His enthusiastic willingness came as a surprise to his colleagues

How did you feel knowing that you were about to serve the flight bringing Vietnamese citizens in Wuhan back home? Have you ever done things like this before? (SARS, Ebola, Lybia, etc.)?

I had never served any flight like Flight VN68. When SARS occurred, I was studying aviation engineering in the Russian Federation. And when the Ebola outbreak happened, one of my coworkers and I were working at the Noi Bai International Airport. We welcomed the flight operated by A330 aircraft taking Vietnamese people home from the Ebola-affected area. I still remember how everyone darted out of the aircraft after the landing. My dream is to contribute to meaningful flights like that. And finally, for the first time, I got the chance to work directly on another flight carrying my fellow countrymen home.

Engineers Do Tung Lam (left) and Tran Tuan Anh on the special flight. (Cre: VNA).

I had been informed about this special flight before. I couldn’t stop thinking about joining it. I didn’t even feel anxious or stressed out; instead, the excitement welled up inside me. After telling my wife of my intention, I immediately applied to join the flight – which struck my colleagues as a surprise.

“Understanding your work and duties, we will not stop you, but please be extremely careful”

What was the reaction of your family upon knowing your intention? Did they share anything with you?

Initially, my wife panicked, because she feared for my safety. However, I was determined to persuade and reassure her. My parents did not stop me either, but knowing that I was about to enter the epicenter of the virus outbreak, they couldn’t hide their anxiety and kept on asking about how I was preparing for the trip. I understood that my family members were worried about me.   

When I was approved to join the flight crew for the VN68 flight, my family was supportive, they shared with me a lot of information and prepared for my eminent quarantine. Furthermore, I also made preparations with the crew members. All of these actions took a huge weight off my mind.

The meaningful flight to the epicenter of the virus outbreak

What moved you the most on this flight? Were there any difficulties encountered during service?

VNA, ministries, and agencies had a briefing with us in advance to thoroughly prepare for this trip, which made me realize how significant the mission was. We focused and earnestly prepared, even crafted simulated scenarios to promptly tackle potential situations that might occur.  

During the one-week preparation, many changes did arise. One of the passengers was a 36-week pregnant woman; therefore, we were accompanied by an obstetrician. Fortunately, throughout the flight, things were still under control and we did not encounter many difficulties. As a technical staff member, I had been frequently required to be on board. But this flight brought me a different feeling, the pure feeling of humanity.   

Do Tung Lam carries out technical inspection prior to the flight (Cre: VNA).

What was your feeling when Vietnamese citizens came back to their homeland safely?

When our people knew that we would take them home, I saw an unspeakable joy in their eyes, and they strictly followed every procedure to aid in ensuring everyone’s safety. They were overjoyed, but nervous at the same time, as they had to be parted from their loved ones to be under quarantine and health monitoring.

Being “isolated” from my wife is not a problem

This is the most beautiful and meaningful memory during Tung Lam’s 10 years of working for VNA (Cre: VNA).

Mission accomplished, how do you feel now?

Once we landed safely, our crew members were instructed to be quarantined for health monitoring to ensure safety for our families and the people around us.

My family already packed me a suitcase of necessary things. What a long Tet holiday (laughing)! 

Now that our mission has been accomplished, I would like to thank the leaders of different ministries and agencies for their attention and direction, the flight crew members consisting of two coordinating experts, three pilots, five flight attendants, two technicians, and four doctors for their close cooperation. Worry was inevitable. Thus, above all else, I hope everyone is now safe and sound, and this epidemic can soon be finished and put behind us. This may be my most beautiful and meaningful memory during my 10 years at VNA.

Nguyen Mai Huong-COMM