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Ambulance of Humanity / Xe Cấp Cứu Miễn Phí

Who do we help and in which areas?
This program was created with the purpose to help the sickly getting to the hospital for treatment.
It is difficult for people in remote areas to find someone to take them to the hospital when they are sick because the cost of an ambulance is very expensive.   There are many people who became real poor after getting sick due to the cost of transportation.   There are also poor people who got sick and have no money to pay for transportation, so they just stayed home and accepted the cruel fate.  The area that we feel having an urgent need for an ambulance is The Island Villages (Xứ Cồn).   It is very far from the city, and most people here are poor.

Where is the Island Villages and how far is it from Saigon city?
The Island Villages (Xứ Cồn)  is the part of land on the ocean side of ​​Ben Tre province.  It is called the Island Villages because it was a collective of many islands combined together.   Each of these islands was natural land emerging from the sea.   In the past, going from one island to another had to have boats, but overtime, the land fills up and now most of islands are just like on the same piece of land.  Only a few that are still separated by water like Con Tra, Con Bung, Con Nghêu, etc.

From Saigon city to The Island Villages takes about 5 or 6 hours driving by car.  This is the breakdown of time:  from Saigon to Ben Tre province takes about 2 hours, then from Ben Tre to Thanh Phu district takes about 2 more hours, then continue to Thanh Phong commune, then to The Island Villages and the time is about 1 hour to an hour and a half  depending on which village you go to.
**These estimate are based on a normal car.  Going on the ambulance, it will be faster because an ambulance does not have to stop at the red lights, can increase speed, and has ultimate right of way from other cars.

Which hospitals our ambulance will take the patient to?
The nearest hospital from The Island Villages is Thanh Phu hospital in Thanh Phu district.   It is about 1.5 hour drive.  However, this place is very small and often does not have enough resources, so  most people would prefer the hospital in Ben Tre county if they have the option.   If they cannot be cured at Ben Tre hospital, then they will be transferred to the hospitals in Saigon city. When they are transferred from one hospital to another, they will get the ride for free offerred by the referring hospital.  They only need to pay for the first ride from home to the hospital

What is the on going price for  ambulance service?
Currently, the cost of an ambulance from The Island Villages to Thanh Phu hospital is 800,000 to 1 million VND (about 32 to 40 USD), to Ben Tre hospital is 2 million (about 80 USD), and to the hospital in Saigon city is 3 million (120 USD).   Not only the service is expensive, it is not always available because there is currently no local ambulance around.   They are stationed in Thanh Phu district which is 1.5 hours away.  Ours will be the first that will station right in the heart of The Island Villages and will provide service 24/7.

Besides the cost of  the ambulance, are there any other expenses to run this emergency service?

To implement this program, in addition to the cost of buying the ambulance, we need to pay the driver, gas, maintenance, insurance, and annual tire replacement.  If we do not have monthly funding for driver and gas fees, we will need to charge the patients a fee to pay for the driver and gas.   However, our fee would be 1/3 of the currently on-going price for ambulance service. 

This would be our price list if there were no funding for driver  and gas cost:
Going from the Island Villages to Thanh Phu Hospital will be (from 1 to 1.5 hours drive):
Driver Fee: 100,000 VND (4 USD)
Gasoline: 100,000 to 120,000 VND (4.8 USD)

Travel from The Island Villages to Ben Tre hospital (3 to 3.5 hours drive)
Driver Fee: 300,000 ($12)
Gas: 330,000 gas ($13.2)

Travel from The Island Villages to Saigon Hospital (from 5 to 5.5 hours drive):
Driver fee: 500,000 VND (about 20 USD)
Gas cost: 600,000 VND (about 24 USD)

According to our estimates, we need about $1,000 in funding each month in order to provide  this service completely free for all patients.

How did we come up with this estimated number of $1000 per month:
**This estimate is based on 1 trip per day.  Will be more if more trips.
One trip per day, average cost for driver and gasoline: $26
A 30-day month: 26 * 30 = $780.
Annual tire replacement fee: $1000 / 12 = $84 per month
Annual oil change / tune up 360 / 12 = $30 per month.
Total amount needed monthly to operate the ambulance: $894

Who will be in charge of this ambulance project in Vietnam?
We will ask a lawyer to draw up a contract, and our organization, NewHope2008,   will authorize staff in Vietnam to operate this Emergency vehicle.   Time is 7 years.   After 7 years, this car will be donated to a charity organization in the Island Villages.

How will this program be reported?
We will have an additional section named "Ambulance of Humanity" on our website.   And every day we will provide pictures and information of the patients who get helped that day and the cost of the trip.  We also have a brief description of the patient—who the patient is and illness condition--and pictures of patients getting on our ambulance and getting off to the hospital   In short, we will have a format for staff to fill in information for each patient.    After a few months, we will know more accurately the cost for driver and gas each month.

What type of vehicle will we buy and how much will it cost?
We will buy a Hyundai, Staria model, running on diesel (more durable and less expensive to maintain).
The price of this ambulance type in 2024 is 909 million VND.   The price of this ambulance is very consistent, there is no fluctuation like a regular car, every store gives the same price, and we can find this price on any website that sells this type of vehicle.   This is just the price of the car, we also need to pay registration, siren permit, tax for passing through bridges and road, and insurance before the ambulance can be in service.    We will notify you of the exact number and all expenses  when the purchase is complete.

Below are a few stores that sell this type of ambulance.  Please click on the link to check them out.
When you look at the price, remember that this Staria Emergency vehicle has 2 types, gasoline and diesel.  With gasoline, the price is cheaper, 879 million VN dong.  For diesel, it will be  909 million VN dong.   We choose diesel engines because they are more durable and cheaper to maintenance.
HYUNDAI STARIA CỨU THƯƠNG (hyundaiviethan.vn)
Hyundai Staria Cứu Thương 2023: giá xe, thông số option - Kênh xe Hyundai (kenhxehyundai.vn)