Eulogies from Memorial Services
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I was the former Chief of GI/ Hepatology at KP semiretired since 2016 after 31 yrs at KP. One of the absolutely unmitigated joys of my tenure was the opportunity to work with Dr. Vinh and the knowledge that I would be able to confidently refer any of my complicated Pts to him. Regardless, of the complexity of the problem that needed to be addressed, I was always assured that my patient would be seeing such an extraordinarily gifted surgeon. Beyond his technical mastery, Dai always retained a wonderful bedside manner and a great sense of humor.
Dai was simply the finest surgeon I ever had the pleasure and opportunity to work with. There was never a patient who was too complicated or too difficult for him to see and provide life-saving care. He was absolutely my most revered and trusted consultant. Moreover, he not only provided extraordinary technical skills but great warmth and generosity of spirit that was a critical component of all of his relationships not only with his colleagues but all of the patients he cared for.
Simply put he was an absolute giant and treasure.
He will be greatly missed by everyone who was fortunate to have known him. Dai saved so many lives and provided such extraordinary care to his patients that he leaves behind a legacy that transcends all of us. He will be greatly missed and always will be greatly revered.
- Brad Winston, M.D.
Dai Vinh was a brilliant surgeon who saved many lives and relieved much suffering for countless patients over the years. As a primary care physician, I always felt complete, utmost confidence that my patients would be in excellent hands and well cared for with him. Sometimes I would wait for him to return from time off to refer my patients to him. I would tell them, "Dr. Vinh is worth the wait!"
Many patients later came back to me to express their gratitude for their excellent surgical outcome. They also shared how his kind bedside manner revealed him not only as an excellent surgeon, but as healer who was a wonderful human being. His easy-going, down-to-earth personality and gentle smile easily won their trust. Over the years I sent many of my close friends,family members, and colleagues to Dai for care.
About twenty-one years ago, my husband received a devastating diagnosis of a rare thyroid cancer. My immediate response was to ask Dai to see and take care of him. He was kind and reassuring during this frightful time. Dai reviewed all the information and ordered additional tests. Subsequently, he determined that the cancer was so rare that my husband should see an expert at a major tertiary institution for the radical neck dissection, as well as central compartment node dissection, because the surgery outcome would mean longer survival for my husband. He contacted the right surgeon at that institution and my husband was seen the very next day. Dai's kindness and compassion are the reasons my children (aged 5 and 13 at that time) got to grow up with their father and why I still have my lifetime soul mate with me today.
Our family is forever grateful to Dai. We all know that life is transient and its joys are fleeting, but that does not soothe our sorrow when we lose a colleague and friend like Dai. He will always be cherished in our hearts. May he rest in peace and may Chi Tuyet Hoa, Huyen Tran and their family find solace in memories of him and how much he has contributed to the world he has departed.
- LoAn Nguyen M.D.
Ma très chère Chi Hai,
Le cœur lourd, nous partageons ta peine et espère pouvoir l'atténuer quelque peu avec ces quelques mots de réconfort. Anh Dai était une belle personne qui restera pour toujours dans notre cœur. Sois assuré que toutes nos pensées sont tournées vers lui et vers vous, sa famille. Reçois nos très sincères condoléances et l'expression de notre plus grand soutien. Sa personnalité, son sourire et sa bonne humeur vont nous manquer, mais sache que nous ne l'oublierons pas. La belle personne qu'il était restera profondément ancrée dans nos souvenirs, tout comme tous les bons moments que nous avons partagés. Nous te présentons nos sincères condoléances.
- Nguyen Hong Bac & Kim Hoa et toute la famille qui t’aiment.
I had known your Dad since high school.
Our group of friends will not be the same without your Dad, and there are no words that can describe the friendship that your Dad has reserved for a very close knit of friends. With friends, Vinh Dai was an amazing guy, always smiling, telling jokes, a good sense of humor, a very dedicated friend and always willing to help out friends in need. During those years when I lived in Maryland and Philadelphia, we met almost every weekend to play mahjong, went out for sushi (our Dad's favorite food), for Thai and Italian foods, and he always wanted to grab the bill. He loved to gamble. He explained to me his strategies for winning roulette, but we both lost in Las Vegas as well as in Atlantic City, and I kept teasing him about his gambling tactics. What a well dressed guy, he stylishly chose his wardrobes. Vinh Dai truly enjoyed his life by savoring great foods and sipping only good wines. He has made a difference in so many lives and I'm grateful to have been his friend.
- Bùi Quốc Quang, Ph.D.
I was one of your CAs since 1999. I was hired to work in another dept, but every day you were in the office, you would ask me to transfer to General Surgery so I could work with you. I did and it was the best decision I've ever made! I learned so much from you Dr. Vinh, about parathyroid surgery, cushing's disease, whipple surgery, graves disease, breast cancer, etc. Every moment with you was a teaching and learning experience. While work was stressful, you always found a way to entertain us, your clinic staff. One thing that stood out to me, was how you genuinely and sincerely cared about your patients and people. You were such a talented and extraordinary surgeon and were loved by both your patients and colleagues. In the office, no matter how busy we get, you always made sure that you took care of your "girls" by taking us out to eat. I would never forget your antics in the office, too many to mention here! You brought us so much joy and laughter! You always talked so proudly, fondly and lovingly of your family, Mrs. Dr. Vinh, Tran and Lucien that I knew them like my own family. You were one of the most humble, kind and generous people I have ever known. You were such a blessing to your patients, and to us. You were there for all of my major life events, Dr. Vinh, and I hope I was there for yours too. My favorite surgeon (the best surgeon), my doctor, my teacher, my mentor, our daddy Vinh. There will never be another Dr. Vinh. I can still hear you yell my name in the hallway at work. I only have happy memories with you and I will always reminisce and cherish them! Thank you, Dr. Vinh for everything! I will always love you, with all my heart. Until we meet again.
- Nancy Alzona Mendoza
My cousin’s name at birth was Robert, from his French heritage. His full name is Robert Nguyen Phuoc Vinh Dai; Nguyen Phuoc Vinh stands for his Vietnamese aristocratic heritage. We called him Be (Beah), Vietnamese abbreviation of Robert, as his endearing nickname to all of us. He called me by my nickname Hao. I call him Anh Be, “anh” meaning “older brother” in Vietnamese; all of us cousins do regardless of age difference because his father was the first-born child of our grandfather, so he is an anh to all of us by Confucian family hierarchy. I have two older sisters but no older brother. Anh Be was born a year before me so I looked up to him throughout my life. He was a good role model for me for, being an excellent student, a well-rounded man and an outstanding physician/surgeon. I could never measure up to Anh Be, but I tried. In medical school, he was a member of the school’s champion volleyball team. He wooed and married the best-looking woman in my class, which caused several broken hearts in the process. He is beloved by all relatives for his cheerful demeanor and the kindness of a caring physician. On behalf of the cousins including my siblings, I bid farewell to our Anh Be. We will always cherish our family relationship and wish you eternal peace. My classmates from the U of Saigon Med School, class of 1973 asked me also to express their condolences to Dr. Tuyethoa Vinh. We classmates share your loss with deepest sympathy. Goodbye, Anh Be.
- Pham Hieu Liem, M.D.
Dearest Mợ Be, Trân, Jeremie and Lucien,
Cháu Chi, Pim và các cháu Quân, Minh, An send you all our heartfelt condolences, love and support during this difficult time. We loved Cậu Be very much. He always made sure that everyone was taken care of, ever the gentleman. He is the definition of Love with a big smile. He loved you so much Mợ Be and was so proud of you, Trân, Jeremie and Lucien. Trân and Lucien, you were his pride and joy! We love your family very much and are here for you. Please call on us if you need anything.
I grew up admiring Cậu Be. He was my coolest uncle. He was always very cheerful and happy with a big wide grin. He was very handsome, funny, intelligent, charming and charismatic. At our family gatherings, he walked into a room and everyone cheered “Be”! I remember he always attracted a large crowd because he told the best jokes, some were inappropriate which made them even more appealing. He laughed as he told his stories and everyone just laughed too. He was a fantastic storyteller and I remember being a young girl mesmerized by his stories from the hospital of blood, body parts, internal organs, clamps and cuts, and crazy patients. His stories were told like mystery novels with suspense, interesting characters, twists and surprise endings, always with his smile at the end. He taught me as a teenager about culture, movies to watch, best actors and actresses, books to read, restaurants and foods to try. Everything he told us to do or try, I listened intently to his every word.
In the early years after arriving to the DC area, my memory was being with my parents, my grandmother Bà Ta who lived with us, Bác Phiệt, anh Pou who lived in the same neighborhood, and your family, Cậu Be, Mợ Be and Trân who lived across Route 50. For many years, that was our family gatherings and holidays together. Cậu Be was the middle ground between my parents generation and the younger generation. He bridged that gap and made everyone laugh, feel comfortable, heard and loved.
Cậu Be could speak Vietnamese in three different accents and all sounded so authentic. He would speak tiếng Bắc to his peers, tiếng Huế to elders and then tiếng Nam to people junior to him like me. Cậu Mợ Be came to all of our family gatherings and tried never to miss any.
My grandmother, Bà Ta, was Cậu Be’s aunt. She had anxiety and often couldn’t sleep through the night because her heart was beating so fast. I recall that she would ask to call Cậu Be in the middle of the night. He would come over, eyes half-awake in his pajamas, bring his stethoscope, held her hand, speak to her to calm her down. He was so patient with her. He talked to her on the phone or made house calls to see her every time she needed something. I was young and didn’t fully appreciate how caring generous and selfless he was to do this as I’m sure he had early surgeries to perform the next morning. Cậu Be was our extended family’s physician. We all went to Cậu Be to ask for advice, opinions, referrals and to basically cure our ailments. He always took time and explained in great detail the diagnosis, recommendations, tests that had to be done, prognosis and everything a person needs to know. I now understand the weight that he bared for all of our family members with all of this information.
Cậu Be, Mợ Be were my heroes growing up in America and they were the models for success. They taught me that education, hard work and perseverance paid off. Cậu Be also shared his knowledge about many things like bold coffee, fine sushi, football, best movies, best restaurants and best dishes, but more notably, about being humble as he never once mentioned his accomplishments, awards and highest recognition in the medical world. To us, he was just Cậu Be, our cool uncle. How lucky we are to have such an amazing smart funny inspiring person in our lives and in our family. I hope he’s playing mahjong with my Mom, my Dad, my grandparents, aunts and uncles in heaven and telling them jokes.
Love always,
Cháu Chi, Pim và các cháu Quân, Minh, An
I worked with Dai for 19 years when I was a pulmonologist with Kaiser Permanente. He was one of the kindest, compassionate, and empathetic individuals I have ever met. His surgical skills were unrivaled and I always tried to refer my patients needing surgery to him. I will miss him.
- Ronald Klayton, M.D.
I greatly missed Vĩnh Đại, my classmate at JJR French High School and Saigon Medical School. It saddened me when I learned that he passed away. My sincere condolences to Vĩnh Đại’s family. Rest in Peace, Vĩnh Đại.
- Anh Huu Nguyen, M.D.
To Dr. Vĩnh Đại, our gifted and talented friend,
Although it was years ago, it almost seems like yesterday. I remember seeing him the first time in the schoolyard of the lycée Jean Jacques Rousseau: he was in the Math section and I in the Experimental Sciences group. But the paths we took have been more parallel than convergent. He was center stage as always, and I more at the periphery. We moved to the Saigon School of Medicine. And he revealed to be an excellent, knowledgeable, and clever student. He dominated everyone in the class by his stature and his intellect. He was a giant with a gentle demeanor and soft smile. One night in the seventies while I was writing up a physical examination, I was paged overhead. It was him who was doing a residency at Allegheny General Hospital. He told me his hospital has an opening and if I wanted I could come for an interview. I did come and had the chance to meet his wife and daughter. They nicely offered me a place to stay overnight. I saw him another time at a hospital where he was recovering from a stroke. He was the same person, but with a smile-less face. He seemed to have realized the nature of his medical condition. I met him one more time at a dinner-reunion given by the Medical Association of Northern Virginia. He was almost back to normal at that time. Rest in peace, gentle giant. We all remember your nice smile and demeanor.
- Nghĩa M. Võ
When I learned that Dai had had his first stroke I rushed to the hospital to see him. It was hard for him to speak. As I leaned down to listen the first thing he said was “How is your wife”. He knew she had cancer. That was Dai always thinking of everyone else. An exceptional person, physician and colleague. I know he’ll watch over us from above. Rest In Peace.
- Greg Neas, M.D.
Not sure where to start, met Dr. Vinh in the operating room at Fairfax Hospital as a young surgical resident. Nervous to be in the OR doing cases but I felt so calm and confident with Dr.Vinh. He had such a personality and character to allow the best to come out of a person. I learned so much to care and do the right things. I had another chance to come back and work besides him as a colleague. Dr.Vinh still had his unrelenting passion for patients and generosity as a person. I will dearly miss you.
- Chris Rim, M.D.
I still vividly remember when I was a little girl, whenever my dad took me to visit cousin Mimi or to sleep over at her house, Mimi and I would walk to Anh Be’s house just a couple of doors down in the same neighborhood in Dakao district. Anh Be (Dr. Dai Vinh), our cousin, who was still single at the time, would always come back tired from a long day of work at the hospital. Anh Be asked cousin Mimi and me to walk on his back to ease up his tired back muscles. The rewards to us every time was Anh Be would give us each 5 Vietnamese đồng (piasters) to buy ice cream from an ice cream shop next door and a piggy back ride around the house. Sometimes we would play around, marching on his back like soldiers. Anh Be didn’t yell at us at all, but would gently say, “hey, you girls, if you break my back, you won’t have free piggy back rides from me any more!” Eventually, Anh Be married to Chị Hoa (Dr. Tuyethoa Vinh). All of the little cousins were so excited and proud that Anh Be got to marry one of the cutest girls of Saigon!! After Huyền Trân’s birth, we only got to see/babysit baby Huyền Trân a couple of times until the fall of Saigon. Anh Be and his family left the country in 1975 together with cousin Mimi’s family. I regret that I did not have a chance to see Anh Be the last moments he was on earth, but I would like for Anh Be, from up high, to know part of my sweet childhood memories with Anh Be will never fade in my mind and my heart. My condolences to Chị Hoa and Huyền Trân. May Anh Be rest in peace.
- Pham Hieu Phuong
Adieu Docteur Robert Đại Vĩnh.
I have the privilege of sharing with Dr. Đại Vĩnh memorable experiences since our teen ages at the Lycée Jean Jacques Rousseau in the early 1960’s, and our training during the Vietnam War at the Saigon Faculty of Medicine. Like Dr. Đại’s friends and colleagues present today, we felt like brothers, always greeted with his warm, sweet smile.
We celebrate the life of a caring, gifted surgeon, and a true Prince. Indeed, Dr Vĩnh had royal blood from the last Vietnam Kings, the Nguyễn Dynasty. Medicine study in Saigon, tracking French Academia, lasted 6 years. However, at the 5th year (one year before graduation), many in our class, including Đại Vĩnh, Hiền Hồ and I, passed the ECFMG MD equivalence exam of the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates in Philadelphia.
Freshly minted but talented, Dr. Đại was recruited after a highly selective exam in 1972 to work in the Surgery Department at Bình Dân or Common People Hospital as an Interne des Hôpitaux de Saigon.
With the fall of Saigon in April 1975, we made it to the US. After finishing our Surgery Residency, Dr Đại worked on the East Coast while I stayed in the West. By chance then by design, we both enjoyed the annual Trauma & Critical Care Conference in Las Vegas for several years.
Dr. Đại Vĩnh left our volatile world. He returns to the lasting realm of our loving memories. Rest in Peace, my dear friend!
- Chất Đặng, M.D.
