Prof. Physician Le Ba Van

Dr. Le Ba Van was a physician, medical educator, and academic administrator who made significant contributions to the formation and development of the Hue Faculty of Medicine during the period before 1975. He was born in December 1929 in Le Thuy, Quang Binh. According to memoirs and historical records of the institution, he studied for both the French Baccalaureate and the Vietnamese Baccalaureate in Saigon, and later pursued medical studies at the Hanoi University of Medicine and Pharmacy and the Saigon Faculty of Medicine.

From 1957 to 1959, Dr. Le Ba Van served as a conscripted Medical Second Lieutenant at Mang Ca Military Hospital in Hue. From 1959 until April 30, 1975, he worked at Hue Central Hospital as a state physician under the Ministry of Health, while also teaching at the Hue Faculty of Medicine. During his career, he successively held various academic positions, including lecturer, senior lecturer, and later Dean of the Hue Faculty of Medicine.

A major milestone in Dr. Le Ba Van’s career was his appointment as Dean of the Hue Faculty of Medicine from late 1972 until April 30, 1975. This was a period of profound upheaval in the country, yet he worked with the school’s faculty and staff to maintain training activities, preserve academic discipline, and ensure the continuity of medical education in Central Vietnam. In the recollections of colleagues and former students, Dr. Le Ba Van is remembered as a calm, flexible, and highly responsible leader who always placed the interests of the institution above all else.

In addition to his administrative role, Dr. Le Ba Van also made professional contributions in the field of Otorhinolaryngology (Ear, Nose, and Throat Medicine). Historical records of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy, indicate that he served in a leadership role in the department during the periods 1967–1972 and 1975–1977. This shows that he was not only an educational administrator, but also a physician and teacher who directly helped develop the specialty and train many generations of students in clinical medicine.

The life and career of Dr. Le Ba Van were closely linked to a distinctive period in the history of Vietnamese medical education. His contributions can be seen in three major areas: clinical practice, medical teaching, and academic administration. He was one of the representative figures among the physician-educators who laid the foundations for and preserved the traditions of one of Central Vietnam’s most important centers of medical training.

Honoring Dr. Le Ba Van is not only a recognition of an individual with many contributions, but also an opportunity to remind present and future generations of professional responsibility, dedication, and the enduring values of the physician in the cause of education and community health care.