On September 9, 2018, inside the auditorium at Hanoi Medical University, young resident doctors took turns stepping onto the stage to announce their chosen specialties.

When his turn arrived, Dr. Phung Anh Tuan (born in 1994) looked up at the electronic screen. At that moment, Surgical slots remained open. He knew he could choose Surgery, yet he did not step up with that selection.

"I didn't know what I liked or which specialty suited me. No one asked me that question, and I hadn't truly and seriously asked myself either," Dr. Tuan recalled.

Before selection day, a family acquaintance who was a well-known medical expert advised him to choose Infectious Diseases. He followed suit almost without thinking twice.

"No one forced me to pick Infectious Diseases. But when a person doesn't know what they want, trusting advice from an experienced person, picking a seemingly stable specialty, and following guidance is the easiest choice," he said.

With only 45 seconds to step onto the stage and announce a decision, he became the first to call out: "Infectious Diseases."

Applause rang out. Teachers from the Infectious Diseases department shook hands and offered congratulations. About five seconds later, he signed the confirmation form.

"My initial feeling was relief. I had an answer, even though it wasn't my own," Dr. Tuan recalled.

Looking back years later, Tuan said he regretted most that he hadn't truly given himself the opportunity to make his own choice at the time.

He entered the auditorium without having answered the question of what he was suited for, and then borrowed someone else's answer to fill that gap.

Matching Day debate 

In recent years, as a new generation of resident doctors prepares to enter the 

specialty-selection auditorium, the Matching Day system has sparked considerable debate. Some argue that publicly announcing choices can create psychological pressure, prompting high-scoring candidates to follow the crowd or listen to other people's advice. 

However, Tuan believes Matching Day itself is not the core issue.

“The problem is not those 45 seconds. The problem is walking into the auditorium without knowing what you want or understanding what you are suited for. At that point, it is very easy to take someone else's answer and make it your own,” he said.

Dr. Tuan said that, before selecting a specialty, the most important factor is acquiring sufficient real-world experience to understand oneself.

Young doctors can use their clinical training hours, night shifts, exposure to various specialties, and observe their own reactions to the work. Additionally, speaking with doctors holding 5–10 years of experience helps build a clearer picture of real-world duties behind each specialty title.

"There are tasks that leave you energized upon completion, but there are also tasks that leave you exhausted. Those feelings sometimes reveal far more than a report card," Dr. Tuan said.

After choosing Infectious Diseases, Tuan studied and worked conscientiously. His residency years did not go to waste, even if the specialty originally stemmed from outside input rather than personal desire.

Later, he had the opportunity to work in a Urology unit. Drawing from on-the-job experiences, he joined a basic continuing education course in Andrology, initially with a mindset: learning to know more.

Yet those seemingly accidental experiences helped him realize his true path. He came to understand that a suitable specialty does not always reveal itself the moment one stands on stage making a choice.

Dr. Tuan believes that had he chosen Surgery back then, his professional life might have looked vastly different. He might have become a surgeon in another field instead of pursuing Andrology and Sexual Medicine today.

Still, he does not view his years in Infectious Diseases as a meaningless detour.

That training period provided him with knowledge and experience in infectious pathologies, including Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and sexually transmitted infections. More importantly, those experiences became part of the journey that helped him understand what he wanted to do.

In his view, every young doctor needs time to understand themselves, gain real-world work experience, and constantly question the path they are walking to avoid regret.

Phuong Thuy