On the morning of December 23, in Hanoi, the Vietnam Military Medical University, in collaboration with the Vietnamese Liver and Gallbladder Society, and the Liver and Pancreas Surgery Sub-Association of Vietnam, organized the 17th National Liver and Gallbladder Conference with the theme “Updating new trends in the treatment of liver and pancreas diseases.” Lieutenant General, Professor, Doctor Le Trung Hai, the President of the Vietnamese Liver and Gallbladder Society, chaired the conference.

The conference was attended by Major General, Associate Professor, Doctor Le Van Dong, Deputy Director of the Military Medical Academy; on the side of the Military Medical Academy, there were Lieutenant General Associate Professor, Doctor Nguyen Xuan Kien, Director, and other Deputy Directors of the Academy: Lieutenant General, Professor, Doctor Tran Viet Tien; Lieutenant General, Associate Professor, Doctor Tran Ngoc Tuan; representatives of the Board of Directors of Hospital 103, National Burn Institute Le Huu Trac; and the Clinical Embryology Institute of the Military. In addition, there were guest delegates from both domestic and international backgrounds, such as Professor Kwang Huyb Han, former President of the International Liver and Gallbladder Society; Lieutenant General, Professor, Doctor Pham Gia Khanh, former Director of the Military Medical Academy, President of the Vietnam Organ Transplantation Society; leaders of various units, hospitals, schools, professors, experts, colleagues, and sponsors, with over 800 delegates participating in the conference both in-person and online.

Addressing the conference, Lieutenant General, Professor, Doctor Le Trung Hai, President of the Vietnamese Liver and Gallbladder Society, stated that this conference featured nearly 70 presentations and lectures from over 30 major healthcare institutions nationwide, including military and police hospitals. The topics covered three international reports on internal and external liver and pancreas diseases, such as hepatitis, cirrhosis, liver cancer, liver and pancreas endoscopy, non-invasive imaging diagnosis and intervention, tests, molecular biology, traditional medicine, liver and pancreas surgery, liver transplantation, nursing care, artificial intelligence, application of new advancements like ICG fluorescence, and multi-modal treatment.

Before the conference, on December 22, 2023, a Continuous Medical Education (CME) program took place with live broadcasting and numerous reports on the techniques of endoscopic gallstone dissolution through the skin and endoscopic stone extraction via ERCP in patients with changes in gastrointestinal anatomy. Additionally, there was a specialized workshop on developing guidelines for the application of ICG fluorescence in liver surgery in Vietnam. Especially in the poster session, 16 outstanding reports were presented, and three excellent poster awards were given.

Lieutenant General, Assoc. Prof, Dr. Nguyen Xuan Kien, Director of the Military Medical Academy, affirmed that with nearly 75 years of construction, development, and growth, the Military Medical Academy has been honored three times with the title of People’s Armed Forces Hero by the Party and the State. With its three central political missions of training military medical personnel to serve the industrialization and modernization of the country, medical treatment, and scientific research, the Academy has, since its establishment, seen generations of dedicated doctors and teachers contribute wholeheartedly and intelligently to the nurturing of individuals, making significant contributions to the development of the Military Medical sector. They actively participated in training human resources for the country’s healthcare, with over 60,000 doctors, including more than 1,230 Ph.D. holders. Many of these doctors have become outstanding leaders in the Military Medical sector, the Academy, and Military Hospitals, as well as reputable scientists in specialized fields such as organ transplantation, digestive diseases, liver and gallbladder.

The 17th National Liver and Gallbladder Scientific Conference aimed to update new knowledge, modern intervention techniques, and new recommendations in liver surgery in Vietnam. This helps strengthen knowledge and practical skills for doctors in the field, gradually improving the quality of medical examination, treatment, and healthcare for the people. At the same time, it expresses gratitude to the previous generations of doctors who not only actively contributed to the “saving lives” mission but also passionately passed on the flame of enthusiasm for the “nurturing individuals” mission to the younger generations of doctors, especially in the field of liver and gallbladder. The dedication and responsibility of these teachers have always been a driving force for successive generations of officers, lecturers, students, and researchers at the Academy to study and follow in their footsteps.