The decisive moment of young doctors
On September 9, the 51st course of resident doctor candidates of Hanoi Medical University will enter the most important moment: Choosing a training major for the next 3 years.
Before 2016, students taking the resident doctor exam had to register for a major right before the exam. However, from 2016, Hanoi Medical University implemented a new enrollment method, and at the same time expanded training quotas.
According to this method, candidates take the exam and base on the results achieved to choose a major in order of results and aspirations. This method helps young doctors have more time to consider, and at the same time contributes to allocating training targets more publicly, transparently and appropriately.
In recent years, Matching Day has not only been an important event for young doctors but has also become one of the activities attracting attention on social networks.
In 2025, the image of a series of young doctors simultaneously chanting the specialty they chose in the lecture hall created a special moment. Inpatient doctors, who are considered the "essence of the essence", making career decisions at the same time have made Matching Day an event of great interest to many people.
Not training surgeons, we train warriors
Before Matching Day 2026, resident doctor candidates of course 51 (2026-2029) had a meeting with Assoc. Prof. Dr. Duong Duc Hung, Director of Viet Duc Friendship Hospital, Head of the Department of Surgery, Hanoi Medical University and teachers of the Department of Surgery.
Here, candidates heard very frank shares about the path of inpatient surgery training - a choice that is considered challenging but also opens up opportunities for high-level professional training.
According to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Duong Duc Hung, the training philosophy of the Department of Surgery is not simply to train good surgeons.
The larger goal is to build doctors with bravery, adaptability and sufficient capacity to work in many different environments.
We still tell each other, we don't train surgeons, we train real warriors, like special forces. After completing the resident doctor program organized at Viet Duc Friendship Hospital, you can operate in any environment," Assoc. Prof. Dr. Duong Duc Hung shared.
According to him, resident doctors must be placed in a training environment that is strict enough to create truly capable people.
Quintessence cannot have a majority," Assoc. Prof. Dr. Duong Duc Hung said, and at the same time said that it is necessary to return to the core values of resident doctor training instead of chasing the trend of quantity.
Our Department of Surgery will take the lead, returning to the core values of boarding, not following the crowd trend. The'products' of foreign boarding of the Department of Surgery will be extremely attractive to medical facilities," he emphasized.
Recruit 15 people, not necessarily all 15 graduates
For course 51 in 2026, the Department of Surgery is expected to recruit 15 resident-trained doctors.
A noteworthy point is that doctors will study, live and be arranged for accommodation at the hospital throughout the training process. The Department of Surgery does not aim to have enough 15 doctors graduate after 3 years at all costs.
If in the training process, students do not meet professional standards or violate the set regulations, the teachers will evaluate and screen them.
There may only be 10 people at the output, but those 10 people must ensure quality," Assoc. Prof. Dr. Duong Duc Hung emphasized.
This message shows a different approach in resident doctor training: not putting pressure on the number of people completing the program by the quality of doctors who emerge from the training program.
For young doctors, choosing a major at Matching Day is not simply choosing an empty position. It could be a decision associated with expertise, working environment and career development direction for many years afterwards. Before this important moment, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Duong Duc Hung did not make promises about an easy path.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Duong Duc Hung hopes that after 3 years, the 51st course of surgical resident doctors can review their decisions and confidently say that today's choice is the right one.
“We want to receive the answer after 3 years of studying, you will say: ‘When I choose boarding school, it's probably the wisest choice in my life’,” he shared.
