10 Most Influential Vietnamese Doctors Throughout History

Published in

Heritage Digest

13 min readMar 9, 2024

Vietnam has been home to numerous medical pioneers whose contributions have significantly influenced local and global healthcare. These Vietnamese doctors have made groundbreaking strides from traditional medicine to modern surgical practices. This article celebrates ten of the most influential Vietnamese doctors throughout history whose dedication and achievements have impacted medicine.

Lê Hữu Trác (1720–1791)
Tôn Thất Tùng (1912–1982)
Đặng Văn Ngữ (1910–1967)
Phạm Ngọc Thạch (1909–1968)
Alexandre Yersin (1863–1943)
Hoang Tich Minh (1904–2001)
Nguyễn Tài Thu (1931–2021)
Nguyễn Khắc Viện (1913–1997)
Lê Khánh Đồng (1905–1976)
Hoàng Tích Trí (1903–1958)

1. Lê Hữu Trác (1720–1791)

Lê Hữu Trác, also known as Hải Thượng Lãn Ông, was born on November 11, 1720, in Văn Xá village, Liêu Xá region, Đường Hào district, Thượng Hồng city, Hải Dương province, which is now part of Hưng Yên province in Vietnam. His early life in this region, known for its rich cultural and historical heritage, likely influenced his later work and accomplishments.

At the age of sixteen, in 1740, Hữu Trác was conscripted into the army. However, his military service was cut short in 1746 following the death of his eldest brother. He then returned to civilian life, living in Hương Sơn District with his elderly mother. This period marked a turning point in his life, as he began to focus on studying medicine, particularly interested in finding a cure for smallpox. This interest was further intensified by personal tragedy when his son succumbed to the disease in 1758 at the age of five.

Lê Hữu Trác’s medical career reached a significant milestone in 1782 when Lord Trịnh Sâm summoned him to treat the Crown Prince in Đông Kinh. His successful treatment and innovative methods in medicine earned him widespread recognition and respect, establishing him as the most celebrated doctor in Vietnamese history. His contributions, particularly in smallpox, were groundbreaking for the time. Lê Hữu Trác passed away in 1791 in Hà Tĩnh, leaving behind a legacy as a pioneer in traditional Vietnamese medicine. His work and teachings continue to influence the practice of medicine in Vietnam to this day.

2. Tôn Thất Tùng (1912–1982)

Tôn Thất Tùng was born on May 10, 1912, in Thanh Hoa and grew up in Hue, Vietnam. Coming from a noble family of the Nguyen Dynasty, he broke tradition by pursuing medicine instead of becoming an official. In 1931, Tùng moved to Hanoi to attend Bao Ho High School, and in 1935, he began studying at the Indochina School of Medicine and Pharmacy. His background in a prominent family and his education in a colonial environment shaped his approach to medicine, emphasizing equality and accessibility.

During his studies, Tôn Thất Tùng encountered restrictions placed by the colonial government, which limited native medical students’ opportunities. He successfully challenged these restrictions, becoming the first native doctor to pass the residency exam at Hanoi School of Medicine and Pharmacy in 1938. This achievement set a precedent for indigenous doctors in Vietnam. His discovery of worms in a patient’s bile ducts led to his groundbreaking research on liver anatomy, earning him a Silver Medal from the University of Paris for his thesis on liver blood vessels.

Tôn Thất Tùng’s contributions to Vietnamese medicine are profound. After the August Revolution of 1945, he played a key role in President Ho Chi Minh's healthcare and wrote the first medical science book published in the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. He became the Deputy Minister of Health in 1947, a position he held until 1961. As Director of Viet Duc Friendship Hospital and Chairman of the Foreign Department at Hanoi University of Medicine and Pharmacy, he advanced Vietnamese medicine and surgery. Tùng was the first to perform heart surgery in Vietnam in 1958 and developed the “dry liver surgery method” in the 1960s. He passed away on May 7, 1982, in Hanoi, leaving a legacy of medical innovation and dedication.

3. Đặng Văn Ngữ (1910–1967)

Đặng Văn Ngữ, born on April 4, 1910, on the outskirts of Huế, Vietnam, grew up to become a prominent medical doctor and intellectual. His early years in the culturally rich city of Huế set the stage for his future academic and medical pursuits. The environment of his upbringing and the challenges he faced in Vietnam during his youth likely played a significant role in shaping his career path and his dedication to medical research and public health.

After graduating from the Indochina Medical University in 1937, Ngữ quickly established himself in medicine. He worked as an assistant to French physician and professor Henry Galliard, the school's dean of the Department of Bacteriology. This experience provided him with a solid foundation in medical research, leading him to direct the bacteriology lab in 1942 and complete 19 research topics. His studies in Japan in 1943 further expanded his expertise, and he became the President of the Patriotic Vietnamese Society in Japan in 1945.

Đặng Văn Ngữ’s major contributions to Vietnamese medicine are notable. Upon returning to Vietnam in 1949, he joined the Viet Minh to resist French rule and became a lead lecturer in bacteriology. His remarkable achievement during this period was penicillin's successful research and production. In 1955, he founded the Vietnamese Institute of Malaria — Bacteriology and Insects, serving as its first director. His research during the Vietnam War focused on preventing and treating malaria, a significant health concern in Vietnam. Tragically, Đặng Văn Ngữ’s life and career were cut short on April 1, 1967, when he was killed in an American bombing in the Annamite Range while researching malaria. Posthumously, he was awarded the Ho Chi Minh Prize for his invaluable contributions to medical research.

4. Phạm Ngọc Thạch (1909–1968)

Phạm Ngọc Thạch was born on May 7, 1909, in Quy Nhon, Binh Dinh province, Vietnam. He was raised in an influential family; his father was a teacher, Phạm Ngọc Tho, and his mother, Mrs. Cong Ton Nu Chanh Tin, was a member of the royal family of Hue. Orphaned at an early age, Thạch was supported by his sister, Mrs. Phạm Thi Ngoc Diep, who helped him pursue his medical studies. He graduated from Hanoi Medical University in 1928 and furthered his education in Paris, France, graduating as a doctor in 1934.

In France, Phạm Ngọc Thạch distinguished himself in the medical field, becoming the Director of the Tuberculosis Hospital in the eastern mountains of France and a specialist at the Haute Ville Sanatorium. Upon his return to Vietnam in 1936, he chose to open a private clinic instead of working for the government, quickly becoming successful and affluent. During this time, he also began participating in patriotic activities, including revolutionary activities in Saigon and serving as General Secretary of the Vietnam National Independence Party during the Popular Front period.

Phạm Ngọc Thạch’s contributions to Vietnamese medicine and politics were significant. After the August Revolution, he was appointed as the first Minister of Health of the Provisional Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. He played various key roles in the government, including Deputy Minister of Health and Minister of Health from 1958. In 1968, Thạch went to the Southern battlefield to organize and participate in treating wounded soldiers. He passed away on November 7, 1968, due to bile peritonitis and malignant malaria. His contributions to Vietnam’s medical field were recognized posthumously with the Ho Chi Minh Prize in 1997.

5. Alexandre Yersin (1863–1943)

Alexandre Emile Jean Yersin, born on September 22, 1863, in Aubonne, Switzerland, was a Swiss-French physician and bacteriologist renowned for discovering the bacillus responsible for bubonic plague. His posthumous birth to Jean-Alexandre-Marc Yersin and Fanny-Isaline-Emilie Moschell influenced his early life. Yersin’s education began in Lausanne, Switzerland, followed by studies in Marburg and Paris, where he delved deeply into medicine and bacteriology, setting the stage for his future scientific achievements.

Significant contributions to medical science marked Yersin’s career. After completing his education, he joined Louis Pasteur’s research laboratory at the École Normale Supérieure in 1886, where he worked under Emile Roux. This collaboration led to the discovery of the diphtheric toxin. Yersin’s doctoral dissertation on tuberculosis and his time with Robert Koch in Germany further honed his research skills. In 1889, he joined the newly created Pasteur Institute, collaborating with Roux and discovering the diphtheric toxin produced by Corynebacterium diphtheriae.

Yersin’s most notable achievement was the discovery of the plague bacillus, later named Yersinia pestis in his honor, during his investigation of a plague outbreak in Hong Kong in 1894. His discovery was crucial in understanding the transmission and treatment of the bubonic plague. Yersin’s work in Indochina, particularly the founding of the Vietnamese Institute of Malaria — Bacteriology and Insects and his directorship, highlighted his dedication to combating infectious diseases. He also played a significant role in agriculture, notably cultivating rubber trees and the quinine tree in Southeast Asia. Yersin passed away on March 1, 1943, in Nha Trang, leaving a profound legacy in medicine and microbiology.

6. Hoang Tich Minh (1904–2001)

Hoàng Tích Minh, born November 10, 1904, in Dong Ngac, Tu Liem, Hanoi, was a prominent Vietnamese doctor who significantly contributed to preventive medicine. Growing up in an intellectual family with a patriotic tradition, Minh and his brother Hoàng Tích Trí pursued medical studies in France to avoid being mere assistants to French doctors, as was the norm in Vietnam then. His early exposure to a family committed to education and national progress greatly influenced his career path in medicine.

After graduating as a medical doctor from Bordeaux Medical University 1934 specializing in Microbiology, Hoàng Tích Minh returned to Vietnam and joined the fight against French colonial rule. He was involved in the August Revolution in 1945 and was instrumental in setting up the Institute of Microbiology of Inter-Region 3 in the Viet Bac war zone. This initiative was crucial in providing essential vaccines during the resistance war. Minh’s role in organizing Vietnam’s medical and microbiology institutes was a testament to his commitment to advancing the country’s medical capabilities.

Hoàng Tích Minh’s legacy in Vietnamese medicine is profound. He served as the Deputy Director of the Central Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology from 1954 to 1975. He was a founding member of the Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology at Hanoi Medical University. His research on water supply, hygiene quality, and waste treatment laid the foundation for Vietnam’s standards in these areas. He also made significant contributions to food hygiene and nutrition. Minh was recognized for his work and was awarded the Ho Chi Minh Prize in 1996 and the second-class Independence Medal in 1994. He passed away in 2001, leaving behind a rich legacy in Vietnam’s medical history.

7. Nguyễn Tài Thu (1931–2021)

Nguyễn Tài Thu, born on April 6, 1931, in the rural village of Kim Hoàng, Vân Canh commune, Hoài Đức District, Hanoi, grew up in a Confucian family. His childhood was marked by the tumult of war in Hanoi during the 1940s, which profoundly influenced his aspiration to become a doctor. His desire to help those injured and affected by the war fueled this ambition. In 1952, Thu pursued his dream by beginning his journey in acupuncture, initially practicing on himself before treating others.

In 1953, Thu’s medical education took a significant turn when he was sent to China to study traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for six years. He graduated as a TCM doctor in 1958 and returned to Vietnam to serve in local military hospitals. In the late 1950s, Thu innovated in his field by developing a new acupuncture technique known as tân châm or renew acupuncture. His groundbreaking work in acupuncture continued through the 1960s, culminating in establishing the first Vietnam Acupuncture Association in 1968 under his proposal. Thu’s efforts were instrumental in developing and recognizing acupuncture within Vietnam’s medical community, eventually leading to the founding of the Vietnam Acupuncture Institute in 1982.

Nguyễn Tài Thu’s achievements in acupuncture are numerous and significant. He authored several books on various acupuncture techniques, contributing valuable knowledge to the medical field. His innovative techniques, such as numb acupuncture and drug addiction treatment acupuncture, gained international recognition and were introduced in 50 countries. Thu’s long-needle technique, using needles over 60 centimeters long for deep body acupuncture points, significantly improved the treatment method. His electroacupuncture technique for pain relief during surgery achieved a remarkable cure rate of 98.3% in over 100,000 surgeries. Thu was honored with prestigious titles such as People’s Physician, 1st class Labor Order, and Hero of Labor for his contributions. Additionally, he received an honorary doctorate from the Autonomous University of Zacatecas, Mexico, in recognition of his contributions to developing acupuncture therapeutic services. Nguyễn Tài Thu passed away on February 14, 2021, leaving a legacy as a pioneering figure in acupuncture and traditional medicine.

8. Nguyễn Khắc Viện (1913–1997)

Nguyễn Khắc Viện, born on February 5, 1913, in Hương Sơn, Vietnam, embarked on a multifaceted career as a historian, literary critic, political dissident, and advocate of Vietnamese health exercises akin to Yoga. His early journey to Paris in 1937 marked the beginning of a significant period in his life, characterized by his pursuit of medical studies and his emergence as a writer and political activist. At the time, Paris was a center for anti-imperialist political exiles, providing an influential backdrop for his formative years.

In 1947, two years after Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnamese independence, Viện became a member of the French Communist Party. His medical education was complemented by his engagement in political activism, particularly in propaganda and campaigns for Vietnamese national liberation. His efforts included working with French intellectuals and Vietnamese soldiers in the French army, underscoring his commitment to Vietnam’s independence and the broader anti-colonial movement.

Nguyễn Khắc Viện’s contributions extended beyond medicine into literature and politics. As a prominent voice for Vietnamese national liberation from 1953 until his expulsion to Vietnam in 1963, he edited French journals such as Études Vietnamiennes and Courrier du Vietnam. Writing under the pseudonym Nguyen Nghe, he critiqued works like Frantz Fanon’s “The Wretched of the Earth,” highlighting the complexities of independence movements. Despite facing a ban on his writings in the 1980s due to his criticism of the government, his influence persisted. He married Nguyen Thi Nhat in 1966 and had an adopted daughter. Nguyễn Khắc Viện passed away on May 10, 1997, leaving behind a legacy as a doctor, critic, and advocate for Vietnamese independence and health.

9. Lê Khánh Đồng (1905–1976)

Lê Khánh Đồng, born in 1905 in Hà Tĩnh Province, Vietnam, made significant contributions to Vietnamese traditional medicine. After graduating from Indochina Medical University in 1931, he worked in various hospitals across Vietnam and Laos. His directorship at the Nghệ An Provincial Health Service and Vinh Hospital between 1953–1957 exemplified his leadership in the healthcare sector.

As a pioneer in integrating traditional medicine into modern healthcare, Lê Khánh Đồng was instrumental in founding the Traditional Medicine Faculty at Hanoi Medical University and the National Hospital of Traditional Medicine. His tenure as the head of Training at this hospital from 1958 to 1970 showcased his dedication to educating future generations in traditional medical practices. His multilingual abilities and artistic talents, including poetry and music, further highlighted his diverse skills.

Lê Khánh Đồng’s contributions extended beyond medical practice into literature. His book “Simple Acupuncture,” written in 1962, made traditional medicine accessible to a broader audience. His collaboration with his son, Lê Khánh Thành, in creating herbal medical products like the 893 Traditional Medicine Shampoo demonstrated his innovative approach to healthcare. His works continue to influence Vietnamese traditional medicine and its modern applications. Descended from the Lê dynasty, Đồng’s family has a rich history of contributing to Vietnam’s cultural and medical heritage, further solidifying his legacy in the field.

10. Hoàng Tích Trí (1903–1958)

Hoàng Tích Trí, born on August 5, 1903, in Dong Ngac village, Tu Liem district (now Dong Ngac ward, Bac Tu Liem district), Hanoi, Vietnam, hailed from a family with a tradition of academics. His father’s participation in the Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc movement, a significant intellectual and educational reform movement in Vietnam, influenced his upbringing. This background fostered a deep respect for education and knowledge, which later defined his career in medicine and microbiology.

After completing his studies abroad and graduating as a medical doctor in 1932, Hoàng Tích Trí returned to Vietnam and joined the Pasteur Institute in Hanoi (now the Central Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology). There, he conducted pivotal research on the treatment of malaria, typhoid, dysentery, syphilis, and rabies — common and devastating diseases in Vietnam at the time. His tenure as Head of the Laboratory and Dean of the Pasteur Institute from 1935 to 1945, as well as as a Member of the Paris Microbiologists and Vice President of the Association of Indochina Doctors and Pharmacists, marked significant contributions to the field.

Hoàng Tích Trí’s career took a political turn after the August Revolution when he became the Deputy Minister of Health in the Provisional Government of Vietnam alongside Dr. Pham Ngoc Thach. He also served as the Director of the Vietnam Institute of Microbiology and an acting professor at Vietnam University of Medicine, Pharmacy, and Dentistry. During the resistance war against the French, he played a crucial role in building Vietnam’s medical network and manufacturing vaccines for typhoid, cholera, smallpox, and rabies. He continued to serve as Minister of Health after returning to Hanoi in 1954 until his death from a heart attack on November 21, 1958. Hoàng Tích Trí’s legacy in Vietnamese medicine remains influential, highlighted by his burial in his hometown of Dong Ngac village and a street in Hanoi named in his honor.