Developing specialized surgery, bringing advanced techniques to remote areas

Professor, Dr. Tran Van Thuan, Deputy Minister of Health spoke at the conference.

On November 14, the Vietnam Association of Surgical and Endoscopic Surgery held the National Scientific Conference on Surgery and Endoscopic Surgery 2025; the 2nd Congress of Delegates of the Vietnam Association of Surgical and Endoscopic Surgery, term 2025-2030.

The conference was attended by many experts from China, India, Thailand and the Netherlands, increasing the academic depth in the fields of hepatobiliary, oncology, post-operative ERAS, robotic surgery and resuscitation nutrition. The conference had nearly 350 scientific reports.

Efforts to create equity in access to health care

Sharing with reporters at the conference, Professor, Doctor Tran Binh Giang, Vietnam Association of Surgery and Endoscopic Surgery, former Director of Viet Duc Friendship Hospital said that Vietnam is taking very close steps to the development of surgical techniques of major centers in the world . Vietnam has developed many new, specialized techniques in the field of surgery and endoscopy; performing many endoscopic techniques on organs in the body: abdomen, chest, cardiovascular, brain, single-hole endoscopic surgery...

Regarding organ transplants, Vietnam is making very rapid progress and the number of transplants is growing and saving the lives of many patients.

"We not only transplant a single organ, but now we have performed multiple organ transplants from brain-dead donors. We have also applied new techniques such as endoscopic multi-organ harvesting and transplantation for patients. Currently, more and more patients, including foreigners, are seeking treatment and organ transplant opportunities in Vietnam," Professor Tran Binh Giang shared.

Professor, Doctor Tran Binh Giang, Vietnam Association of Surgery and Endoscopic Surgery, former Director of Viet Duc Friendship Hospital spoke at the conference.

Regarding the application of information technology, the Chairman of the association assessed that the application of robots is being strongly deployed in the surgical industry. Generations of multi-purpose robots are increasingly upgraded, ensuring precision in surgery, eliminating vibrations of the body and hands of technicians.

With the deployment of high-tech information systems, experts at large centers can support local doctors in operating on patients in remote areas, areas geographically isolated by storms and floods. Professor Tran Binh Giang affirmed: When the transmission line is guaranteed to be fast and effective, it is within reach for doctors in Hanoi to operate on patients far away in Ho Chi Minh City.

"The development of Vietnam's surgical industry is extremely strong, going in depth, keeping up with the world," Professor Tran Binh Giang emphasized.

In parallel with developing specialized techniques and using high technology at large centers, the association also supports localities so that patients in remote areas can enjoy the fruits of scientific and technological development.

"The Association has organized many laparoscopic surgery training courses for many localities. The Association has also sent experts to remote localities such as Dong Van, Sop Cop and many mountainous hospitals to bring high technology to serve patients. When an ethnic minority patient with appendicitis is given laparoscopic surgery in the locality and is discharged from the hospital in just over a day to return to normal life, it is a miracle for the people," Professor Giang shared.

He also affirmed that many countries have developed large advanced surgical centers, but compared to bringing this technique to remote areas, some countries are not sure to do it like Vietnam. Vietnam has been making efforts to create equality in access to medical services, bringing the best techniques to the people.

Surgery needs to take a pioneering role in high-tech development.

Speaking at the conference, Professor, Dr. Tran Van Thuan, Deputy Minister of Health, said that from an organization merging two predecessor associations, the Vietnam Association of Surgical and Endoscopic Surgery has quickly consolidated its organization, growing its membership to more than 2,000 people, spread across hospitals, research institutes and medical facilities across the country.

The association's professional and scientific research activities are vibrant, practical and in-depth. Hundreds of training courses, dozens of national and international conferences and seminars have been held annually, contributing to the dissemination of knowledge, updating new techniques, and improving the professional qualifications of the surgical team.

Delegates attending the conference.

The Deputy Minister suggested that the surgical sector should play a pioneering role in developing high technology, innovating medical technology and improving professional capacity standards; promoting research and application of smart surgical solutions, using robots, diagnostic imaging, artificial intelligence, 3D simulation, rapid recovery technology... to improve treatment quality, reduce hospital stay, and especially optimize costs for patients, in the spirit of humanistic medicine, "taking patients as the center".

In addition, the association proactively connects departments and bureaus under the Ministry of Health to build and standardize the system of professional guidelines, technical procedures, regularly update, synchronize and link with specialized training levels. At the same time, participate and accompany the National Medical Council in the work of standardizing the assessment of professional capacity, granting advanced certificates for surgical specialties, ensuring that surgical human resources are both professionally solid and practice standardized according to international practices.

The Deputy Minister suggested that the Association's Journal should strive to meet Scopus and ACI standards and expand its scope of influence in the region.

"We are also facing a great opportunity to affirm our national position in the field of surgery - endoscopic surgery when the Association prepares to host the Asian Conference in Hue in 2026. This is an opportunity to introduce to international friends the level of Vietnamese surgery, and at the same time, it is a challenge for us to prepare for further milestones, possibly organizing the World Endoscopic Surgery Conference in Vietnam in the next decade," the Deputy Minister suggested.

Overview of the conference.

At the same time, the association needs to pay more attention to the social responsibility of the surgical sector such as expanding humanitarian surgical activities, surgical screening for people in remote areas, developing a network of grassroots surgeries with professional guidance from high-tech specialized centers, helping to realize the policy of comprehensive health care for all people throughout the life cycle according to Resolution 72.

At the conference, many outstanding scientific and treatment topics took place such as: High technology applications (Robots and ICG imaging techniques); Comprehensive Recovery Program (ERAS); Organ transplant achievements such as reporting on the experience of the first successful heart-lung transplant in Vietnam, and the application of laparoscopic surgery in liver transplantation.

Overview reports from foreign experts focus on the topic of nutrition in surgery: "Optimizing nutrition for postoperative patients: Update from ESPEN 2025".

The 2nd Congress of the Vietnam Association of Surgical and Endoscopic Surgery, term 2025-2030.

Within the framework of the congress, specialized techniques were also demonstrated, with the surgeries on November 14 being all difficult and modern techniques such as: Live broadcast of laparoscopic surgery to reconstruct anterior/posterior cruciate ligaments using the all-inside technique; demonstration surgery of laparoscopic liver resection using ICG...

2025 is a particularly important year, marking a milestone in the development process of the Association - the year of the 2nd Congress of the Vietnam Association of Surgical and Endoscopic Surgery for the 2025-2030 term.

This event not only summarizes the achievements but also promises to bring many changes and improvements in the association's activities, contributing to promoting the development of surgery and endoscopic surgery in the country as well as internationally. At the same time, it marks a historical milestone for the journey of tireless dedication of doctors, surgeons in particular and the Vietnamese surgical industry in general.

THIEN LAMB

Source: https://nhandan.vn/phat-trien-chuyen-sau-ngoai-khoa-dua-ky-thuat-tien-tien-ve-vung-sau-vung-xa-post923078.html