Imbued with Ho Chi Minh’s teachings: “A good physician must be like a compassionate mother”, the Party Committee and Board of Directors (BOD) of Military Central Hospital 108 have identified the study and following of Uncle Ho’s teachings as an important foundation for building a contingent of cadres, medical assistants, and doctors who are politically steadfast, pure in medical ethics, proficient in medical skills, devoted to the Fatherland and the people, thus bolstering the cultural values of “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers” in the cause of protecting and improving the health of soldiers and the people.

When he was alive, President Ho Chi Minh always paid special attention to medical work and the corps of medical professionals. He regarded the health of the people and soldiers as the most precious asset, while requiring doctors to truly be soldiers on the frontline of protecting and improving the health of soldiers and the people: “That is a very glorious mission”. He reminded medical practitioners: “you must love and care for patients as if they were your own brothers and sisters”. His teachings have become the ethical standards and guiding principle for the Vietnamese medical staff.

A conference of the Hospital to introduce the directions of Party General Secretary To Lam for the entire Military

For the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA), President Ho Chi Minh’s thinking on medical practitioners carries even greater significance as military doctors are not only medical professionals but also revolutionary soldiers. Hence, the medical ethics of military doctors are always linked with political steadfastness, strict discipline, high combat readiness, and absolute loyalty to the Fatherland, Party, State, and people. This is precisely the core factor that forms the culture of “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers” in the military medical sector.

Grasping Ho Chi Minh’s ideology on medical work and medical professionals, as well as the resolutions and directives of the Party, the Central Military Commission (CMC), and the Ministry of National Defence (MND) on the study and following of Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, ethics, and lifestyle, the Party Committee and BOD of Military Central Hospital 108 have identified the building and promotion of the culture of “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers” among cadres, medical assistants, and doctors as a central political task, playing a foundational and guiding role in all activities of the Hospital. This viewpoint has been concretised into the operational motto “Highest quality - Quality comes first” and a consistent criterion in leadership, management, and task execution, serving as a system of values directly shaping professional thinking, attitudes, behaviour, and dedication among medical staff, towards the highest goal of improving healthcare for soldiers and the people.

The study and following of Uncle Ho’s teachings have been thoroughly, synchronously grasped by all-level party committees and commands to create a high level of unity in awareness and action. In the process, the Hospital has translated revolutionary ethics into professional ethics, public service ethics, and patient-serving styles for military doctors in association with military discipline and the political responsibility of revolutionary soldiers.

In response to the more demanding task requirements and the development of modern medicine, the Hospital has focused on building a pool of “both red and expert” military doctors with deep professional competence, scientific thinking, and professional mettle. Importance has been attached to encouraging self-training and self-improvement among the Hospital’s medical staff. Currently, the Hospital has nearly 3,000 cadres and employees, including 24 professors and associate professors, 136 PhDs, and many senior specialists, making it one of the hospitals with the highest-level scientific workforce in the country.

A surgery by medical staff of the Hospital

While consolidating its organisational structure and developing high-quality human resources, the Hospital has placed special emphasis on building a medical ethical culture and patient-serving style, highlighting the exemplary role of key cadres and heads of departments and divisions, considering this as a crucial solution for spreading the noble values of medical practitioners and revolutionary soldiers. Through the development and strict implementation of professional moral standards, public service ethics, and the qualities of “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers”, cadres, medical assistants, and doctors have not only “treated illnesses but also given encouragements to the sick”, thereby building trust, reassurance, and satisfaction among patients. At the same time, the Hospital has resolutely combated and prevented individualism and manifestations of degeneration in political ideology, ethics, and lifestyle, seeing this as an essential requirement to maintain discipline and guarantee a regular, exemplary, and humane military hospital cultural environment. As a result, the culture of “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers” has been sustainably nurtured in medical examination and treatment.

In parallel with human resource development, the Hospital has invested in modern, synchronised medical equipment, gradually mastering many advanced specialised techniques to meet the requirements of emergency care and treatment of severe, complex cases; many spearhead techniques in internal medicine, surgery, and specialised fields have reached regional and international standards. Beyond enhancing its own capacity, the Hospital has well performed the work of professional guidance, technology transfer, and military medical support at Song Tu Tay Island Clinic (Truong Sa Archipelago). It has promoted governance and administrative reforms, perfecting medical examination and treatment procedures in a scientific, transparent, patient-centred manner. Due attention has been paid to digital transformation in management and professional activities, including the adoption of electronic medical records, data connectivity, diagnostic and treatment support, thus contributing to reducing inconvenience, shortening waiting times, building a dedicated, responsible service style - core values shaping the cultural identity of “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers” in a modern military hospital environment.

Advocating that “disease prevention is as necessary as disease treatment”, the Hospital has always closely combined treatment with prevention to raise the quality of medical services; it has inherited and promoted the values of traditional medicine, harmoniously integrating Eastern and Western medicine in patient care and treatment. During the fight against Covid-19 pandemic, the Hospital ensured safety and maintained routine medical services while clearly demonstrating the courage and readiness for sacrifice of its military medical staff by rapidly organising mobile forces and conducting lightning deployments to support Bac Ninh province and Ho Chi Minh City - the most dangerous epicentres at that time. The Hospital’s detection of Vietnam’s first Omicron variant case enabled the Health Sector to promptly implement response measures, thereby affirming the intelligence, responsibility, and people-centred spirit of military doctors.

On the basis of the patient-centred approach in line with the development orientation of “deep specialisation, wholehearted dedication, international integration”, on-demand medical examination and treatment services have been comprehensively renewed; service types have been expanded and diversified to increasingly meet the demand for high-quality healthcare. The Hospital has not only excellently fulfilled its mission of medical admission, examination, emergency care, and treatment for soldiers and citizens nationwide, but also gradually affirmed its prestige and brand within the national healthcare system. The rate of returning patients has continued to rise, which has contributed to further reinforcing the Hospital’s reputation and professional quality, and spreading medical ethics and service style among its cadres, medical assistants, and doctors.

Providing free medical examination and medicine in Cao Bang province

In addition to raising the quality of routine treatment, the Hospital has focused on developing advanced medical techniques, affirming its position as a leading medical centre both inside the VPA and across the country. Over the past ten years, the Hospital has successfully performed nearly 700 kidney transplants, reaching a level comparable to the world’s leading transplant centres; it has also effectively adopted many advanced techniques, such as liver transplantation, bone marrow transplantation, advanced laparoscopic surgery.

Through social welfare activities, free medical examinations, consultations, and medicine distribution for the people in remote, border, island, revolutionary base areas, as well as the expansion of international cooperation, the Hospital has also contributed to cementing “people’s hearts and minds posture” and building strong all-people national defence.

Over the past 75 years of construction and development (1951 - 2026), the Hospital has become the flag-bearer of Vietnam’s Military Medical Sector and one of the most prestigious pioneering institutions in the national healthcare system. It has been entrusted by the Party Central Committee, the Politburo, the Secretariat, and the CMC with the historic mission of caring for the health of senior leaders of the Party, State, CMC, and MND, serving as the strategic final-level care provider for soldiers and the people. With its exceptionally outstanding contributions, Military Central Hospital 108 has been honoured by the Party and State with Gold Star Order, Ho Chi Minh Order, First-Class Independence Order, and the title of Hero of the People’s Armed Forces; three individuals have been given the title of Hero of the People’s Armed Forces, along with many other noble awards. These are worthy recognitions by the Party, State, VPA, and people for the persistent, dedicated, responsible contributions of generations of the Hospital’s medical professionals.

It can be affirmed that the culture of “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers” at Military Central Hospital 108 has been formed, nurtured, and spread through a profound grasp of Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, ethics, and lifestyle and the Party’s viewpoints, realised through the close leadership and direction of the Hospital’s Party Committee and BOD, the tireless efforts and dedication of generations of cadres, medical assistants, and doctors, and verified through treatment quality, patients’ trust, and the Hospital’s social prestige.

Bringing into play the recorded results, Military Central Hospital 108 will continue striving towards the goal of “Happiness - Academic Excellence - Enthusiasm - Intellect - Credibility” to deserve to be a strategic hospital of the VPA, the final-level care provider for the entire armed forces, a national special-grade hospital, and an important postgraduate training and clinical medical research centre for both the VPA and the Health Sector in the new era.

Lt. Gen., Assoc. Prof., Dr NGUYEN HOANG NGOC, Meritorious Physician

Secretary of the Hospital’s Party Committee

Deputy Director of the Hospital