Among 1,000 candidates, Duy (born in 2001) achieved the highest score in this year’s residency exam with 25.09 out of 30 points. This exam is considered the most competitive at the university, as each medical student is allowed to take it only once in their lifetime, in the year they graduate.

Previously, Duy was among more than 40 students graduating with distinction from Hanoi Medical University this year. By earning the top score, Duy is the first student who has the right to choose his residency specialty. 

Duy’s mother is a doctor. Seeing his mother constantly busy with work, “often leaving meals unfinished to examine patients”, inspired Duy’s admiration for and love of the profession.

“Even though my mother never intervened or designed my path, I still wanted to pursue this career. Medicine is demanding but also meaningful and fulfilling. My mother has been the biggest source of motivation for me,” Duy said.

In 12th grade, Duy won second prize in the national excellent student competition in Math and was directly admitted to the Medical Program at Hanoi Medical University.

From the start of school, the young man set the goal of passing the residency exam. 

Over the six years, most of Duy's time was spent on classroom learning and clinical practice. According to Duy, only by mastering basic knowledge, can one perform well in clinical settings. Conversely, doing well in clinical practice shows the significance of basic medical knowledge.

"I usually break down the knowledge into small parts and try to grasp it firmly. Thanks to that, in the following years, when facing a massive amount of knowledge, I didn't feel overwhelmed," Duy said.

During the intense "sprint" phase of preparing for the residency exam, he had to go to the hospital during the day, study theory in the lecture hall in the afternoon, and focus on reviewing for about 3-4 hours in the evening. In the final "home stretch" phase, the he studied up to 13-14 hours a day, mostly napping in the lecture hall and eating at the canteen.

With the goal of getting into Obstetrics and Gynecology, he wanted to try to get into the top 20 out of nearly 1,000 participants to have a chance.

"I was afraid that if I didn’t make every effort, I would regret it, so I always had a specific plan and tried my best," Duy said.

The residency exam consisted of 3 tests with 8 main subjects. It is a comprehensive test covering basic subjects, specialty 1 (Internal Medicine and Pediatrics) and specialty 2 (Surgery and Obstetrics). The extensive knowledge requires candidates to have an effective study strategy and time arrangement.

Duy felt it was "intense and stressful." However, his dream of becoming a doctor provided the motivation to help him overcome difficulties.

“During clinical practice in the Oncology Department, I saw children only a few years old battling malignant diseases. That fueled my determination to continue pursuing this path and go deeper into the field,” he said.

He had considered Oncology, but after various clinical rotations, Duy decided to commit long-term to Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Becoming the top scorer in the residency exam at Hanoi Medical University and getting into his desired specialty, Duy believes the journey is far from over.

“This path is tough and demanding, but it’s an opportunity for me to develop my skills and build knowledge and experience. For a doctor, I believe professional competence is the most important quality. During the three-year residency program, with guidance from professors and senior doctors, I hope to grow, become more confident, and continue learning as much as possible,” Duy said.

The 2025 residency exam is the largest in scale so far. It is also the first cohort to graduate from the fully reformed General Medicine curriculum. Among the most popular specialties chosen by top-ranked candidates were Obstetrics and Gynecology, Plastic Surgery, Diagnostic Imaging, Oncology, Anesthesiology, and Pediatrics. 

Notably, slots in Obstetrics and Gynecology and Plastic Surgery were nearly filled by the first rounds of candidate selections.

Phuong Thuy