Why would people living in such a picturesque landscape need us to bring them warmth from thousands of miles away? The mysterious veils that had covered the imagination were removed layer after layer when we reached Gia Hiep Elementary School in January 1998. On the plain, crude faces of the aborigines, we saw the purest eyes. Trudging a long way and waiting for half a day, they didn't complain or make any noise. They just quietly squatted there, looking forward to a chance to be treated.

Vietnam is a long, narrow country with a population of about 74 million. The average annual income per person is about US$280. Since they adopted an open-market policy in 1985, life for people in the city has improved. However, the minority peoples in the country still live a hard life. They especially suffer from shortages of medicine.

Two and a half years ago, Sister Yang Pi-yung, a Tzu Chi commissioner, crossed the ocean and went to Vietnam with her husband, who is doing business there. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Sister Yang planted seeds of Tzu Chi in Vietnam. The first case she handled was in Kuangshao Nursing Home in Ho Chi Minh City. More than eighty families now receive long-term care from Tzu Chi. The spreading of the Tzu Chi spirit attracted many Taiwanese businessmen and other overseas Chinese, and a volunteer organization has been formed.

Between January 3 and January 5 this year, Tzu Chi members in Vietnam extended the scope of their care to medicine. With the assistance of a local Buddhist monk, Master Chieh Hsien, they chose to hold their first free clinic at Di Linh Hsien, Lam Dong Province, where there are 42,000 aborigines.

Waiting Eyes

Before five o'clock early in the morning, while the sun was barely rising, the free clinic team members were moving toward Gia Hiep Elementary School.

Highway 20 wriggled up and down along hilly land amidst the haze and the first rays of the morning sun. On both sides of the road were green, terraced tea farms. What a beautiful watercolor picture! Why would people living in such a picturesque landscape need us to bring them warmth from thousands of miles away?

The mysterious veils were removed from our imagination when we finally reached Gia Hiep Elementary School.

Although it was early in the morning, some people were already waiting under the shelters. On the plain, crude faces of the aborigines, we saw the purest eyes. Having trudged a long way and still having to wait for half a day, they still didn't complain or make any noise. They just quietly squatted there, waiting for medical treatment, which was very rare in this remote area.

Besides those who had received notifications from the Red Cross, there were many others who had just heard the news about the free clinic. Seeing the expectation in their eyes, the Tzu Chi people decided to serve them too, even though they didn't have notifications. However, they had not prepared enough medicine to meet the extra demand. They immediately telephoned Tzu Chi members in Ho Chi Minh City and asked them to send more medicine on the following day.

Originally, they had estimated that they would treat 500 patients in the two days of the clinic. On the first day they treated 640! They were both excited and worried. They made an inventory of the gifts and medicine so that those who had received notifications would not miss the chance to be treated.

More Patients Than Expected

The next morning when the free clinic had just started, a young man in his twenties, paralyzed from the waist down, was carried in by his family members on a mattress. In the past four months, he had been treated at three hospitals. He had even received an operation in a Japanese hospital in Ho Chi Minh City. However, it was all in vain. Loving him so much, his father would not give up any opportunity to cure him, even though he knew that there was only a very slim chance. Timidly and anxiously, theytried to communicate with us in French.

All we could do was listen to the old man's description. Through an interpreter, we also tried to console the young man and his loving father. After all, the free clinic could only provide simple treatment. The doctors who had just rushed in could only prescribe basic medicine. Although there was very little we could do to help them, the smile that the young man gave us as he left told us that our sincere care had warmed his heart.

A female doctor of gynecology and obstetrics said excitedly that she was so happy that at the age of sixty-five, she could still have a chance to help other women. She told us that such a free clinic was really necessary for some patients, especially for women of the minority peoples. In the beginning, they were very skeptical and afraid to approach the gynecologist. Tzu Chi members gave them encouragement and high-priority registration. Finally the number of maternity patients increased.

Tears in a Letter

The rapid increase of patients boosted the morale of the crew. When we were hard at work, an old man silently came into the office. His appearance did not attract the attention of others. He slowly took out a letter, gave it to the free clinic team and then quietly sat down. Fung Hsieh-feng, our interpreter, interpreted the letter and read out word by word the heartfelt wishes of that old man:

"Dear Tzu Chi members, how are you?

"I am a poor man of the Gia Hiep Community of Di Linh County. I am sixty-nine this year. I am very grateful to all of you for coming from so far away to give us free treatment and medicine. What touched me the most is your attitude towards your work. You are so caring and so gentle to all of us, whether in the diagnosis room or at the pharmacy. Such a scene will always be in our memories.

"Tomorrow, you will leave here and go back to the place where you came from. We will never forget the big favor you have done for us. After all, parting is unavoidable whether we like it or not. We can only engrave your kind deeds in our hearts.

"During the free clinic, you gave us not only diagnoses, but also free medicine. In the past four years, I have been suffering from rheumatism and gout. Last night I took the medicine you gave me, and I feel much better today.

"Love is based on mutual care. How can I forget the love and care you brought to us from another country? My gratitude is endless. I can only show my appreciation with this short letter. I wish all of you good luck in everything. My name is Yuan Ching-hua, registration No. 114."

The old man had been sitting there timidly from the beginning to the end, constantly murmuring "Thank you." All of a sudden, his eyes glinted with tears. The eyes of the Tzu Chi people became red too.

The free clinic was still in full swing outside. Inside the office, the atmosphere seemed to have been frozen. What flowed in our hearts was not a flood of passion, but rather a small stream mixed with sympathy and an unlimited sense of gratitude.