VINMEC Healthcare System: A new position for Vietnam on the world healthcare map

Prof. Dr. Tran Trung Dung, General Director of Vinmec Healthcare System, was honored to be selected to appear on the cover of Asian Hospital & Healthcare Management - Asia's leading prestigious magazine on healthcare management. On this occasion, he shared with reporters of Asian Hospital & Healthcare Management about the human-centered philosophy, where Vinmec constantly develops clinical capacity and medical innovation with the sole goal: to bring a healthier life to all patients.

Inspiring healing journey

• You have been involved in orthopedics for 25 years, from complex bone tumor surgery, sports medicine to system leadership roles. What brought you to medicine and what keeps you passionate today?

For my generation, the field of orthopedics has never been a 'hot' choice, but that is what attracted me . In the 2000s in Vietnam, this field was still very short of human resources, but it opened up countless opportunities to learn and contribute. I have always been passionate about exploring knowledge, and realized that the musculoskeletal system is the foundation of movement - the freedom of people. Helping a person walk again, return to work, to sports, is bringing them back to life. I believe that will be the field of the future - and yes, it has shaped my entire career.

Professor Dung and his team in the mediastinal tumor surgery, applying 3D technology to reconstruct the removed sternum.

What has kept me going for 25 years is nothing more than my patients and my students. Every time I see patients recover from complex illnesses like osteosarcoma, or simply walk on their own, I feel that all the effort is worth it. And when I see my students grow – not only in skills but also in ethics and compassion – I feel that I am continuing a journey that is bigger than my profession: the journey of sowing seeds for those who bring about revival.

• What moment made you feel more deeply connected to your profession?

I will never forget Minh Duc – the youngest bone cancer patient we ever treated. Most hospitals advised amputation, but his mother only asked: “Will my child ever be able to walk again?”

That question became the mission of the whole team. We, doctors, engineers, nurses, together created the first 3D printed femur in Vietnam, the world's youngest total bone replacement for a child. When Duc stood up, his mother cried, we were also very moved.

Clinical standards through research and innovation

• How do you define leadership in healthcare today?

Leadership in healthcare is not about making decisions, it is about nurturing people – so they can heal others. Ultimately, it is about creating a value-based health system – where every effort is directed toward the patient’s best interests.

To me, leadership in healthcare today is defined through three pillars:

Firstly, it is generational transmission – training a new generation of doctors who are both talented and ethical, carrying the DNA of Vinmec – where people and compassion are always put first. A doctor can only truly heal when they are happy and develop their career in a trustworthy and humane environment.

Second, is to build a positive medical environment and culture – where even the non-clinical team feels valued and proud of their contributions, because in medicine, no one is “behind the scenes”.

Third, is to constantly innovate to serve human health, bringing advanced medical solutions to help prevent diseases early, treat effectively and prolong healthy life. For me, “longevity” is not just living longer, but living healthy, living happily, and living meaningfully – that is also the philosophy of the Value-Based Care model that Vinmec is pursuing.

Currently, Vinmec has 9 hospitals and 6 clinics nationwide, each unit is led by a medical director - who is not only good at expertise, but also a cultural core. We are looking for leaders with management capacity, the ability to build and spread the three core values ​​of Vinmec: Talent - Medical ethics - Empathy.

A healthcare leader must look beyond operations – they must know how to create culture, develop people and prepare the next generation. That is why Vinmec is steadfast in its academic – research – training path, to develop sustainably with knowledge and people.

According to Professor Tran Trung Dung, health leaders must look beyond management - they must know how to create culture, develop people and prepare the next generation.

• And how is that philosophy realized in a large system like Vinmec?

Our guiding principle is the Value-Based Healthcare (VBHC) model - a philosophy that Vinmec has consistently pursued. In that model, “value” is understood as the combined effectiveness of clinical outcomes, patient experience, and the level of access to healthcare services optimized compared to the cost incurred.

Clinical Outcomes: Vinmec organizes a quality management system based on a culture of safety and continuous improvement. In addition to the international JCI standard, we have shifted to a disease management model - placing the patient at the center and measuring results with PROM (Patient-Reported Outcome Measures), which means the patient himself/herself gives feedback on their recovery level and quality of life.

Patient Satisfaction: We measure and publish patient satisfaction survey results at various touchpoints – from doctors, nurses to support services – to ensure every experience brings trust and positive emotions.

Regarding accessibility: Vinmec is expanding its system nationwide, solving the problem of health imbalance between regions, while implementing community health outreach programs and digital healthcare platforms to help everyone access high-quality, borderless healthcare.

Regarding cost: We standardize processes, optimize hospital stay days and manage operational efficiency to reduce the financial burden on patients while maintaining the highest quality of service.

"Value-Based Care is not just a philosophy, but the way we measure, operate, and make decisions every day."

• Vinmec is known as a place that gathers the leading experts in Vietnam, with a deep human resource development strategy and long-term vision. Can you share Vinmec's philosophy and orientation in building the next generation of medical leaders?

In healthcare, technology and facilities can be bought, but people must be cultivated to create the next generation – that is how we build a sustainable healthcare system. Vinmec always believes that the quality of a healthcare system starts with the quality of its people. We are not only looking for doctors with good expertise, but also those who have the desire to serve and are willing to grow with the organization.

Vinmec's human resource strategy is based on three pillars: academic - inheritance - integration.

Academic, because we develop an integrated hospital-university-research institute model, where doctors treat, teach and research.

Inheritance, because we proactively train and develop the next generation of medical leaders, with a team of "golden generation" accompanying us - from liver transplant, emergency resuscitation, to orthopedic trauma, cancer, cardiovascular and immuno-allergy.

Vinmec does not stand alone but also integrates by connecting with the world's leading medical centers, to create an academic, international working environment full of development opportunities.

Currently, we are gathering many leading experts in Vietnam - those who have made their mark in the fields of organ transplantation, resuscitation, immunology, stem cells, orthopedics and cardiology. But what makes me most proud is not the reputation, but the culture of sharing knowledge and growing together.

Prof. Dr. Tran Trung Dung on the cover of Asian Hospital & Healthcare Management

• It is clear that research plays an important role in that journey. How is Vinmec connecting research and clinical practice?

Research is not just about scientific work, but about how we find solutions to the limitations of medicine.

At Vinmec’s research centers in collaboration with VinUni University, scientists and doctors work hand in hand, so that every research has practical value in treatment. At Vinmec, research does not stop in the laboratory – it accompanies doctors into the operating room, and follows patients throughout their recovery journey.

Thanks to this model, Vinmec has transferred and mastered many advanced technologies such as CAR-T and NK cell immunotherapy in cancer treatment; 3D printing technology to regenerate bones, chest and complex joints; or autologous cell therapy (AIET) to support cancer treatment, published and cited by prestigious international medical journals.

In addition, the research of Vinmec's medical team – from liver transplantation, cardiovascular, orthopedics, cancer to immunology – has been recognized and cited in the global research system.

When research and treatment become one, we are not just curing diseases – we are opening up the future of Vietnamese medicine.

Innovation elevates healthcare

• Based on that foundation, in the coming time, what initiatives will Vinmec focus on to improve patient experience and management quality?

A good patient experience doesn't come from processes, it comes from people feeling appreciated.

In the coming period, Vinmec will focus on four strategic initiatives to improve the quality of management and patient experience – starting with the people who create the system:

First, we focus on the professional development and morale of our physicians, nurses, and non-clinical staff. When staff feel empowered, educated, and cared for, they become ambassadors for the best patient experience.

Second, Vinmec will develop solutions for the health journey of a lifetime – aiming for “longevity” in the spirit of Value-Based Healthcare. Instead of just treating when a disease occurs, we focus on preventive medicine, early screening and personalized health management, helping customers live healthier, longer and more meaningful lives.

Third, we are promoting the community-integrated healthcare model, bringing healthcare closer to people than ever before. The Vinmec system will expand care services right at Vinhomes residential areas and partner satellites, through home healthcare and digital healthcare programs, so that people can access high-quality services without having to go to the hospital - a place reserved for complex treatments.

Fourth, Vinmec is promoting digital transformation in healthcare, through the development of the Vinmec Data Platform – which helps track the patient’s entire health journey, from prevention, treatment to recovery. AI technology is applied to predict complications early and personalize care more accurately, making each medical decision more scientific and safer.

At the same time, we expand the internal 5-star hospital rating system, publicly and transparently promoting quality across the entire network, aiming for absolute trust from patients and the community.

Ultimately, all our innovations come back to one question: Does this help patients live better? If the answer is yes, then Vinmec is on the right track.

Thank you for this conversation!

(Source: Asian Hospital & Healthcare Management Magazine)

Ngoc Quynh

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/he-thong-y-te-vinmec-vi-the-moi-cho-viet-nam-tren-ban-do-y-te-the-gioi-3383915.html