Updated on Dec. 5, 2024
TongueOut, a non-profit organization founded by Dr. Dung Trinh, a primary care physician with MemorialCare Independent Physicians, completed a transformative humanitarian mission across Vietnam, bringing essential healthcare, supplies, and hope to some of the country’s most vulnerable communities. This year’s mission was marked by a series of impactful efforts, from sponsoring life-changing surgeries to providing clean water for entire villages.
Dr. Trinh’s remarkable story began when he and his younger siblings were airlifted from Saigon hours before its fall, arriving in Santa Ana, California, with nothing but hope for a new life. Growing up as a refugee, Dr. Trinh learned the value of hard work and service. Later while in college, he joined the U.S. Marines and earned an honorable discharge before attending medical school.
“I know what it means to struggle and be given a second chance at life,” said Dr. Trinh. “This mission is my way of giving back and offering hope to those who need it most—just as I was offered hope many years ago.”
This year’s mission kicked off in Ho Chi Minh City, where the TongueOut team visited a leprosy colony and sponsored 100 eye surgeries in Ho Chi Minh City. Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease, is a chronic bacterial infection that affects the skin, nerves, and respiratory tract, leading to disfigurement and disability if left untreated. It has long carried a stigma, with those affected often isolated from society. Providing eye surgeries to blind patients with advanced cataracts wasn’t just about restoring sight—it was about restoring dignity and hope to people who had long been forgotten.
Next, in Hue, the team held a medical clinic, distributed food, and visited an orphanage caring for children with Down syndrome. One of the most significant stops was in the Tam Ky Highlands, where the team donated solar panels and batteries to a school. The team also gave backpacks, toys, and cookies to children who walk hours barefoot just to attend class.
“You look at your life and realize how we take the smallest things for granted. When I saw the kids in the orphanage, especially those with Down syndrome, and how happy they were with the simplest gifts we brought, it was incredibly rewarding,” said Jose Juarez, senior outreach specialist, MemorialCare. “This opportunity to serve has opened my eyes, and I feel inspired to give back even more.”
In the highlands of Tam Ky, the team made a monumental impact by not only donating solar panels and batteries to a local school but also raising funds for a water well that will serve more than 100 families. This community, home to 300 children and 100 families, had long relied on unsanitary nearby water sources. With the new well, these families will finally have access to clean water.
The mission ended in Da Nang, where the team visited an orphanage caring for babies as young as one month old. Holding these babies was a humbling experience for the volunteers, who were reminded of the deep need for care and support in these communities. “Holding those babies and knowing we could offer a little comfort was a deeply moving experience,” Dr. Trinh shared. “It’s moments like these that remind us why we must continue to serve.”
Today, Dr. Trinh is the Chief Medical Officer of Healthy Brain Clinic, a Board Member for Alzheimer’s Orange County and Alzheimer’s Los Angeles, and a primary care physician with MemorialCare Independent Physicians. He provides lectures on a variety of health topics throughout Orange County. Dr. Trinh has primary focus in preventing Alzheimer’s.
