People’s Teacher, Prof Nguyen Dinh Hoi, MD PhD, the former President of HCMC University of Medicine and Pharmacy as well as the inaugural Director of the HCMC University Medical Center, passed away in the early hours of June 29, reaching the grand age of 92. He left behind an immense sense of grief among his esteemed colleagues, multiple generations of students, and countless patients.
Professor Nguyen Dinh Hoi was born and raised in a highly intellectual family deeply steeped in the noble traditions of scholarly pursuit and profound benevolence in Thanh Hoa Province. In 1960, right after graduating as a medical doctor, he was officially retained to work at the prestigious Hanoi Medical University.
Here, he spent 10 years juggling the demanding role of head shift doctor at Viet Duc Hospital, alongside an impressive 8-year stint operating as a consulting physician. Under the direct and meticulous guidance of Prof Ton That Tung, MD Nguyen Dinh Hoi at that time honed robust professional expertise and absorbed the philosophy of a true healer, which fundamentally dictates being strictly rigorous, relentlessly dedicated, and wholeheartedly committed to the patients.
In 1981, following an invitation from President Truong Cong Trung of HCMC University of Medicine and Pharmacy at that specific period, Dr. Nguyen Dinh Hoi officially transferred to the HCMC University of Medicine and Pharmacy. Leveraging his formidable prowess, he subsequently took the helm as President from 1993 to 2007.
In this capacity, he seamlessly materialized a strategic vision, propelling the institution toward massive breakthroughs. He vigorously laid the groundwork for a multi-disciplinary university model and pioneered the rigorous standardization of medical pedagogical competencies across the Southern healthcare sector.
No matter the position, he poured his heart into the demanding endeavor of advancing medical education. In 1992, Prof Hoi actively ventured into heavily disadvantaged regions, from Tay Ninh Province and Can Tho City up to the Central Highlands, with the objective of developing crucial human resources.
Notably, the sprawling Mekong Delta suffered from a severe scarcity of qualified healthcare professionals throughout the 1990s. Consequently, he was entrusted with constructing a robust faculty roster and comprehensive training curricula there. From those initial foundational blocks, Can Tho University’s Medical Faculty systematically evolved step by step, forming the brilliant formation of the contemporary Can Tho University of Medicine and Pharmacy today.
During the 1990s, Prof Nguyen Dinh Hoi stubbornly pursued an incredibly audacious idea, firmly believing any medical school absolutely must possess its own dedicated hospital. He held the profound conviction that a university desperately needs a practical teaching hospital; otherwise, they don’t gain skills and merely digest dry theory while agonizingly lacking hands-on clinical practice.
Despite having absolutely no capital, zero prior experience, and facing a glaring lack of supportive policy mechanisms alongside conflicting viewpoints, Prof Hoi persistently defended this groundbreaking model armed with a visionary perspective years ahead of its time.
As a direct result of his unwavering persistence, a unique clinic featuring overnight beds and an operating room was officially born in 1994, strictly belonging to HCMC University of Medicine and Pharmacy.
Building upon this robust foundation, the HCMC University Medical Center was established on January 20, 2001, effectively unlocking a promising future by introducing Vietnam’s very first University-Hospital model.
Shouldering the massive dual responsibilities, he masterfully steered the center toward exponential growth. Today, that once-fledgling clinic has blossomed into a benchmark hospital, proudly trusted by millions of patients at the end of the day.
As an esteemed researcher, Prof Nguyen Dinh Hoi spearheaded numerous massive scientific projects alongside over 70 invaluable specialized publications. His countless activities focusing on high-tech medicine have been effectively applied across hospitals nationwide.
Throughout his career, he was undeniably an exemplary and strictly disciplined mentor who remained devoted to his craft. He proactively forged highly favorable conditions so students could master complex theory and strict practice. Widely celebrated as an astute administrator with a strategic vision, he was a remarkably compassionate healer devoted to safeguarding public health.
For generations of students, he essentially served as a trailblazer who was consistently rigorous yet brimming with tolerance. “You can become proficient in surgical techniques after three to five years, but keeping patients healthy without cutting them open absolutely requires dedicating your entire life,” he frequently cautioned.
Living a lifetime of absolute dedication, Prof Nguyen Dinh Hoi has undeniably left deep imprints on clinical treatment, rigorous training, complex scientific research, and the ambitious construction of a highly humane, standardized medical environment.
And above all else, he established a remarkably sustainable value system heavily anchored in sharp intellect, great compassion, and an utterly devoted spirit that acts as an invaluable compass for anyone who has bravely chosen the grueling profession of saving lives.
“Medical ethics aren’t just empty words; rather, they’re vividly manifested in how one treats others and holistically cures the patient instead of merely treating the disease. Only when we consciously put ourselves in the patient’s shoes, patiently listening to and genuinely understanding exactly what they’re agonizingly going through, can we truly absorb the teaching that a good doctor must be like a gentle mother,”
People’s Teacher, Prof Nguyen Dinh Hoi, MD PhD
