Runner-up of Road to Olympia 2004: Returning to serve his hometown people

Once called by the audience as the 'most regrettable runner-up' of Road to Olympia 2004, Nguyen Nguyen Thai Bao is now a PhD and deputy director of the Center for Orthopedic Trauma - Plastic Surgery at Hue Central Hospital.

Doctor Nguyen Nguyen Thai Bao (second from left) during his training in Japan - Photo: NVCC

He and his team have just successfully performed the first major artificial joint replacement (Megaprosthesis) and this technique is a 'savior' for many cases of bone cancer or severe injuries.

Before the show Road to Olympia 2004, Thai Bao also participated in VTV's Golden Bell show in 2003 and won the championship. After that, he went abroad to study and train.

He also refused many high-paying job offers abroad to return to Hue to serve his hometown people.

The greatest joy is the patient's recovery.

* How do you feel after the first Megaprosthesis surgery in the Central Highlands?

- I am very happy. But what makes me happy is not that I have conquered a difficult technique, but that my patients can leave the hospital healthy, walk normally, without complications.

Megaprosthesis is one of the most difficult techniques in orthopedics. It is for patients with bone destruction due to cancer, osteomyelitis, etc. Previously, they often had to amputate their limbs. With this technique, the damaged bone is replaced with an artificial joint, helping the patient continue to move.

To do this, the doctor must have extensive experience and the ability to handle situations very flexibly. In addition, the hospital must have adequate equipment and logistics - something that not many places in Vietnam currently meet.

Nguyen Nguyen Thai Bao (right cover), runner-up of the program Road to Olympia 2004 - Photo: NVCC

* Can you tell us more about the recent case of applying the Megaprosthesis technique?

- She was an elderly female patient. She had a joint replacement 17 years ago but then had serious complications, the bone was destroyed. Previously, she would have had to have her limb amputated.

I consulted with experts at home and abroad, my professors and teachers, and then proposed using the Megaprosthesis technique. I had learned and practiced this knowledge in Japan, at a leading bone cancer center in the world .

When presenting to Professor Pham Nhu Hiep, Director of Hue Central Hospital, he supported and created the best conditions for us to perform the procedure even though this was the first time this technique was performed in the Central region. The patient's family also agreed after listening to my detailed explanation. Thanks to that, the surgery was successful.

I like the gentle, peaceful pace of life, without hustle and bustle or traffic jams. More importantly, I want to use the knowledge I have learned to serve the people of my hometown. It can be said that Hue has shaped and created me today, so I think I owe this land.

Dr. Nguyen Nguyen Thai Bao

"I think I have a connection with Hue"

* What does the Olympia runner-up title mean to you?

- Olympia or Golden Bell is just a game of knowledge for school age, not a "title" for me to be proud of or take advantage of. For patients, trust comes from sincerity, from the way doctors behave, explain clearly and can answer all their questions.

I was fortunate to have many good teachers to teach me the profession. Especially Professor Pham Nhu Hiep, who had absolute trust in me and supported me and my team in performing the new technique. He directed the team to provide the best conditions and finally the surgery was successful to the joy of everyone.

* After studying abroad, you had many opportunities to work abroad. Why did you choose to return to Hue?

- I entered the University of Medicine and Pharmacy (Hue University), then received a scholarship from VTV's Golden Bell program in 2003 to study abroad in New Zealand for a year. In 2014, I won a PhD scholarship in Japan, specializing in bone and joint diseases, studying for four years. After graduating, I chose to return to Hue to work instead of staying abroad.

It is true that there were a few invitations, but I think I have a connection with Hue. My family has been here for a long time, and my father is also a good doctor in Hue. I like the gentle, peaceful pace of life, without hustle and bustle or traffic jams. More importantly, I want to use the knowledge I have learned to serve my hometown people. It can be said that Hue has shaped and created me today, so I think I owe this land.

Dr. Nguyen Nguyen Thai Bao successfully performed the first large artificial joint replacement surgery (Megaprosthesis) in the Central and Central Highlands regions at Hue Central Hospital - Photo: THUONG HIEN

* How do you update your medical knowledge?

- Medicine changes every day, if you don't update, it means you're going backwards. Every year I go to the US to meet my teacher, Dr. Kenneth Montgomery - a leading expert in the field of sports medicine in New York - to learn new techniques. Whatever I can apply, I bring back to Hue to gradually implement.

In addition to knowledge, I learned how to treat patients from my teacher - an expert who has treated injuries for many famous American football players.

My great teacher, although a professor at a leading medical center, always kept a smile on his lips, very close to his patients no matter who they were. In particular, he met my father in Hue in 1995, before my father passed away. At that time, my father - Professor Nguyen Van Thai was the head of the orthopedic trauma department at Hue Central Hospital.

Mr. Kenneth met my father during a working trip, a collaboration between doctors from two countries. Many years later he became my teacher - as a very special continuation.

"Hue gives me many good things"

* Do you think one day you will leave Hue to develop your career?

- I think fate has tied me to this place. Hue has given me so many good things, from family, teachers to career. I just want to repay the favor by using what I have learned from the world to serve my hometown people.

I hope that patients in the Central region can access advanced medical techniques without having to travel far. That is the reason I chose to return and will definitely stay in Hue for a long time.

NHAT LINH

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/a-quan-duong-len-dinh-olympia-2004-tro-ve-de-phuc-vu-ba-con-que-minh-20250828091629438.htm