Karena Nguyen, M.D.’25, is a Larner alumna and internal medicine intern at the University of California–San Diego.
In the following blog post, she reflects on the profound connection created by sharing an experience at Cho Ray Hospital, where her father served there as a child. This moment transformed a long-held dream into reality, reinforcing the emotional impact of her global health rotation as a medical student in Vietnam.
“It is surreal that my dad and I now share the experience of having served the community at Cho Ray Hospital—two generations connected by a place that now means so much to both of us.“
Childhood Stories of Saigon
Prior to my global health experience in Vietnam, I was nervous. I had never set foot in Asia before, and the last time anyone in my immediate or extended family was in Vietnam, it was under entirely different circumstances. Fifty years ago, my parents left Vietnam to start a new life in the United States. They have not returned since. The weight of that reality made this experience feel surreal. Everything I had known about Vietnam had come from the stories my dad would tell me—stories of growing up in District 3 of Saigon, playing soccer until sunset, and cooking steaming bowls of pho with his mother and sisters. But Vietnam has changed drastically since my parents left.
For as long as YouTube and travel vlogs have existed, I’ve caught my mom watching videos of modern-day Vietnam—the bustling restaurants, the speeding motorbikes, the lively shopping districts. But, for her, these videos depict a country she no longer recognizes. The streets she once called home are now unfamiliar, and she continues to watch out of curiosity for a place that has become foreign to her. She often says that if she were to return, she would feel more like a tourist than a native. My dad shares that sentiment.
In many ways, my decision to attend the Larner College of Medicine and apply for this global health elective was inspired by my dad. While preparing for my medical school interview, I remember researching Larner and being drawn to the opportunity to participate in a global health rotation in Vietnam. When I shared this with my parents, my dad immediately recognized the name Cho Ray Hospital. It was the same hospital where, at just 10 years old, he had served as an altar boy at the chapel. That moment connected so many pieces for me. I was reminded of the stories my dad told—of blessing the ill and dying alongside the priests, of witnessing both suffering and compassion within those hospital walls. And now, I have my own memories and experiences of the place that had shaped so much of his childhood.
The Cho Ray Experience
During my global health rotation at Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, I worked with the liver tumor, chemotherapy, and general medicine teams. I strengthened my ultrasound skills, learned to read CT scans, and compared approaches to conditions like breast cancer, GI bleeds, and pancreatitis between Vietnam and the U.S. I saw firsthand the challenges of delivering cancer care in a high-volume, resource-limited setting, where clinicians often treated more than 20 patients in just a few hours. These experiences deepened my understanding of the structural and cultural differences in global oncology care. I also attended Cho Ray’s annual medical conference, where physicians from Vietnam and neighboring countries presented the latest research across multiple specialties.
What struck me most about the community at Cho Ray Hospital was the enthusiasm to engage with us visiting students both inside the hospital and outside the hospital. Different providers would pull me aside to share an interesting case or show a unique CT scan. They would extend me invites to birthday celebrations at lunch time or home-cooked meals at their homes. They appreciated my curiosity about medicine, and I appreciated their curiosity about how medicine is practiced in the US and how it differs from Vietnam.
Karena Nguyen, M.D. ’25 (Right), with Quyen Pham, M.D., of the Gastroenterology Department at Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, during Nguyen’s global health rotation with the UVM-Nuvance Global Health Program.
Walking in Their Footsteps
Outside the hospital, I reconnected with extended family and explored parts of Vietnam tied to my family’s history—visiting Da Lat, where my mom spent her summers, and walking the streets of my dad’s childhood neighborhood in District 3. I was surprised to learn that my great-uncle lives directly across from Cho Ray, in the same home where my grandmother once lived. Visiting them after my hospital shifts added a personal and especially meaningful dimension to the rotation. Now, months later, I continue to reflect on my time in Vietnam and what I learned from both the healthcare system and the people.
When I was accepted into Larner I had set a goal: to participate in this global health elective and study at the same hospital where my dad spent his formative years. I keep using the word “surreal” to describe this experience. It is surreal that a dream I had before even starting medical school has finally come true. It is surreal that my dad and I now share the experience of having served the community at Cho Ray Hospital—two generations connected by a place that now means so much to both of us. I am several months into my internal medicine residency at UC–San Diego, and one of the things about the program that excites me the most is the opportunity to participate in global health. I hope I can continue fostering the connections I made with the community I found at Cho Ray Hospital. Global health in Vietnam was an unforgettable experience, and I hope to return soon.
More about the UVM-Nuvance Global Health (GH) Program at the Larner College of Medicine