Dear volunteers, friends, and supporters,

AusViet Charity Foundation (AVCF) is pleased to announce that AVCF 2023 Mission will be in Mo Cay District, Ben Tre Province in the Mekong Delta South Vietnam. It is from Sunday 24 September 2023 to Sunday 1 October 2023.

This is a challenging but rewarding mission. All volunteers are responsible for covering the cost of airfares, accommodation transport and meals during the mission. AVCF is able to organise all this for you with the cost that is estimated about $3000 plus  with twin share accommodation for each volunteer during the whole trip. This, however, does not include incidental expenses and activities you choose to do on the free time before and after the mission, during these periods you are responsible for your own accommodation, meals and transport.

It is important where possible that we all fly out together with your state volunteers, as the extra baggage allowances can then be used to transport our medical and dental supplies. By doing this we can save money which would otherwise have to be spent toward excess baggage cost, thus more money can be directed to those in need. It is also more convenient for our Vietnamese volunteers to pick us up from the airport all at the same time. Therefore, if volunteers would like to include a period of time for holiday, we recommend where possible to schedule this after the field trip. 

Ben Tre is a coastal province in the Mekong Delta of southern Vietnam, connected by a bridge to the busy market town of My Tho. Vam Ho Bird Sanctuary, with its waterways and native flora and fauna, is to the east. The capital, Ben Tre town, houses the colonial Ben Tre Museum, with artifacts and photos exploring Vietnam’s revolutionary history. Nearby, the Vien Minh Pagoda is distinguished by its Buddhist statues. Geographically, Ben Tre is wedged between the two main branches of the Tien Giang River, which is itself one of the two main branches of the Mekong. The province’s northern boundary is formed by the Tien Giang’s main course, while the province’s southern boundary is formed by the Tien Giang’s largest branch (which breaks away from the Tien Giang just upriver from Ben Tre province). Between the Tien Giang and its main branch are two smaller branches, passing through the middle of Ben Tre. The entire province is criss-crossed with a network of smaller rivers and canals. The extensive irrigation that this provides makes Ben Tre a major producer of rice, but also means that the area is prone to flooding. The Climate Change Research Institute at Can Tho University, in studying the possible consequences of climate change, has predicted that 51% of Ben Tre province can be expected to be flooded if sea levels rise by 1 meter. Ben Tre province is, on average, only 1.25 meters (4 ft 1 in) above sea level.

Mo Cay District in on the south side of Ben Tre City. It is one of the poorest districts in the province with a population of nearly 300 thousand. The area has large number of rivers and canals. It is the land of coconuts and fruits. AVCF team will work at Cu Lao Minh Hospital during the mission.

AusViet Charity Foundation aims to provide:

• 1000 general medical examinationsthat include blood tests, diagnostic ultrasound examinations, medications and other medical treatments, health educations and referrals.
• 500 dental treatmentsmostly for children that include general dental, extraction, fillings and root canal treatments.
• 50 cataract operations by phacoemulsification.
• 200 optometric assessment and school children eye check.
• 1000 school gifts packs for children which includes notebooks, pens, pencils and school bag, and
• 300 food parcels for poor local families.
• Physiotherapy, health education.

Have you ever thought of doing something satisfying, and of great services for the poor and disadvantaged in Vietnam? This is an opportunity to be a volunteer of AVCF 2019 Mission. AusViet Charity Foundation is now calling for expression of interest to participate in this field trip.

1. General medical team: general practitioners, nurses, sonographers and health educators. Please contact 
   1. Brisbane: Dr Loc To by email drlocto@avcf.org.au or mobile 0422 940 324
   2. NSW, Canberra and Victoria:  Dr Michael Cao by email thanhdzungcao@gmail.com or mobile 0402 814 590 or Dr Eric Tran by email drerictran@hotmail.com or mobile 0401 049 243
   3. Perth and Adelaide:  Dr Nguyen Nguyen by email nguyenx2@hotmail.com or mobile 0402 907 973
2. Dental team: dentists, oral hygienist, dental nurses, assistants. Please contact Dr Henry Ho by email henryho.rdc@gmail.com  or mobile 0414 698 126
3. Pharmacy team: pharmacists, pharmacy assistants. Please contact Ms Tho Le (Eastern States) by email terrie.le.65@gmail.com or mobile 0430 000 954.  Ms Lee Nguyen (Western States) by email id_dgal@hotmail.com  or mobile 0426 700 578
4. Ophthalmology team: ophthalmologists, anaesthetists, optometrists, orthoptist, theatre nurses. Please contact Dr Phuoc Vo by email drphuocvo@avcf.org.au or mobile 0412 331 991. Ms Thuy Ho (optometrist) by email thuyoptometrist@yahoo.com.au or mobile 0414 276 331
5. Other health professionals: physiotherapists, audiologists and allied health professionals. Please contact Dr Phuoc Vo by email drphuocvo@avcf.org.au or mobile 0412 331 991
6. Administrative support staffs, logistic support staffs: Please contact Ms Phuong Dang by email phuong@avcf.org.au or mobile phone 0403 710 004

If you are interested to be part of this exciting, hard-working field trip, please contact these above nominated persons or by sending email to contact@avcf.org.au to register your interest.

AVCF needs fund for the trip. We will organise fundraising dinners at Sydney on Friday 2 June 2023 and in Brisbane Saturday 10 June 2023. All donations are tax deductible.  Please support for the worthy causes.

We will let you know the outcomes as early as possible. If you have any queries regarding this mission, you can directly discuss with us on 0412 331 991.

Kind Regards
Dr Phuoc Vo OAM
On behalf of Organising Committee