WORDS ON THE STREET 70th anniversary of Hanoi's Liberation Day Vietnam - Asia 2023 Smart City Summit Hanoi celebrates 15 years of administrative boundary adjustment 12th Vietnam-France decentrialized cooperation conference 31st Sea Games - Vietnam 2021 Covid-19 Pandemic
May 20, 2021 / 18:21

Covid-19 Diary of a local doctor

The diary gives readers an insight of the virulent disease and the fight against it at a typical health center.

Ngo Duc Hung, a doctor at Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi, has just released the book Nhat ky Covid-19 va nhung chuyen chua ke (Covid-19 Diary and Untold Stories) in the fourth outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in Vietnam.

Unique stories

Doctor Hung Ngo at work and his book - Covid-19 Diary and Untold Stories. Photo courtesy: Hung Ngo 

Since the first outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in Vietnam in 2019, doctor Hung, who works at the emergency and resuscitation department, together with his colleagues, has been mobilized to support the isolation area. Currently, he is on duty at the branch of Bach Mai Hospital in Ha Nam province, where Covid-19 patients with high risks and complicated medical cases are being treated. 

The book records the notes and thoughts of doctor Hung in the fight against the pandemic in Vietnam. In the first 20 pages, he briefly gives readers an overview of the Covid-19 pandemic in Vietnam from the perspective of a doctor.

“After each outbreak of the pandemic, I return home and sit by my old guitar in peace. it is the ordinary little thing that I want to do in this life, not some great achievements recognized by people and history," said the doctor. Photo courtesy: Hung Ngo 

The diary is structured in chronological order, following the pandemic evolution timeline since the first outbreak, being put under control and flared up once and again.  

Explaining the image of a crane on the book’s cover, doctor Hung said that a crane is a symbol of faith and hope, which he expected that the book would be an encouragement and a wish for people to win the battle against the Covid-19 pandemic.

In fact, writing about the most serious pandemic in the world right now from the most stressful place, Dr. Hung does not give readers a panic but an optimistic spirit.

Three publications of Doctor Hung Ngo. Photo: Ngoc Vu

After the first day of launch, about 4,000 copies of the books were ordered. Proceeds from the sale of 1,500 copies will go to the “Three Minutes of First Aid”, a fund raised by Dr. Hung. The fund will be used for community health programs, aiming to improve the knowledge of first aid and healthcare as well as supporting protective equipment for medical workers in the fight against the pandemic.

Before this book, doctor Hung also published two others, which are De yen cho bac si “hien” (Let The Doctor Be “Gentle”) and Ba phut so cuu (Three Minutes of First Aid). The books tell stories of the healthcare sectors and doctors with basic aids for common emergency situations. Both were welcomed by readers, thanks to the useful information and interesting stories.