Vien Doan Bio
Dr. Doan came to the United States at the end of the Vietnam War in 1975 as a young teenager with his family of 7. At the fall of Saigon, the family was rescued by the US Navy’s 7th Fleet in the Pacific and taken to Camp Pendleton, California, as refugees. After spending three months in the refugee camp, his family was sponsored by an American family in Des Moines, Iowa, to live with them for six months and to help the family prepare for their new lives. During this time, through the love of an American family, he found what it meant to love unconditionally and how a life could be changed forever through an act of kindness. Through that experience, he set his sights on returning to Vietnam one day to share that love with the people he left behind. A dream was born.
Dr. Doan completed his B.S. degree from Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa, in 1981 and earned his Doctor of Osteopathy degree from Des Moines University in 1985. He completed his family medicine residency at San Bernardino County Medical Center in 1988 and established his Family Medicine practice in Riverside. In 1994, Dr. Doan joined the Community Medical Group of Riverside as Medical Director for the Family Care Department. During this time, he also served as a member of the Board of Directors for Riverside Physicians Network. In 2006, he returned to solo practice, where he is serving.
In the early 1990s, there was a massive influx of new Vietnamese refugees coming to the U.S., particularly in Orange County, CA, through the repatriation program. Those new immigrants faced many daunting challenges, including the lack of healthcare. In response to that need, Dr. Doan started a free community clinic to serve the new immigrants in Garden Grove. By 1994, the free clinic became self-sufficient with many full-time staff, allowing Dr. Doan to leave and start a new ministry for Vietnamese youths. He served as President of the Vietnamese United Methodist Youth and Young Adult Fellowship, and in that role, he returned to Vietnam in 1999, where he confirmed for himself the needs of his fellow countrymen. In 2000, the Good Samaritan Medical Dental Ministry (GSMDM) was born, completing a dream of 21 years.
Today, GSMDM is Vietnam’s largest medical mission, with three major components. Each year, the Summer Mission involves a hundred volunteers bringing much-needed healthcare to thousands of poor people in remote villages in Vietnam. The Ministry is also actively leading the country in establishing a brand new Emergency Medicine specialty to bring high-quality emergency care to all the people of Vietnam. This Emergency Medicine Mission involves 60-80 physicians and nurses each year. For 14 years, prominent physician leaders such as Deans of US medical schools, presidents of various US and international medical societies, and distinguished professors from around the world have all come and taken part in this Ministry.GSMDM also trains local physicians in Cao Bang province in primary care medicine since 2013. Each class of 26 physicians is prepared for two years. In 2017, twelve MDs were selected out of 52 to come to the US for further, in-depth training. The goal is for these physicians to set a new standard of care for this most remote province of North Vietnam.
In 2014, Dr. Doan was appointed by Riverside Mayor Ron Loveridge and then reappointed by Mayor Rusty Bailey to be chairman of the Riverside-Can Tho (Vietnam) Sister City Committee. Dr. Doan leads several VIP delegations from Riverside, which includes the mayor, councilman, and top university leaders, to Vietnam to develop and foster educational and business relationships with Vietnam. As a result, several important agreements were signed between the City, Universities, and institutions in Vietnam. Dr. Doan sees this as a peacemaking effort to bring the people of the two countries together. Dr. Doan has been married to Grace for 36 years and has three children: Luke, Ashley, and Courtney.