The young female doctor enjoys conquering challenges.

Dr. Chu Thi Hong Phuong (29 years old) is currently the youngest doctor in the Neonatal Department 2 - Metabolism - Genetics at Children's Hospital 1 - where many children with rare diseases are treated.

Doctor Hong Phuong - Photo: D.PHAN

The reason for choosing this place is partly to help underprivileged children, and partly because the doctor wants to "conquer" difficult diseases!

Looking back on her journey, Hong Phuong smiled happily: "It's true that from a young age I've always liked conquering difficult things! When I like something, I'll definitely choose only it, without any second or third options."

I learned a great deal from seeing how good people treated each other.
Doctor Hong Phuong

I chose the medical profession to help people.

Back when she was a student, Hong Phuong loved "conquering" the most difficult entrance exams for prestigious schools in Ho Chi Minh City. While in 5th grade, a neighbor told her that getting into the 6th grade at Tran Dai Nghia Specialized High School required passing a very tough exam. From that day on, young Hong Phuong was determined to invest her time in studying and pass the entrance exam to this notoriously difficult school.

After graduating from Tran Dai Nghia Specialized High School, she chose to take the entrance exam for the High School for the Gifted (Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City) - a high school with a rich tradition of national and international achievements and a very high admission competition rate.

While other students could register for additional "backup" exams, Hong Phuong chose only the specialized mathematics program at the High School for the Gifted that year. Later, when she applied to the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Ho Chi Minh City, she only chose the general medicine program.

Sharing her thoughts on her unwavering choices, Hong Phuong said, "What I like will captivate me, while what I don't like will be difficult to do, or even impossible." Phuong believes she is just like her peers, differing only in her choices.

She always chooses what she truly likes, rather than following trends or the crowd. Once she's made a choice, she strives and is determined to pursue it to the end, without thinking or wanting to choose otherwise.

Although her family had no medical tradition, Hong Phuong's journey into the medical field was sparked by a Korean drama. At that time, Phuong was only in junior high school.

She was captivated by the main character, a female doctor who quietly helped HIV/AIDS patients forgotten by society and volunteered to go to Africa and Latin America to assist the most impoverished patients. Since watching the film, Phuong has chosen medicine as her profession and is determined to apply to the Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy.

According to Hong Phuong, studying medicine is indeed very hard. Phuong quotes a saying that describes the daily schedule of medical students: "Studying during the day, working night shifts, and taking exams on weekends!" This means that medical students' time is always packed, with almost all their schedules dedicated to studying and exams.

As a third-year student at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy, thanks to her excellent academic results, participation in many extracurricular activities, strong foreign language skills, and passion for scientific research, Hong Phuong was selected to study at Tsukuba University in Japan for an exchange program.

In her fourth year of university, driven by her love for children, Hong Phuong decided to specialize in pediatrics. During her internship at Children's Hospital 1, Phuong became curious and eager to learn about rare, novel, and even rather perplexing cases in the Neonatal Department 2 - Metabolism - Genetics.

It was during this internship period that Hong Phuong made a good impression on her colleagues and the hospital's leadership with her keen ability to grasp and approach problems, as well as her enthusiastic and dedicated work ethic.

In 2023, after completing her internship, Hong Phuong was officially hired to work in the department – ​​which treats tiny newborns and, in particular, manages and treats rare diseases, including metabolic disorders – a new and very challenging field.

With a nature that enjoys conquering challenges, Hong Phuong says she is thoroughly researching these "unusual" diseases. Not only in Vietnam, but even in advanced countries around the world , research into rare diseases is ongoing. Another reason she chose this place to work is that, specifically for rare diseases, the number of doctors treating them is very limited, making it much more difficult for patients to access treatment.

"These children are unfortunate from the moment they are born. They have no choice, so I choose to help them," said Dr. Hong Phuong.

Arrive early to provide the best care for the patient.

Although work starts at 7:00 AM every day, Dr. Hong Phuong is always present in the department by 6:30 AM. She has a habit of arriving early to review all the pediatric patient records beforehand. This allows her to grasp the basic information about each patient before work begins, enabling her to quickly determine the appropriate treatment plan and thoroughly explain the child's condition to their family.

Phượng is currently single and very passionate about scientific research, so after work she often spends time at the department studying more patient cases to conduct research projects. Although she has only worked at Children's Hospital 1 (Ho Chi Minh City) for two years, Hong Phượng and her colleagues have already had five scientific articles published in the Vietnam Medical Journal.

Dr. Hong Phuong also has a habit of going to bed early and waking up at 3 am to read documents and conduct research. "Nowadays, many young people live like night owls, staying up late to work, but I work more efficiently in the early morning, so I maintain this habit," she shared.

Thanks to her spirit of continuous learning, research, and dedication to patients, in September 2024, Hong Phuong was selected by the leadership of Children's Hospital 1 to attend a conference on congenital metabolic disorders in Portugal. In October 2024, the doctor accompanied the hospital's leadership to Singapore to learn about the model and experience in treating neonatal diseases.

"While I'm young, healthy, and have time, I need to take advantage of it to learn as much as possible and travel to as many places as possible, because I don't know what responsibilities I might have later," Hong Phuong said. The doctor's plan is to pursue further studies and earn a PhD in genetics before the age of 35 to have the opportunity to delve deeper into rare diseases – those largely caused by gene mutations.

Hong Phuong believes she is fortunate to have great role models in the hospital and in the department to learn from. These doctors, despite their busy schedules, always remember the children with rare diseases they have treated, remember each child's preferences, and always make time to visit them whenever they are hospitalized.

It helps to find and diagnose many complex cases in the department.

Doctor Hong Phuong during a business trip to Portugal in September 2024 - Photo: provided by the subject.

Dr. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Trang, deputy head of the Neonatal Department 2 - Metabolism - Genetics, said that Dr. Hong Phuong, despite her young age, has very solid expertise and is diligent in learning and researching, helping to find and diagnose many complex cases in the department. She is dedicated to her work, committed to her patients, and collaborates very well with her colleagues. "The dynamism of youth and her highly professional work ethic are outstanding characteristics of this youngest doctor in the department," Dr. Trang shared.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/nu-bac-si-tre-thich-chinh-phuc-kho-khan-20250531120629674.htm