Vietnam makes hallmark on world medical map

Over the past years, Vietnam's health sector has made big strides with and many difficult techniques successfully applied, helping the country gain a foothold on the world medical map.
Prof. Dr. Tran Binh Giang - Director of Viet Duc University Hospital (C) and colleagues perform an endoscopic surgery (Photo courtesy of VDUH)

Prof. Dr. Tran Binh Giang - Director of Viet Duc University Hospital (C) and colleagues perform an endoscopic surgery (Photo courtesy of VDUH)


Viet Duc University Hospital - a major centre in the world for adrenal gland surgery

According to Prof. Dr. Tran Binh Giang - Director of Viet Duc University Hospital (VDUH), endoscopic surgery is a medical field in Vietnam that is close to the development of the world. In 1987, the world's endoscopic surgery was performed, and only 5 years later, Vietnam also conducted the type of surgery for the first time.

At present, thanks to this technique, the most complicated surgeries such as nephrectomy, hepatectomy, gastrectomy, and Whipple procedure have been performed.In 2002, the scientific research by Prof. Dr. Giang on adrenal endoscopic surgery was published internationally. To date, thousands of patients have received the surgery and the VDUH has become a major centre in the world for this type of work

.Every year, the hospital performs nearly 80,000 surgeries, with many spearhead techniques implemented such as multi-organ transplants from brain dead donors.Vietnamese cardiologists – members of presidiums of many major international conferences.

In recent years, the Vietnam National Heart Institute under the Bach Mai Hospital has focused on promoting interventional cardiology - minimally invasive cardiovascular surgery. In 2022, the institute performed advanced techniques such as transcatheter aortic valve replacement, and transcatheter mitral valve repair, instead of open surgeries.

Assoc. Prof., Dr. Pham Manh Hung, director of the institute, said that cardiology in Vietnam can stand on par with that in advanced countries in the region and in Asia.Organisers of major conferences such as the American Heart Association Conference, the European Society of Cardiology Congress, and the scientific conferences in Asia such as the Singapore LIVE 2022 have all invited the Vietnam National Heart Institute to speak at those events to share Vietnam's own experience in specific diseases.

Foreign doctors come to Vietnam to learn endoscopic thyroidectomy technique

Assoc. Prof. Tran Ngoc Luong, former Director of the National Hospital of Endocrinology, is also one of those helping the Vietnamese health sector make a hallmark on the world medical map. He is the first in Vietnam and in the world to successfully research and perform a unique endoscopic thyroidectomy technique, gaining big applauses from both domestic and foreign colleagues. This method has been transferred to not only domestic but also foreign doctors, opening a new direction in the curing of thyroid diseases.

The cost of surgery with his technique is only one-twenty fifth compared to that of other countries in the region. A thyroidectomy in the Republic of Korea or Singapore will need 2 hours and about US$8,000-10,000, while Dr. Luong’s method conducted at the National Hospital of Endocrinology takes only 30 minutes and US$300-400.

As of 2021, more than 300 professors and doctors from 20 countries around the world had come to the hospital to learn about his surgical method.

Other news