Professor Nguyen Thị Ngọc Phuong (left) meets Luu Tuyet Tran (right), one of the first three IVF babies in Vietnam at the ceremony. — VNA/VNS
HCM CITY (Vietnam News/Asia News Network): For years, numerous foreign couples have travelled to Vietnam not for leisurely purposes but rather for in vitro fertilisation (IVF) procedures, as Vietnamese doctors have surpassed their foreign counterparts in performing several medical techniques, including IVF.
Professor Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong, who oversaw the first three IVF cases in Vietnam during her tenure as director of the Tu Du Hospital, made this assertion during a ceremony commemorating the 25th anniversary of the first IVF births in Vietnam. The event was held last week in Ho Chí Minh City.
Nearly 25 years ago, at the Tu Du Hospital in HCM City, the first three IVF babies in Vietnam were born healthy, utilising reproductive technology inherited from around the world. The births occurred on April 30, the day of national reunification.
This IVF breakthrough is an important milestone in Vietnam's medical history.
Speaking at the ceremony, Professor Phuong said that now many doctors and technicians abroad, not only from South-East Asia but also in developed countries such as Australia, Germany, France and the US, come to Vietnam to learn from Vietnamese doctors.
Tang Chií Thuong, director of the HCM City Department of Health, sent his deep gratitude to the doctors and medical team who successfully implemented the IVF technique, despite the difficult conditions.
Their success brought great happiness to many families.
Since then, the Tu Du Hospital has been the leading hospital in Vietnam for the technique.
Professor Phuong, who directly created the miraculous lives of the first three IVF children, said: "At that time, I dreamed that each province would have a centre for reproductive health.
Currently, the whole country has 40-50 reproductive supportive centres. That helps people living in provinces receive treatment and they do not have to go to Hanoi or HCM City.”
Tran Ngoc Hai, deputy executive director of the Tu Du Hospital, said that 25 years ago, as a young doctor, he was very proud to be one of the medical workers to the first babies born from the IVF technique.
The joy of the families when the children were born, was always imprinted in his heart.
He was so excited and emotional when meeting those children again in the ceremony.
So far, the Tu Du Hospital has welcomed more than 16,300 IVF babies.
The number of infertility check-ups each year is from 55,000 to 60,000.
The total number of intrauterine insemination (IUI) cases in the last ten years is more than 22,000.
As one of the first three babies born with IVF, Mai Quoc Bao was happy and moved to see the doctors and nurses who performed this technique.
"I want to tell parents who are infertile and struggling on the way to find their children that please rest assured, don't give up even when they have only a small hope," said Bao.
"Please believe in the doctors. "
Luu Tuyet Tran, also one of the first three IVF babies, said that she was so proud to be born in such a special way and to be evidence of the milestone of IVF techniques in Vietnam.
