Viet Duc University Hospital

History of the Establishment and Development of Viet Duc University Hospital

Viet Duc University Hospital is the largest surgical center in Vietnam, deeply intertwined with the formation and development of modern Vietnamese surgery.

1. Early Beginnings During the French Colonial Period (1902–1906)

• Context: In 1902, Hanoi Medical School (now Hanoi Medical University) was established, with Dr. Alexandre Yersin serving as its first principal. To provide a clinical practice facility for medical students, the French protectorate administration decided to build a teaching hospital.

• Establishment: In 1906, the hospital officially opened under its original name, the Protectorate Hospital (French: Hôpital du Protectorat), which locals commonly referred to as Phu Doan Hospital.

2. Transitional Phase and Naming Evolution (1945–1958)

• Phu Doan Medical Hospital (1945): Following the August Revolution in 1945, the revolutionary government renamed the facility Phu Doan Medical Hospital, with Prof. Dr. Ton That Tung serving as its director.

• Phu Doan Hospital (1954): After taking over the capital in 1954, the hospital was officially named Phu Doan Hospital, becoming the primary surgical center in Northern Vietnam.

• Vietnam – Soviet Friendship Hospital (1958): With support from the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) and the Soviet Union in upgrading its infrastructure, the hospital was named the Vietnam – Soviet Friendship Hospital (later splitting into Viet Duc Hospital and Viet Xo Hospital).

3. Official Name: Viet Duc Friendship Hospital (1991)

• To honor the significant contributions and assistance of the Government and people of the German Democratic Republic in constructing, modernizing the hospital, and training surgical staff, the facility was officially named Viet Duc Friendship Hospital in 1991.

4. Modern Standing and Contributions

• Flagship of Surgery: The hospital's history is closely linked to legendary figures in Vietnamese medicine, such as Prof. Ho Dac Di, Prof. Ton That Tung (inventor of the world-renowned "Ton That Tung method" for liver resection), and Prof. Nguyen Trinh Co.

• Special Grade Hospital: Viet Duc Hospital is the nation's premier top-tier surgical hospital, leading in advanced medical procedures including organ transplantation (heart, liver, kidney, and lung transplants), neurosurgery, interventional cardiology, laparoscopic surgery, and orthopedics.