Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine has released its conclusions regarding the 2025 doctoral admissions process, including the case of candidate Au Nhat Huy.
Photo: Ha Anh
Establish a working group to review the doctoral admissions process.
On the afternoon of October 9th, Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine sent a document to the leaders of the Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Department of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee and the leaders of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee reporting on the review, in accordance with the Regulations on doctoral admission and training, of candidates admitted to doctoral programs in 2025.
According to this report, on September 30th, the university announced the results of the 2025 doctoral entrance examination. Subsequently, information appeared on social media suggesting "problems in the admissions process." The incident was shared on many social media sites, some of the content showing signs of speculation, along with reporting from various media outlets from different perspectives, affecting the university's reputation and creating negative public opinion.
After receiving the above information, the university established a working group to review the doctoral admissions process for 2025. On October 9th, the Postgraduate Admissions Council for 2025-2026 met to consider the case of candidate Au Nhat Huy.
The mother of candidate Au Nhat Huy did not participate in this year's postgraduate admissions process.
Based on the report of the Task Force and the minutes of the Admissions Council meeting, Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine has issued its conclusion.
Regarding the implementation process and admissions documents, the university issued the 2025 doctoral admissions announcement on time, publicly available on its website as per current regulations, ensuring that all eligibility requirements were met. A total of 31 candidates participated in the doctoral entrance examination across four disciplines: surgery (9 candidates), pediatrics (4 candidates), internal medicine (15 candidates), and otolaryngology (3 candidates). Candidate applications were received, reviewed, and fully archived.
The working group reviewed the records and found that the eligibility criteria (degrees, foreign language certificates, scientific works) were determined in accordance with regulations. The selection process, including the presentation and scoring of research proposals, and the approval of successful candidates, proceeded according to plan, with minutes of the Admissions Council meetings and transparent scoring lists.
Regarding the information reflected on social media, the conclusion of Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine states: "Some social media sites and forums have posted and shared information about the case of candidate Au Nhat Huy, born in 2001, being admitted to the doctoral program in medicine, along with comments and speculations about personal relationships and the transparency of the admission process." Regarding the case of candidate Au Nhat Huy, after verification, the university confirms that the candidate's name is on the list of admitted students, that the admission process was correct, that the application was valid at the time of admission, and that the admission score met the regulations.
Regarding the case of a relative of candidate Au Nhat Huy participating in the admissions process, according to the university's regulations on doctoral training and admissions, if a faculty member or lecturer has a relative involved in the admissions process, they will not participate in any examination committee. In this case, Associate Professor, Doctor Tran Thi Khanh Tuong, the mother of candidate Au Nhat Huy, did not participate in any activities during this year's postgraduate admissions process, in accordance with the principle of eliminating conflicts of interest and ensuring compliance with the current regulations on doctoral training and admissions.
Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine is committed to adhering to the principle of scientific integrity in all its activities.
Photo: Ha Anh
The lead author of an internationally published paper has announced the retraction of the article.
Regarding the scientific paper submitted by candidate Au Nhat Huy for the entrance exam, Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine stated that all scientific papers submitted by candidates must be published in journals included in the 2025 list of scientific journals eligible for points according to Decision 26/QD-HDGSNN issued on July 11, 2025; and meet the admission criteria in the Ministry of Education and Training's regulations, which state "research experience demonstrated through a master's thesis or published scientific papers/reports," and the university's regulations, which state "research experience demonstrated through a master's thesis or published scientific papers/reports in peer-reviewed journals."
Specifically, at the time of application, the candidate submitted 8 articles, including 5 articles published in domestic journals with a 0-1 point rating according to the State Council of Professors 2025 ranking, and 3 articles published in international journals listed in the Scopus database during the publication period.
Based on the 8 papers submitted by the candidate, the total converted score for research experience is 11 points. However, the maximum score (ceiling) for research experience is only 10 points, and these 10 points are used by the specialized subcommittee to calculate the total score. Therefore, the average total score of the candidate is 88.8 points.
On October 8th, the school received notification from the principal author of an international paper, "Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Fatty Liver Disease in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients: Insights From Vietnam," which was submitted by candidate Au Nhat Huy for the doctoral entrance exam scoring (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients: Insights From Vietnam) (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Dis. 2025 Jul 25;12(4):294–303), stating that the published paper was withdrawn. The converted score for the candidate's research experience with the remaining 7 papers would be 9.5 points. Therefore, the Admissions Council unanimously decided to reduce the total average score from 88.8 points to 88.3 points, a score that would not affect the results of the doctoral entrance exam.
Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine stated that it has proactively provided official information to the press, affirming that the admissions process was conducted in accordance with current regulations, ensuring that training, research, and admissions activities proceeded as planned. The university is committed to adhering to the principle of scientific integrity in all its activities. If any issues related to scientific integrity concerning the university's staff or individuals are discovered, further review, verification, and handling will be carried out according to regulations.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/vi-sao-truong-dh-y-khoa-pham-ngoc-thach-ha-diem-cua-thi-sinh-au-nhat-huy-185251009181624359.htm
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