by Taojun, Tran Van Doanh
HANOI, April 17 (Xinhua) -- "Via Vietnamese and U.S. newspapers, we learned he is a Vietnamese-American doctor, musician, singer and professional poker player. He is a kind of 'Jack of all trades', " a Vietnamese airline staff told Xinhua on Monday.
The staff member was referring to David Dao who was born in Vietnam in 1948 as Dao Thanh Duc, and later became known by his stage name Dao Duy Anh, like the full name of a well-known historian and lexicographer who was born in 1904.
On April 9, David Dao boarded a full United Airlines flight, when flight attendants asked for volunteers to relinquish their seats to accommodate extra crew members. Due to a lack of volunteers, four passengers were picked at random to give up their seats, Dao being one of those selected.
The 69-year-old, father of five, refused to leave the plane, saying he had to meet his patients the next day.
Chicago aviation security officers forcibly dragged Dao off the plane injuring him in the process. His attorney later claimed Dao had suffered a concussion, broken nose and the loss of his two front teeth. Video of the incident recorded by other passengers quickly went viral, sparking an uproar on social media in many countries. Many netizens even called for others to boycott the United States carrier.
After publishing an article titled "The male passenger dragged out of the American plane is of Vietnamese origin" on April 11, VnExpress, Vietnam's leading online newspaper, received 159 comments, most of which expressed surprise at the action by United Airlines, and sympathy with Dao.
Many Vietnamese users commented that they had thought the United States and its people always behave well, in a civilized manner, but that they had been mistaken.
As the story further unfolded, more and more Vietnamese readers and social network users were amazed at the recording of Dao being forcibly removed from his seat on the plane and then roughly dragged down the aisle.
"When I found out that Dao is a Vietnamese-American medic who specializes in lung disorders, not of Chinese origin as reported initially, I searched for more information about him, and I was surprised at what I found," Tran Ngoc Anh, a Vietnam Airlines' ticketing agent, told Xinhua on Monday.
Dao studied at the Vietnam National Music School in Saigon (currently Ho Chi Minh City). In 1967, he formed a music group called Bach Viet, with its members comprised of would-be doctors, dentists and engineers, who loved and studied music. Bach Viet focused on writing and singing songs full of Vietnamese folk verses and folk melodies.
During his time as a songwriter in Bach Viet, Dao successfully captured the hearts of the local audience with songs such as, "Tat nuoc dau dinh" (Bailing out water near the temple) and "Ta ve ta tam ao ta" (East or West, home is best).
Vietnamese musician Tran Bo from Ho Chi Minh City said Bach Viet contributed to Vietnam's early modern music, because its members developed new musical ways based on using traditional musical instruments.
Dao is considered a master of the Vietnamese two-chord fiddle and 16-chord zither. He also appears in a literary work of a well-known Vietnamese writer named Le Van Nghia.
"I have already heard 'Tat nuoc dau dinh' and 'Ta ve ta tam ao ta' on YouTube. I firmly believed that Dao is crazy about Vietnam's traditional music and folk verses. However, through other online searches, I also realized that he has some bad aspects," said Ngoc Anh, a graceful woman from Hanoi, wearing ao dai, a traditional Vietnamese long dress.
After graduating from the Saigon Medical University, Dao joined the army of South Vietnam (officially the Republic of Vietnam) as a medical lieutenant, Ngoc Anh said, noting that people serving in the South Vietnam army were "puppet soldiers."
After the fall of the Saigon regime on April 30, 1975, Dao and his family fled to the United States. He lived in Seattle and taught Vietnamese music at the University of Washington for about one year.
After that he studied medicine for seven years, worked for a hospital, and opened a private clinic.
"After I read articles in western newspapers, including The New York Post and The Telegraph, in mid-April, my affection for Dao dropped," Ngoc Anh said, adding that many of her acquaintances felt the same way.
Dao is a professional poker player. According to The Telegraph, he ranked second in the World Series Poker Circuit in 2009, netting winnings of more than 117,000 U.S. dollars.
United Airlines and the City of Chicago have agreed to preserve the evidence requested for a possible lawsuit related to the brutal removal of David Dao, his lawyer said on Saturday.
A hearing for the petition scheduled for next week "will not take place," Thomas Demetrio, attorney for Dao, announced in an email.
It remains unclear if United Airlines would like to choose a settlement or go to court. The city of Chicago could also be sued, as the aviation security officers were hired by the city.
United Airlines has issued a new policy change that requires its staff to check-in on flights one hour before departure, U.S. media reported on Saturday. The policy change came after its violent removal of Dao from his seat and the as-yet-resolved conflict over the overbooking settlement.
