Vietnam’s medical community reached a new level of expertise in 2025, completing a series of highly complex surgeries that signal the country’s growing standing in advanced healthcare.
Among the most remarkable cases was a groundbreaking microsurgical procedure performed on a pregnant woman carrying twins. After a severe injury, doctors faced the extraordinary challenge of reattaching a hand while safeguarding the lives of the unborn children. On November 28, 2025, surgeons separated the hand from the leg where it had been temporarily secured and reattached it to the forearm in a 13-hour operation. Blood vessels, tendons, and nerves were meticulously reconstructed throughout, while fetal heartbeats were continuously monitored. Postoperatively, the hand showed warmth, color, and early signs of movement. The mother subsequently delivered two healthy baby boys by cesarean section. The case was recognized as a landmark achievement in reconstructive microsurgery at the provincial level, reflecting strong multidisciplinary coordination and patient-centered care.
In a separate case in October 2025, surgeons at 108 Military Central Hospital performed Vietnam’s first successful autologous kidney transplant. A 37-year-old woman with a large and potentially life-threatening aneurysm of the left renal artery had been advised by multiple facilities to have the kidney removed entirely. Instead, doctors took a bold approach: laparoscopically removing the kidney, repairing the damaged blood vessels outside the body within a critical 20 to 30-minute window, and reimplanting the organ. The kidney functioned well after surgery, and because the transplant used the patient’s own tissue, no anti-rejection medication was required. Only a handful of similar cases have been documented worldwide.
(Source: Vietnamnet)
