I work as a forensic pathologist for the Crime Investigation Police Office, in Đông Anh District, Hanoi. I have had this job for 28 years now. As a pathologist, I use scientific and technical knowledge to investigate things that are unclear in a certain case. It is about performing autopsies and finding out answers.
How did I get this job? I first studied at The People’s Police Academy and was trained through professional courses. Then I was able to accumulate knowledge and skills through my different working experiences. I have also learned a lot from professors and well-known doctors that specialize in medicine. In the past, I have had some secondary jobs, but being a pathologist has always been my main job.
In my opinion, being a pathologist requires you to have a lot professional knowledge. For example, you need to know about general autopsy, chemistry, physics, mechanics, biology, and physical surgery. You also need to be prepared to respond quickly to crimes when you are notified. A typical case for my job (from the beginning to the end) pretty much looks like this:
1. After receiving news about a crime, I immediately rush to the crime scene.
2. Then I investigate the scene in order to develop an examining strategy. After that I begin to collect evidence and investigate problems related to the body/corpse on the scene.
3. Apply technical method, criminal investigation techniques to uncover any left-behind traces, collect bodies of evidence, and keep them in good condition.
4. Record personal information of witness and related people.
5. Based on all the information I have, I begin my analysis, evaluations, investigate the suspect, and then continue to work on examination of the body and case.
6. The Police Officers follow the obvious trace, and try to pursue/capture the criminal.
7. We apply different methods on the evidence material (look at the statements of witnesses )
8. Other officers begin to interrogate related people.
9. The investigation is independent and based on the cooperation of related departments.
I think my job is pretty demanding, and I don’t get any vacations or leave. But my family is very supportive of me and my work. The hardest part of my job is to persuade the people cooperate, believe in the law, and actively denounce the criminal. In addition, it is also difficult to motivate people to take part in fighting against and solving the crime. There has also been a change in society that has affected our work. For example, we now live in a globalized market economy. The bad side of the market society is that it strongly affects the means and methods of committing a crime. Criminals are now more sophisticated and cunning, especially since there are people who use advanced technology to commit crime.
My job also involves a lot of emotions too. As you can imagine, it is the nature of my work that I have to deal with victims and their families. We often see families/relatives become devastated when they find out about the death of their loved ones. I cannot describe the amount of pain the victim’s family might feel. But it is definitely an extremely huge relief for them when the crime is solved and justice is restored.
How do other people think of my job? There are more people that appreciate than hate my job. I think only the bad people hate me. The good people appreciate my job because they know the police are necessary for them. The goals I have for my job are to bring happiness and peace to the people who need their case to be solved, and to protect the society. My job does not provide any opportunity for me to be promoted, but I love it anyway as I get to improve my specialist knowledge and learn how to improve the effectiveness of uncovering the crimes. I think I find joy in life through my job because it is all about helping the lives of others. My job is like living a life that protects the peace of the people. My happiness and purpose in life are about putting the bad guys behind bars, and protecting the honest, righteous people of Vietnam. I love my job a lot; I feel that I get to answer what is right or wrong and help society uphold justice.
Contributors: Eliza Tran, Jennifer Phung, Nguyễn Minh Dương, Lỗ Thị Lan Anh
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