Nguyễn Văn Được, chairman of the municipal People’s Committee, presents the second-Class Labour Order to Bình Dân Hospital on February 28, marking its 70-year journey of surgical development. — Photo curtesy of the hospital

HCM CITY — Bình Dân Hospital in HCM City on February 28 officially received the second-class Labour Order and inaugurated its new central building, marking its 70-year journey of surgical development and reaffirming its role as one of Việt Nam’s leading tertiary surgical centres.

The second-class Labour Order, a prestigious State honour recognising collectives with outstanding and long-standing contributions to national development, was presented to the hospital by Nguyễn Văn Được, chairman of the municipal People’s Committee.

Founded in 1953 at the initiative of then health minister Dr Tân Hàm Nghiệp and 178 philanthropists, the hospital was originally established to provide free treatment for the poor.

It began offering outpatient services on March 23, 1955, followed by inpatient care later that year, operating under an institute-school model in close cooperation with the University of Medicine in HCM City to integrate treatment, training and research.

Over seven decades, the hospital has grown from a modest charitable facility into a Grade I specialised hospital and a final referral centre for surgery, widely regarded as a cradle of the southern region’s surgical sector.

Before 1975, it was home to many of the country’s leading surgeons across specialties including gastrointestinal, thoracic, cardiovascular, urology, orthopaedics and oncology.

Generations of doctors trained at the hospital have gone on to contribute to complex procedures such as organ transplantation, oncologic surgery and advanced reconstructive techniques both in Việt Nam and abroad.

The newly inaugurated central building of Bình Dân Hospital, featuring modern operating theatres and advanced imaging systems, officially opens in HCM City on February 28.

Speaking at the ceremony, Associate Professor Dr Trần Vĩnh Hưng, director of Bình Dân Hospital, said the award recognised the dedication of generations of doctors and medical staff in protecting and improving public health.

Looking ahead to the next five years, hospital leaders outlined three strategic priorities: building a smart hospital through comprehensive digital transformation; establishing a Robotic Surgery and Training Centre to serve as a national and regional hub for training and technology transfer; and further developing high-quality human resources while expanding international cooperation to foster a strong academic environment.

Robotic surgery has become a highlight of the hospital’s recent development.

Since introducing the technology in 2016, the hospital has completed more than 3,800 robotic procedures, particularly in urologic and gastrointestinal cancers, and trained 23 surgical teams while transferring techniques to hospitals in the Philippines and Malaysia.

In early 2026, the city’s Department of Health licensed the hospital as an official robotic surgery training centre.

In 2025 alone, the hospital performed more than 31,000 operations, including over 5,000 highly complex cases and 17,000 Grade I procedures.

It recorded more than 700,000 outpatient visits and 77,000 inpatient admissions.

The hospital also ranked first among 124 medical facilities in HCM City for quality management, according to municipal health authorities.

The newly inaugurated central building, comprising eight above-ground floors, two basements and 240 inpatient beds, features 11 international-standard operating rooms, including a hybrid theatre.

Advanced imaging systems such as 128-slice CT scanners and 1.5 Tesla MRI integrated with artificial intelligence have been deployed, and electronic medical records were implemented ahead of the national deadline in 2025.

Doctors perform robotic surgery at Bình Dân Hospital, which has completed more than 3,800 robotic procedures since 2016.

Tăng Chí Thượng, director of the city’s Department of Health, said the hospital’s young doctors recently volunteered to rotate to Côn Đảo Special Zone, where they performed complex surgeries to support local healthcare services.

“That is the spirit of physicians — wherever patients need care, doctors will be present,” he said, expressing gratitude to generations of medical workers who have helped build the hospital’s reputation nationwide.

Hospital leaders emphasised that technological advancement goes hand in hand with deep specialisation and academic development.

Over the past decade, the hospital’s departments have been reorganised into highly specialised units, while programmes such as Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) have reduced average hospital stays from 6.5 days in 2017 to 5.6 days in 2025.

From a courtyard hospital with tiled-roof buildings in the 1950s to a modern surgical complex equipped with robotics and digital systems, the hospital’s transformation reflects both continuity and innovation.

The second-class Labour Order not only honours its past achievements but also marks a new chapter as the hospital strives to elevate Vietnamese surgery to regional and international standards while preserving the humanitarian spirit embedded in its name — “for the people.” — VNS