On May 30, Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan sent a letter of commendation to the team of doctors from Tu Du Hospital and Children's Hospital 1 in Ho Chi Minh City for the successful performance of their ninth fetal heart intervention. The surgery saved the life of a 25-week-old fetus of a Singaporean woman.

The procedure, carried out on May 28, was performed on a fetus weighing less than 600 grams with a rare congenital heart defect. The patient was referred to Vietnam by Singaporean medical specialists for this highly complex procedure. The close collaboration between doctors, nurses, and technicians from both hospitals ensured the success of the surgery, marking a significant milestone in Vietnam's medical advancement.

In her letter, Minister Dao Hong Lan emphasized that fetal cardiac intervention is an advanced technique requiring deep expertise, precision, and interdisciplinary coordination. Mastery of this technique demonstrates the exceptional capabilities of Vietnam's medical professionals and affirms the country's standing in the international medical community.

This procedure is currently only performed successfully in a few medically advanced countries. That Singapore - a nation with a world-class healthcare system - entrusted Vietnam with this procedure is a testament to Vietnam’s remarkable medical progress.

Minister Dao Hong Lan also praised the direction of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health and the tireless efforts of the medical teams from the two hospitals.

This achievement brings hope to thousands of expectant mothers and their families and opens new pathways in the early diagnosis and treatment of complex conditions during pregnancy - a significant step forward in Vietnam’s integration into global medical science.

“This is not only a technical and medical achievement but also a deeply humanitarian success, where fragile lives on the edge of survival were saved by the skill, dedication, and compassion of doctors - true mothers at heart,” Minister Dao Hong Lan wrote.

According to the team, this case, involving a 25-week-old fetus weighing just 600 grams, was the most challenging among the nine fetal cardiac interventions performed at Tu Du Hospital to date.

Because the mother was a foreign national and the fetus’s condition was rapidly worsening, the procedure involved added pressure and difficulty. The first attempt on May 20 was unsuccessful, necessitating a second intervention. When the second procedure succeeded, the family, the patient, and the medical team all broke into tears, overwhelmed with emotion.

Phuong Thuy