It’s about an hour ride from Saigon to Ben San, one of several leprosy centers in Vietnam. On the way, I chat with Dr. Hai, the current director of the center, and learn an interesting fact. I ask questions about the patients, and he corrects me. “Actually, we don’t have any leprosy patients here. We call them ex-patients.” The bacterial skin disease was totally wiped out here more than ten years ago he goes on to explain to me. Yet, referring to those in his care as such is both a correct statement, and a misnomer at the same time. Yes, leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease, is treatable and with antibiotics and other treatments can and has been eradicated. But its effects, both physical and social, last a lifetime. Not different from any other countries where it claims victims, lepers in Vietnam are essentially cast from their homes and from society, generally never to return. Ben San is both a hospital to treat those with lingering effects, and a sprawling ground, with private homes, where those who are well enough, live with their families in a safer and more comfortable environment than living at large outside its gates.
These images were made on my first visit to the center, after a very warm welcome from Dr. Hai and his associates. I have intentions to bring this as a larger scale multimedia project, and hope to return in a few weeks to continue. Below are a few of the scenes I captured over a day of visiting the residents and staff, who also couldn’t have been more open to being photographed.
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