Doctors and medical staff work at Bạch Mai Hospital, Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photo Minh Quyết

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam’s medical residency training model requires reform as the country confronts two pressing challenges: increasing the number of specialist doctors to meet rising social demand while ensuring quality standards that enable international integration.

Professor Lê Ngọc Thành, Rector of the University of Medicine and Pharmacy under Vietnam National University, Hà Nội, said the time had come for comprehensive and coordinated reform in medical workforce training, one that both meets domestic needs and aligns with global standards.

He said that residency training should be regarded as a pivotal stage in developing advanced clinical expertise.

To that end, he proposed a roadmap centred on the introduction of a national competency examination to rank candidates, forming the basis for students to choose their specialities and training hospitals.

Such a system would not only ensure transparency and fairness but also facilitate a more rational allocation of high-quality medical personnel, he said.

Under the model, undergraduate medical education would last six years, followed by three to five years of postgraduate training, depending on the speciality.

Sharing the view, Professor Nguyễn Hữu Tú, Rector of Hanoi Medical University, said that residency training worldwide had undergone significant changes.

He suggested that residency programmes should be defined as in-depth specialist training lasting four to five years, alongside adjustments to entry criteria to ensure suitability.

The National Medical Council is currently preparing to introduce a nationwide competency assessment from late 2027, which training institutions could integrate with their own entrance examinations.

Professor Nguyễn Trung Kiên, Rector of Cần Thơ University of Medicine and Pharmacy, said that while reform requires a clear roadmap, further delays would hinder international integration.

He proposed integrating competency assessments, specialist training entrance exams and professional licensing into a unified system to reduce pressure on learners, conserve resources and improve administrative efficiency.

Supply falls short of demand

Residency training in Việt Nam was first introduced in 1974.

To date, 13 out of 34 medical and pharmaceutical universities nationwide have been licensed to offer the specialised form of training.

By the end of last year, the institutions had trained 8,441 resident doctors, with a further 1,276 expected to graduate in 2026.

Hanoi Medical University and the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in HCM City, both with longstanding traditions in the field, account for the majority of residency graduates.

Within hospitals, resident doctors represent a highly qualified workforce, playing a central role in clinical care, emergency services and intensive care while also contributing to training, technology transfer to lower-level facilities, student supervision and scientific research.

A key factor underpinning the success of Việt Nam’s residency training model is its transparent, competitive and merit-based admissions process, including the selection of specialities.

The training process itself is rigorous, with learning taking place primarily in clinical settings rather than lecture halls.

Senior physicians mentor, supervise and support trainees, imparting not only knowledge and skills but also professional attitudes.

Due to stringent requirements in admissions and training, resident doctors account for only around 4–5 per cent of all medical graduates each year.

As a scarce but highly skilled workforce, nearly all residency graduates go on to work in central and tertiary-level hospitals.

However, even top-tier hospitals continue to face shortages and have strong demand for resident doctors.

A recent survey conducted by the University of Medicine and Pharmacy under the Vietnam National University, Hanoi, across more than 30 central and provincial hospitals, including Bạch Mai, E Hospital, the National Children’s Hospital and facilities in Nghệ An, Phú Thọ and Thanh Hóa, found that demand for resident doctors in 2026 and 2027 could reach approximately 7,500 positions, with some hospitals seeking to recruit up to 400.

From a local management perspective, Lê Văn Cường, Director of Thanh Hóa Province’s Department of Health, suggested increasing the proportion of resident doctors from the current 4–5 per cent to around 10 per cent in the future to meet demand at provincial level and above.

However, he added that this would require financial support mechanisms for trainees and a well-designed workforce allocation strategy.

Legal framework taking shape

According to Associate Professor Nguyễn Tri Thức, Deputy Minister of Health, for the first time, the title of resident doctor has been codified in law.

The 2025 Law on Higher Education stipulates that advanced postgraduate training programmes in the health sector, leading to qualifications such as resident doctor and specialist doctor, will be guided, implemented and managed by the Minister of Health.

The development underscores the urgent need to revise Government Decree No. 111/2017 on the organisation of clinical training in health education, as well as to issue detailed guidance on the implementation of advanced specialist training programmes.

The aim is to tighten quality control and prevent the unchecked expansion of training programmes that fail to meet required standards.

The health sector is now entering a critical phase in establishing a comprehensive legal framework for residency training.

The ministry is expected to issue regulations governing the organisation and management of residency programmes, focusing on two key pillars: standardised curricula for each speciality and accreditation standards for teaching hospitals based on their training capacity.

Professor Nguyễn Vũ Quốc Huy, Rector of the University of Medicine and Pharmacy under Huế University, argued that forthcoming regulations should establish a common competency framework while allowing flexibility in implementation to reflect the specific characteristics of each speciality and training facility.

Some disciplines require longer training periods in line with international models, suggesting that Việt Nam should adopt a tiered approach to training duration rather than a rigid, one-size-fits-all system. — VNS