Vet swaps Winchester for Vietnam (From This is Hampshire)

Vet swaps Winchester for Vietnam

11:42am Saturday 1st March 2008

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WHEN people think of Vietnam, many might reflect on images of jungle warfare in Hollywood movies.

However, one Winchester man stationed in the country says the reality is different.

Donal Brown, 45, has worked abroad for HM Government on several overseas development projects.

He has been to Bolivia, Bangladesh and Uganda, before his latest posting to Vietnam.

It is a far cry from when he qualified as a veterinary surgeon, and plied his trade in Devon and Bedfordshire in the 1980s.

Keen to see the world, and tackle global poverty, he joined the Department for International Development.

His first assignment was in Bolivia in 1990. Then aged 28, he began by training vets in the landlocked South American country.

He then helped to start a milk quality payment scheme to boost the nation's dairy industry.

In Bangladesh, his work branched away from animals, and his time was spent on preventative measures to minimise flood damage.

Contacting the Chronicle from Vietnam, he said: "Each country and culture has been very different and I keep learning.

"The most satisfying thing about the work I do is feeling you are making a real difference to people's lives.

"I don't know whether many people can say they still passionately believe in their job, but it's what gets me out of bed in the morning."

Mr Brown spends a few years between each posting working in London. In 2002 he moved to Winchester with his wife, Terina, and their two children.

The family settled near Kings' School, and their daughter, Niamh, now 13, and son, Cian, now 12, went to St Peter's Catholic Primary School nearby.

Said Mr Brown: "We all see Winchester now as our home. The kids really enjoy school and we have made good friends in the community."

However, two years ago he received a posting to the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi, and the family moved to Asia.

"While the children have had a fantastic time living in many different cultures and countries, it is also unsettling for them having to move schools, leaving behind friends and family.

"Also setting up home in a new country often without the creature comforts of the UK is difficult.

"There are no big supermarkets and ready meals; buying food can take a whole morning once you have been down to the local markets. Living with power cuts and water shortages can also be challenging.

"Also some of the tropical diseases and medical care can be tough - I had pneumonia in Bolivia, malaria in Uganda and dengue fever in Bangladesh, but so far so good in Vietnam."

In Hanoi, Mr Brown leads a team of 27 staff, of which eight are British, and is responsible for a £50m overseas development budget.

Much of it is spent in rural areas to provide basic infrastructure, education, and job training.

In the towns, the cash is helping street vendors to make ends meet, keeping tens of thousands of people in work.

Said Mr Brown: "Vietnam has been fascinating so far. Whenever I tell people back in Winchester that I'm in Vietnam, they usually immediately think of things like war or communism.

"In fact it's probably the most capitalist country I have been in, with some of the nicest and most forgiving people.

"Despite the problems many of them face on a daily basis, there's a tremendous sense of optimism."

He added that the family missed many things about Hampshire, particularly their dog, which is being cared for by friends.

"I also miss the little things like a pint in The Black Boy, Sunday lunch at The Plough Inn at Sparsholt, a pasty from Reeve the Baker, wandering around the farmers' market, a game of tennis in Littleton or a walk with the dog and family along the water meadows.

"Vietnam is so busy and crowded, so it will be great to get back to the open space, beautiful countryside, and a lovely little city and its community."

The family is due to return to Winchester this summer.

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