Among the 50 outstanding events of Ho Chi Minh City that have just been announced, there is a medical event that marked the day the country celebrated the Liberation of the South and National Reunification Day. That was April 30, 1998, Mai Quoc Bao, Luu Tuyet Tran, Pham Tuong Lan Thy - the first 3 babies in Vietnam born by in vitro fertilization (IVF) at Tu Du Hospital (Ho Chi Minh City), marking a major turning point in the country's medicine and the remarkable development of the Ho Chi Minh City health sector.

Going against the wind to lay the foundation for TTON in Vietnam is Professor, Doctor Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong, who was recently honored as one of 60 outstanding individuals in the city's 50-year development journey.

Overcome hardships and difficulties

Compared to other countries in the region and the world, Vietnam is behind in IVF. In the 1980s, IVF was successful in some Southeast Asian countries but was still a strange and unrealistic thing in the country. In 1984, Dr. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong had the opportunity to work in Thailand and nurtured the will to bring assisted reproductive technology back to the country.

At this stage, Vietnam was implementing a family planning policy in a difficult economic context. Therefore, the idea of ​​implementing IVF was not supported but received ridicule. Many people also believed that children born from IVF would be abnormal.

There were all kinds of rumors, but witnessing the pain of infertile women, Dr. Ngoc Phuong and her colleagues were determined to find a way out for the less fortunate.

In 1994, when she went to France to teach at the Nice Sophia Antipolis Medical University, Dr. Ngoc Phuong had full and thorough access to TTON. She found that, technically, TTON was within reach of Vietnamese doctors.

Saving most of her professor's salary, she ordered some necessary medical equipment and machinery for TTON and sent them to Tu Du Hospital. After that, the hospital sent working groups to approach new techniques, making efforts to establish the Department of Reproductive Support, the In Vitro Fertilization Department...

After a period of careful professional preparation, the Board of Directors of Tu Du Hospital submitted the TTON implementation plan to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health, Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, and the Ministry of Health. Dr. Ngoc Phuong's journey against the wind has the companionship and absolute support of the Labor Hero - People's Council - Dr. Ta Thi Chung (Party Secretary, Deputy Director of Tu Du Hospital).

"At that time, we tried to overcome many difficulties. When we started making embryos, but did not have a license from the Ministry of Health, we met with the Minister of Health to ask for his opinion. The Minister said that this had to be approved by the Politburo and the Secretariat, because this was a matter of "producing" humans," Dr. Ngoc Phuong recalled.

In 1997, Tu Du Hospital invited a group of French experts to assist in IVF. About 70 cases registered but the pregnancy rate was very low.

The daughter of Professor Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong, Associate Professor, Doctor, Doctor Vuong Thi Ngoc Lan (currently Vice Principal of Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy) was also present in the first team to perform TTON in Vietnam.

With good foreign language skills, Dr. Ngoc Lan was responsible for exchanging information with the French expert team. She participated in observing and recording most of the steps such as ovarian stimulation, medication, and egg retrieval.

Two weeks after the embryo transfer, the continuous news of failure made Dr. Ngoc Lan and her colleagues extremely depressed. Hope gradually faded after each phone call from the patient.

"When the team was in a state of deep depression, a woman called to say she was pregnant. We hugged each other, strangely happy!", Dr. Vuong Thi Ngoc Lan recalled.

Light up hope

Ms. Tran Thi Bach Tuyet (living in Tien Giang province) was one of the women who joined TTON in 1997. She had been married to Mr. Luu Tan Truc for 8 years but the family still had no children. The couple sought treatment everywhere but to no avail.

Although she did not understand what TTON was, Ms. Tuyet and her husband decided to cling to the rare opportunity when Tu Du Hospital called for TTON registration. And fortunately, Ms. Tuyet became pregnant. Baby girl Luu Tuyet Tran was born on April 30, 1998.

In a burst of joy, Mr. Luu Tan Truc stood in the hallway of Tu Du Hospital, trembling and clasping his hands in prayer, "Oh my God, I'm almost 50 years old and finally have a child."

April 30, 1998, brought hope to millions of infertile couples in Vietnam. And the children of that day have become healthy young adults, always respecting and grateful to the doctors of the past.

“When I was little, I was a bit shy because everyone asked me about being born from TTON. When I grew up and thought more, I realized that I was very special and lucky. I am proud that I am one of the first three babies in Vietnam born from TTON,” said Luu Tuyet Tran.

Since that historic milestone, Vietnam’s reproductive support industry has made great strides, even surpassing many countries in the region. Among them, Associate Professor, Doctor, Doctor Vuong Thi Ngoc Lan and her colleagues have created impressive marks in the field of reproductive support in the world.

At the end of 2023, Associate Professor, Doctor, Doctor Vuong Thi Ngoc Lan and Master, Doctor Ho Manh Tuong were invited and participated in compiling a chapter of "Textbook of Assisted Reproductive Techniques, Sixth Edition". This is a prestigious book in the world's assisted reproductive technology industry, with a history of more than 20 years since its first publication in 1999.

According to the Ministry of Health, to date, Vietnam has had more than 150,000 children born from assisted reproductive technology, bringing the opportunity to become parents to hundreds of thousands of infertile people. Currently, Vietnam is a trusted destination for foreign patients to perform IVF with a success rate on par with the world, and is also a prestigious international training address for assisted reproductive technology.

"Vietnam is behind the world in TTON, but we have risen up and achieved achievements, recognized by the world. I am happy for the patients and the entire country's healthcare system," said Professor, Doctor Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong.

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/di-nguoc-chieu-gio-post793335.html