Phạm Hiếu Liêm, MD.

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.

- Hao/ Pham Hieu Liem, MD