham Hoai Bao (36 years old). Both brothers were formerly drug addicts, but Mr. Chu influenced and educated them, helping them overcome their addiction and reform. For the past two years, in addition to their jobs as taxi drivers and selling fish at the market, they have been volunteering at the center in their free time as a way of showing gratitude.
Charity vehicles set off to transport patients. Photo: Hoang Nam
Since the ambulance team was established, Mr. Chu has stayed permanently at the center, only returning home to visit his wife and children occasionally. Mr. Tung also handed over the management of the facility to his wife, bringing his son to the center to support the team. During the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the center only had 5 people on duty, working at full capacity every day and coming into contact with many patients, but fortunately, everyone remained safe and sound.
When asked about their future plans, the former police officer said that the officers at the center are not afraid of difficulties and hardships, and are willing to continue dedicating themselves for as long as they can. However, after many years of operation, the center's funding is currently very limited. On average, the center spends about 65 million VND per month on fuel for the vehicles, not including breakdowns, so they need more support from the community.
Mr. Nguyen Trong Tai, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of Can Giuoc town, said that in the past four years, the center has provided emergency care and charitable assistance to more than 8,000 patients. "Thanks to the dedication of the staff at the center, some critically ill patients have been saved, and many people in difficult circumstances have also received help," Mr. Tai said.
The center's vehicle is on its way to work. Video: Hoang Nam
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