Thanh Hoa General Hospital of Vietnam Visited Xiamen Cardiovascular Hospital and Signed Cooperation Agreement

On May 13, a delegation from Thanh Hoa General Hospital (Vietnam), including hospital President and cardiovascular specialist Professor Le Van Sy, Director of Cardiology Le The Anh, and Nguyen Tuan Viet an alumnus of the Heart Sapling Visiting Scholar Program visited Xiamen Cardiovascular Hospital Xiamen University (referred to as "XMCH") for academic exchange. President Wang Yan of XMCH accompanied the delegation for tours, discussions, and surgical demonstrations. Both parties jointly signed a hospital cooperation agreement.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Vietnam. The establishment of this partnership between the two hospitals is a concrete implementation of the six initiatives proposed by President Xi Jinping during his visit to Vietnam in April this year to deepen the building of the China Vietnam community with a shared future. It promotes practical cooperation in the medical and healthcare fields and strengthens broader people to people ties.

President Wang Yan and President Le Van Sy signed the cooperation agreement on behalf of their respective institutions. In the future, both sides will be committed to multi level collaboration in areas such as talent development, technical exchange, referrals for complex and critical cardiovascular cases, and scientific innovation, aiming to improve the healthcare standards of both countries.

In his speech, President Wang Yan welcomed the visiting delegation led by President Le Van Sy and expressed hope for deepened cooperation and knowledge sharing in innovative technologies and medical management. He emphasized joint efforts in cultivating more professionals and enhancing the capacity to treat complex cardiovascular cases, thereby contributing to the development of healthcare in both countries.

President Le Van Sy expressed gratitude to XMCH for hosting Vietnamese specialist for training. He noted that this collaboration marks an important step forward in cardiovascular medicine. He looked forward to close cooperation and further exchange in cardiovascular disciplines, injecting new vitality into bilateral cooperation in medicine and healthcare.

Following the meeting, the Vietnamese delegation visited the hospital's catheterization lab to observe innovative interventional procedures, including Transcatheter Edge to Edge Repair (TEER) of the mitral valve, Pulsed Field Ablation (PFA), Pulmonary Artery Denervation (PADN), and multiple complex Percutaneous Coronary Interventions (PCI). President Wang Yan presented NeoNova—the first China approved linear shaped mitral valve clip developed through clinical research led by XMCH explaining the innovative design, superior performance, and clinical application of the domestically developed valve repair system.

The Vietnamese experts were impressed by the hospital's routine performance of complex interventional procedures and participation in the development of innovative domestic medical devices. They highly recognized the hospital's industrial and international development strategies and expressed a desire to regularly send young specialists for training in coronary, structural heart, and electrophysiology subspecialties. "Truly remarkable!" said President Le Van Sy. "XMCH possesses cutting edge interventional technologies and modern medical facilities. President Wang's team demonstrated an exceptionally high level of surgical skill!"

This interaction originated from the Heart Sapling Visiting Scholar Program. In September 2023, Nguyen Tuan Viet, a young specialist from Thanh Hoa General Hospital, was selected for the Heart Sapling Program and received six months of training in cardiac electrophysiology at XMCH. Although brief, the experience left Viet with a deep impression of the hospital's advanced medical facilities and technologies, sowing the seeds of future cooperation.

After returning to Vietnam, Viet frequently shared his experiences with colleagues and actively promoted collaboration between the two hospitals. In December 2024, Viet returned to Xiamen for in depth discussions with mentors and the Heart Sapling Visiting Scholar Program fellows, reporting on his work since returning home and outlining future plans. He also invited President Wang Yan to attend the annual meeting of Thanh Hoa General Hospital.

On December 20, 2024, President Wang Yan attended the annual meeting of Thanh Hoa General Hospital virtually and delivered a keynote speech during the cardiovascular session. He presented six complex valve intervention cases treated at XMCH, shared Chinese approaches and expert insights in cardiovascular intervention, and left a strong impression on the attending Vietnamese experts. President Le Van Sy later sent a letter of appreciation praising the hospital's application of innovative technologies and formally expressed the desire to deepen cooperation. Thanks to the meticulous preparation by Viet and the XMCH team, this visit and agreement signing were successfully concluded.

Starting from the Heart Sapling Visiting Scholar Program, using academic exchange as a bridge, and framed by international medical cooperation, XMCH is committed to higher level, broader, and deeper collaboration with Thanh Hoa General Hospital and other Vietnamese medical institutions. It aims to contribute "Xiamen expertise" to the new blueprint of China Vietnam community building drawn up by President Xi.