Dr Hoa, Associate Professor, PhD, MD, is Deputy Head of the Department of Interventional Cardiology and Head of the Endovascular Intervention Unit at the University of Medicine & Pharmacy HCMC. 

His story is of a young person who once stood on the fragile boundary between life and death. 

For decades now, he has dedicated his life to filling the "cardiovascular intervention gaps", where every second can decide a person's fate.

Born in Pleiku (Gia Lai), Dr Tran Hoa is the youngest child in a large family originally from Quang Nam. The family moved to Saigon when young Hoa had just entered 1st grade. His early years were associated with the poor labor alleys of Tan Binh, where making a living was a constant struggle for migrants.

The longest-running profession for Hoa's family was selling "hu tieu go" (street cart noodles). 

One night, when a customer called, the boy excitedly crossed the road to deliver the noodles on time when he was hit by a motorbike and dragged for dozens of meters. The boy was unconscious and rushed to Cho Ray Hospital (HCMC) for emergency treatment. 

It was those days in the hospital that sowed a different seed in the child's heart. For the first time, he witnessed the dedication of doctors and nurses. That image was so beautiful that it formed a vague wish, even though at that time he never thought he could enter that world.

His aunt’s wish

The turning point came in 12th grade, when Tran Hoa received a letter from his paternal aunt living far away. She wrote: "Your family is poor, and your parents will grow old. Study to become a doctor to support the whole family."

That encouragement awakened memories of the time he was hospitalized years ago. The student decided to try his hand. It was not until his second year of taking the exam that the young man officially stepped into the lecture halls of the University of Medicine and Pharmacy HCMC.

After more than two decades in the profession, Dr Hoa deeply understands the meaning of the word "support." Although he admits spending most of his time with patients rather than relatives, being able to accompany and care for his family during illness remains a part of his youth's dream that has come true.

Patients remembered for a lifetime

In his career, there are cases he “can never forget.” One involved a 26-year-old woman with severe myocardial infarction caused by inherited lipid disorders; her three coronary branches were as narrowed as those of an 80-year-old. She required repeated surgeries and interventions.

When she married and became pregnant, the medical team faced a wrenching decision: whether to continue the pregnancy. The patient and her family pleaded to keep the baby. Tran Hoa adjusted the regimen and monitored closely to protect both mother and child. The baby was born healthy. For the past 20 years, the mother has remained his patient.

“Some decisions are extremely difficult, but if they are reasonable, you must dare to take responsibility. What endures is not only principles, but the balance between science and compassion,” he said.

But not every case ends well. There were some where, despite doing everything possible, outcomes fell short. These experiences deepened his view of medicine: it does not always win. A doctor’s mettle is not measured only by success.

High aspirations

Beyond the intervention lab, Hoa has a bigger aspiration: narrowing treatment quality gaps between central and provincial levels.

He has seen patients lose the “golden time” because of long transfers. Since 2014, as technical transfer programs expanded, he and colleagues have traveled across provinces to train interventional cardiology teams.

"We come there, providing hands-on guidance for each case. Only when they are proficient do we withdraw," he said.

After more than a decade, many provincial hospitals have been able to implement cardiovascular interventions on their own, helping people receive treatment right in their localities. For Dr Hoa, that is not just a professional achievement but also a way of "expanding the intervention room beyond the four walls of the hospital."

In addition to clinical practice, he participates in academic activities, connecting domestic and foreign doctors, organizing specialized conferences, and continuous training programs.

Vo Thu