Prof. MD, PhD. Nguyễn Đình Hối - The Pioneer of University-Affiliated Hospitals in Vietnam

92 years of a life dedicated entirely to medicine: Prof. Nguyễn Đình Hối, MD, PhD, birthed the first university hospital model in Vietnam, instilling in generations of doctors the philosophy of "learning to know when to stop the scalpel."

Prof. Nguyễn Đình Hối, MD, PhD, former Rector of the University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City and first Director of University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital Ho Chi Minh City, drew his final breath at 2:03 AM on June 29, at the age of 92, following a period of illness. He has passed away, but his legacy of intellect, governance, and medical ethics remains the foundational cornerstone inherited by generations of physicians.

In the early 1990s, at a time when medical education remained detached from clinical practice, Professor Hối was among the first to pursue a bold idea: a medical school must have its own hospital. He believed that practice hospital physicians must shoulder two inseparable roles—healing and teaching—walking alongside students right at the bedside. From that mindset, in the year 1994, the first multi-specialty clinic with inpatient beds was established next to the university—the "very first brick" of the University-Hospital model in Vietnam.

Assoc. Prof. Trần Thị Trung Chiến, MD, PhD, former Minister of Health, recalled that era: "Back then, this model was extremely unusual and unprecedented. Looking back across a journey of over 30 years, one can fully appreciate the collective effort, and particularly that the most active and passionate individual was none other than Professor Nguyễn Đình Hối."

With no capital, no experience in hospital management, and facing numerous institutional barriers, he persistently "knocked on every door" to defend the model. In the year 2000, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital Ho Chi Minh City officially came into being, becoming one of the first autonomous university hospitals. The image of the professor—rector and hospital director—wearing a hard hat and holding a shovel at the ground-breaking ceremony for the new facility in 2006 remains remembered today as a symbol of dedicated commitment.

The Philosophy of "Learning When to Stop the Scalpel" and a Mentor to Many Generations of Doctors
Born in 1936 in Thanh Hóa into a scholarly family, Nguyễn Đình Hối once biked over 200 kilometers to Hanoi to take the university entrance exams, topping both the College of Education and Hanoi Medical University in 1954. Choosing medicine in fulfillment of his family's wish, his passion for education remained inextricably bound to him throughout his life.

As a student of surgery monument Tôn Thất Tùng, Professor Hối was imbued with a burning passion for surgery alongside the philosophy that "studying medicine is learning how to be a human being." Across decades bound to the operating room and the lecture hall, he constantly emphasized: "A physician must be trusted by patients with their lives, and an educator must be trusted and loved by students. If you fail to achieve that, you must look back at yourself."

Ever preoccupied with finding ways to "bring the least pain to the patient," he became renowned for his philosophy: "Learning surgical techniques may take 3 to 5 years, but learning not to operate, learning when to stop, takes a lifetime of study."

Assoc. Prof. Ngô Quốc Đạt, former rector of the University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City, shared that he still deeply internalizes this lesson from morning briefing sessions with his teacher. He especially remembers Professor Hối's admonition: "If an indication for surgery exists, yet you still help a patient recover without operating, that is true excellence," and "if we are wrong, apologize to the patient."

Dr. Trần Chí Cường, President of the Ho Chi Minh City Society of Neuroradiology and Director of S.I.S Can Tho International General Hospital, reminisced about the teacher who "laid the foundational bricks for modern medical thinking," supported novel techniques, and left behind memories of rigorous yet stimulating surgical review sessions. Even in the most difficult moments, the phrase, "Go ahead and do it, but execute it with absolute care," uttered by the professor, became a guiding compass for Dr. Cường’s professional growth.

Professor Hối's dedication was further manifested through lessons of patience. Assoc. Prof. Đỗ Đình Công, former Head of the Department of Planning and Training at UMC Hospital, recalled that when he grew impatient with students, Professor Hối would calmly advise: "You must realize that to teach learners something, you have to say it a hundred times; to master abdominal examination, you must examine a hundred times."

Beyond focusing on professional expertise, he deeply understood the circumstances of his students. Assoc. Prof. Lê Văn Quang recalled that when compiling textbooks, the teacher instructed that prices could not be set high because "students are very poor; books only need to cover printing costs with modest royalties, ensuring the students can still afford to buy them for their studies."

In the memories of colleagues, Professor Hối was strict yet richly humane. Prof. Đặng Hanh Đệ, former Head of the Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery at Việt Đức Hospital, recalled the fierce wartime years when Professor Hối not only provided emergency care in bombed zones but also directly coordinated professional duties and guided students under exceedingly difficult conditions.

1. The "Living Dictionary" and Evening Briefing Family Dinners

An erudite scientist, Professor Hối authored 6 monographs, served as editor-in-chief for 10 volumes of "Lectures on Surgical Pathology," and contributed to numerous encyclopedias and English-French-Vietnamese medical dictionaries. In the memory of his spouse, Bành Uyển Nghi, he was intelligent, witty, deeply loyal, filial, and affectionately nicknamed the "living dictionary."

Despite shouldering an immense workload, he remained an exemplary father. Assoc. Prof. Nguyễn Hoàng Bắc (the professor's son, currently the Director of University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital Ho Chi Minh City) shared that the priceless asset his father left his children was the "briefing family dinner" every evening. Through gentle attentiveness, he listened, offered reminders, and taught life skills "no textbook could ever teach."

For his monumental contributions, he was honored with the title of People's Teacher, the Second and Third-Class Labor Medals, the Second-Class Resistance War Medal against America, the Tôn Thất Tùng Award, the 55-Year Party Membership Badge, alongside numerous domestic and international accolades. In 2025, he was awarded the "Lifetime Achievement Award" by the Asian Hospital Management Association.

Yet as many colleagues observed, his greatest reward lay not in titles, but in the generations of physicians who matured under the ethos of medical ethics, medical theory, and medical skill that he passed down.

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