Doctor Duy Do Nguyen

Dr. Nguyen Do Duy, passed away on January 20, 2021 in Fountain Valley from COVID complications. He joined his beloved wife of 40 years, Dr. Kim Hue who had preceded him in death in 2016.

Dr Duy was raised in a family who valued high education, religion and service. Although he was an only child, he had made the realization early in life the values of determination, hard work and compassion to others. Given his conviction. His path of becoming a surgeon was an easy decision.

He was educated at Lycée Jean Jacques Rousseau in Saigon then Saigon Medical University and followed by an internship in Surgery at Cho Ray and Binh Dan Hospitals where Dr. Duy first met his former medical student and lifelong partner, his wife Kim Hue. In 1973, Dr. Duy had left Vietnam to further his education and training in the USA and attended the General Surgery Residency at the University of Rochester School of Medicine in New York.

Despite all around sadness, disruption of lives and despair at the end of the Vietnam war and the fall of Saigon in 1975 with a chance of luck and perhaps destiny, Dr. Duy and Dr. Kim Hue had found each other in their new country, USA. Although they were from different faiths, through their shared beliefs in family, loyalty, importance of high education, lifelong learner, and compassion to others they were married in Chicago.

After his board certification by American College of Surgeons in 1978, Dr. Duy completed his fellowship in Burn Trauma at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine in Madison. His career as a surgeon included chief surgeon at the VA Hospital in Danville Illinois and professor of surgery appointment at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Urbana Champaign. As a lifelong learner, Dr. Duy furthered his education and added a second board certification from The American Board of Surgery in Vascular Surgery. He was proud to be part of the first landmark vascular surgery certification in the United States.

The couple had settled in Orange County. California in 1987 to be close to their family, friends and the rapidly developing and bustling Vietnamese community. In response to the fast growing Vietnamese population without equitable and adequate surgical care, Dr. Duy was compelled to leave his comfortable position and took a leap of faith to establish his surgical practice in Fountain Valley in hope to make a difference in this medically underserved community. In short time, Dr. Duy performed many surgeries in various hospitals in order to serve the needs of the Vietnamese community extended throughout Orange County. However, Fountain Valley Hospital was his "home away from home" for 32 years and where he died. His dedication and selflessness to his profession for 48 years were well known in the community and to his many patients who continued showing their gratitude with their many gifts on Tet yearly.

He is survived by his five beloved children, Au Co, Long Co, Long Quan, Lac Long and Au Lac. In continuing on their beliefs of education, compassion and service, he and his family formed a non-profit organization MEMO (Medical, Educational Mission & Outreach) to provide medical and educational need for the most remote and underserved areas of South Vietnam and providing health screening and information for the Vietnamese community in Orange County while targeting the underinsured population. Dr. Duy took pride in MEMO popularity and growth of its member students all over Southern California spanning the UC System from UCLA, UCI and UCSD chapters. Dr. Duy was especially proud of its former members who themselves have become physicians, dentists, pharmacists, therapists and nurses to carry on his beliefs and the tradition of education, compassion and services

Dr. Duy is dearly missed by his family, his friends and the Vietnamese medical community. We will especially miss your smile, enthusiasm and conviction.

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