It's Oktoberfest 2005

It’s Oktoberfest 2005 Vietnam! I’m one of the doctors covering the event at the “First Aid Station”. My clinic volunteers its services to provide a nurse and physician for each of the 3 day event span. Not so sure it’s as altruistic as it sounds, since it just facilitates use of our clinic when somebody gets hurt, which can potentially turn into something more serious.

The event started at 6pm at one of the 5-star hotels in HoChiMinh City. Suppose to last until 11:30pm. I arrived at 7:30pm. Our nurse had arrived earlier to setup our area for first aid. When I arrive, it seems to be quite a joyous occasion. Maybe 300-450 people present? Predominantly foreigner expats. Some local Vietnamese, here through their work connections or social relationships. I recognize so many faces. Clinic patient faces. In just a 20 minute stroll through the rooms, and I see maybe 15 people that have been my patient at one time or another. Everyone’s having a good time; half of them are with red, drunken faces and a swaying gait. Not too far into the night, the live band plays happy German folk music; and the central live music room has everyone standing on the tables and chairs, with an oversized mug of beer in hand—bouncing up and down to the melodious traditional German music. I kept wondering how soon it would be before someone fell off the table and literally broke a leg.

I left at midnight, and surprisingly enough, no one had a heart attack, or fell in a drunken stupor and needed stitches! I heard last year that one person attending the event had a heart attack and was evacuated to Bangkok. Wouldn’t surprise me. With all the free flowing greasy, fatty German food flowing around—just what the doctor ordered for that last bit of cholesterol to clog the heart. A lot of drunken people though, walking with red faces and a swaying gait. The few people who came to the first aid station wanted some preventative hangover medicine. Have a few other people who wanted a free medical consultation for their current medical problems. Makes for an interesting conversation when a patient is moderately drunk but still prudent about remaining polite. A few drunken people tried to flirt with the female nurse. Tsk Tsk Tsk.