In 2009, a local newspaper published an article about Prof Vo Van Toi, the founder of the biomedical engineering department. Ten years later, Nguyen Thi Hiep, Toi’s successor, was honored for her great achievements in the field.

Dr Nguyen Thi Hiep (in red dress) and her students

In 2012, after successfully defending the doctoral dissertation in regenerative medicine in South Korea, Hiep decided to return to Vietnam.

When Hiep wavered between staying in South Korea and returning to Vietnam, Toi persuaded her to come back to Vietnam and join forces with him to develop the biomedical engineering department at the International School of the HCM City National University.

Toi then told Hiep that the country needs young scientiststo ‘do the things that have never been done by anyone else’.

With great achievements in the field of biomedical engineering, Prof Dr Nguyen Thi Hiep has been recognized by ASEAN Scientist as one of the 100 leading Asian scientists in 2019.

The first years after the return were a difficult period for Hiep because of the lack of money that prevented her from carrying out scientific research.

One afternoon, Hiep returned home and saw the microwave in the kitchen which prompted an idea.

“Many scientists want to work in the laboratories with modern equipment like in foreign countries. But for me, even cooking tools can also be used for research,” she said.

Hiep went to hospitals in HCM City to seek support to create a kind of antibacterial gel that helps heal wounds, improving the effectiveness of the treatment.

It was Prof Toi who came forward and borrowed money to fund Hiep’s study about the gel.

Then came the days of hard research and prize hunting. Hiep said the prizes would help show the prestige and scientific positions of individuals and the department, which would allow them to more easily seek financial support for research.

Her great efforts have been rewarded. In 2016, Hiep received a patent for the research work on improving gingival recession with collagen fibers and electrochemistry.

In 2017, she won first prize at the ASEAN-US Award for the solution to ease medical pressure on major cities. In 2018, she announced the invention of an antibacterial gel to stop bleeding, kill bacteria and temporarily heal wounds.

For the invention, she received the L'Oréal - UNESCO's award for the world's young talents for first aid solutions to people living far away from hospitals.

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