 |
| Hanoi Police direct traffic to escort the organ transplant convoy to Noi Bai Airport. Photo: Hanoi Police |
Moments that make miracles
“Schedule a meeting with driver Le Van Khanh, and you’ll surely find the Toyota ambulance with the license plate 75A-00582.” This statement by many staff members of Hue Central Hospital (HCH) might sound like a joke, but it’s true. This vehicle is always ready to take off whenever duty calls, which is why Khanh pays special attention to maintaining and checking on his “companion” daily.
Mr. Khanh is a “strategic driver” entrusted by Professor Dr. Pham Nhu Hiep, Director of HCH, with the significant responsibility of transporting organs. The transportation vehicle must always be in top condition, and the driver is required to avoid smoking, alcohol, or any substances that could impair their performance. Having years of experience driving long distances, Mr. Khanh joined HCH in 2011 and participated in his first organ transport mission that year. Since then, he has remained committed to this task.
Each time an organ leaves the donor’s body, the shorter the cold ischemia time, the higher the quality of the graft, meaning the sooner it arrives, the better. For this reason, the journey of vehicle 75A-00582 is eagerly awaited back at the hospital, hour by hour, minute by minute. For example, the road journey from Da Nang to Hue takes only 60 minutes, and from Phu Bai Airport to the hospital takes about 11 minutes. Over the past 13 years, the majority of his trips have been on time or even early. “Balancing both speed and safety puts immense pressure on the driver. But knowing there is a life ahead waiting to be given a chance at survival brought me faith and motivation,” shared Mr. Khanh.
 |
| Forces assist in transporting a donated heart from Noi Bai Airport to Hue. Photo: Hanoi Police |
Supporting organ transplantation patients in Hue are of various airlines. Bamboo Airways once issued an apology to 160 passengers on flight QH1201 from Hanoi to Hue with this touching message: “We hope you were not inconvenienced. Because there is a life in Hue, tonight, hopefully to be continued, with a heart racing against time, traveling with us. Today, the 23 precious minutes you’ve given can create a miracle.”
Recently, Vietjet Air adjusted flight VJ1567 to depart 10 minutes earlier, at 11:00 AM instead of 11:10 AM, to transport a donor heart from Bach Mai Hospital to HCH. The airline’s leaders stated, “We’ve been partnering with the medical sector on organ transport missions, contributing to saving many lives. This demonstrates our professionalism, social responsibility, and compassion for the community.”
 |
| Doctors from Hue Central Hospital and Bach Mai Hospital transfer the donated organ out of the operating room. Photo: Hanoi Police |
Worries on arrival, tension in returning
Among the 13 heart transplants carried out across Vietnam by Hue Central Hospital, Dr. Nguyen Duc Dung, an MSc, Head of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, was assigned the task 9 times. "Many unexpected situations arise, but we must proactively handle them in any circumstance. Sometimes, it's heart-stopping..." Dr. Dung paused mid-story, furrowing his brow in recalling. One such moment was when the ambulance was speeding along the highway at 10 p.m., only for a tire to suddenly burst. The team had to turn on all their phone flashlights and take turns standing on the road to signal other vehicles, feeling both scared and nervous.
The most difficult story is the 7th heart transplant across Vietnam. On November 3, 2022, eight people traveled in an emergency vehicle to Hanoi to retrieve organs because airlines had stopped operating during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. They left at 10 p.m. from HCH, and the driver, Khanh, drove them to Viet Duc Hospital by 7 a.m. The team refrained from their personal needs to make the most of every minute. However, when they arrived at the hospital gate, the security informed them that the hospital would perform the surgery and bring the organ to the vehicle before 11 a.m., with no entry or exit allowed after that. At that time, restaurants were only offering takeout, and the situation was desperate. Dr. Dung had to call a friend to open a clinic room so they had a place to rest and eat. By 9 a.m., they all returned to Viet Duc Hospital to wait for the donated heart.
If flights to Hue were available, it would have been a favorable factor, but in the worst-case scenario, they had to take a flight to Da Nang. The road from Da Nang to Hue isn't long, but it was quite nerve-wracking. Everyone chose to sit on the floor, holding the organ preservation box tightly to prevent any mechanical impact. The ambulance sped at high speed, and after such a long journey, they still had to endure another hour of "car-sick" on the road. Many felt nauseous, but they were determined not to let go of the preservation box.
 |
| A delegation led by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh visited a cross-Vietnam organ transplant case at Hue Central Hospital. Photo: Th. Hien |
Accompanying Dr. Dung was Dr. Nguyen Xuan Hung, Deputy Head of the Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Department. After entering the medical field, 11 years later, he officially participated in the first heart transplant at HCH. In 2022, while assisting with a kidney transplant at Nguyen Tri Phuong Hospital (Ho Chi Minh City), the National Organ Transplant Coordination Center informed him of a donated heart at Gia Dinh People’s Hospital. Dr. Hung went in performing the heart surgery, then handed over the organ to Professor Pham Nhu Hiep and Dr. Tran Hoai An; and immediately rushed back to Nguyen Tri Phuong Hospital to perform two kidney transplants. “You must have the physical strength and a spirit of steel to complete all tasks. That was an unforgettable day in my medical career, performing and assisting with 3 organ transplants over a distance of 1,000 km. Fortunately, all were successful, and the 3 patients gained an opportunity to live - an appropriate reward for everyone,” Dr. Hung reflected.
The "youngest" member of the team retrieving organs was Dr. Vu Hoai Anh, Deputy Head of the General Surgery Department at Hue Central Hospital, Base 2. After several years of training at Krimlin – Bicetre, a well-known pediatric liver transplant center in France, he decided to return home to contribute. Having participated in three organ retrievals and cross-Vietnam liver transplants, he reflected: “It felt like stepping into a whole new journey, beyond imagination. The first time performing a liver transplant, the things we studied in textbooks were never mentioned. Life was challenging and encouraging me to surpass a new limit.”
Recognizing himself as fortunate to have reached the ideal of his profession, Dr. Hoai Anh shared his thoughts: “The pressure is immense, but success is a must. That is the command of the heart! We cannot waste the noble sacrifice of the donor and the goodwill of their family. The medical profession fundamentally goes against fate; doctors work with their minds, but as humans, we all have hearts, capable of feeling and compassion. Each member of the team experiences these emotions when retrieving and transplanting organs, but we must remind ourselves to overcome them in order to save the patients.”
Having achieved many remarkable feats in cross-Vietnam organ transplants in terms of travel time, transplant timing, and technical procedures, Prof. Dr. Pham Nhu Hiep, Director of Hue Central Hospital, stated: “There is no common formula for organ reception, transportation, or even transplantation. We base our solutions on each specific case and the reality of the situation. The success of the organ donation and transplant journey comes from the smooth coordination between different units in general and the teams involved in particular.”
Many stories from those directly involved in the process remind me of The Transporter, the famous action film series that made the name of actor Jason Statham and producer Luc Besson. Perhaps, for the special transporters in the organ donation and transplantation journey, their greatest reward is contributing to the revival of a life. This is worth a thousand times more than the fame enjoyed by entertainment stars in the eyes of their fans.