While Korea's 'Pianseong' specialties are in high demand, obstetrics and gynecology is the top choice in Vietnam [Southeast Asia Spotlight]

[Hanoi, Vietnam = Correspondent Kim Joon-seok] In Korea, 'Pianseong' (dermatology, ophthalmology, and plastic surgery) and 'Jeongjaeyoung' (orthopedics, rehabilitation medicine, and radiology) are considered popular medical specialties.
What about Vietnam?
The most preferred specialty among top-tier medical students in Vietnam is obstetrics and gynecology.
At the 'Match Day' event for resident assignments held at Hanoi Medical University on the 9th, 10 of the top 20 students, including the top scorer in the residency exam, chose obstetrics and gynecology. It became the first specialty to fill its quota immediately after the event began.
Among the top-performing residents, excluding those who chose obstetrics and gynecology, the choices were cardiology (3), oncology (2), plastic surgery (2), anesthesiology and pain medicine (1), pediatrics (1), and dermatology (1).
In Vietnam, becoming a resident is considered a highly demanding elite path that only a very small fraction of medical school graduates can complete. It is said that only about 10% of all medical students can become residents.
Graduates may take the exam only once, in the year they graduate from medical school, and retaking it is absolutely impossible. The residency program is a three-year graduate course administered by the medical school rather than the hospital.
Hanoi Medical University, the most prestigious of the 13 residency programs, has a unique tradition of assigning residents to major national hospitals through 'Match Day,' where they directly call out their preferred specialties in order of their grades.
The concentration in obstetrics and gynecology was particularly pronounced this year: all three top scorers, including this year's top-ranked candidate, Nguyen Duc Anh Quan, called out obstetrics and gynecology.
This is not the first time obstetrics and gynecology has dominated Match Day. In recent years, it has consistently been the 'number one pick' among Vietnam's top medical students: seven of the top 20 residency exam candidates chose it last year, nine did so in 2024, and as many as 12 did so the year before.
Why is obstetrics and gynecology so popular?
Locally, various explanations have been offered for its popularity.
First, Vietnam's medical community cites the rising value of obstetricians and gynecologists as the biggest reason the specialty has overtaken formerly popular fields such as surgery and cardiology to become the undisputed number one.
Alongside its economic growth, Vietnam has seen particularly rapid development in the markets for private hospitals, high-end postpartum care services, infertility treatment, including IVF, and private clinics.
It is common for Vietnamese doctors to work at national hospitals during the day and run private clinics after work or on weekends as a side business.
As a result, obstetrics and gynecology is said to be overwhelmingly advantageous for opening a private clinic based on outpatient services such as routine ultrasound examinations and treatment of gynecological conditions.
In addition, the market for infertility treatments, including IVF, has recently emerged in Vietnam as the medical industry's highest-value-added non-covered sector.
Large private hospitals are competing to recruit outstanding infertility specialists by offering exceptional salaries and performance bonuses, causing the market value of obstetricians and gynecologists to soar.
Ms. Min, who is currently expecting a child, told this newspaper, "As the age of childbirth continues to rise in major cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, many expectant mothers are using infertility and subfertility clinics. You have to wait more than a month to see a renowned doctor."
The specialty's unique medical and emotional appeal is also attracting residents.
Obstetrics and gynecology offers the opportunity to gain in-depth experience in both the medical field, centered on drug treatment, and the surgical field, involving operations, which is said to provide high academic satisfaction for top students.
Moreover, although it was once regarded as the exclusive domain of female doctors, the specialty now offers a work environment open to doctors of both sexes as social perceptions in Vietnam have changed.
This year's top scorer, Nguyen Duc Anh Quan, is also male.
Local media also analyzed its 'emotional strength': it is the only department in a hospital where patients and their families celebrate the arrival of new life and leave smiling.

[Southeast Asia Spotlight] is a feature that delivers vivid, in-depth coverage from the field of major issues and behind-the-scenes news in Southeast Asia, which has emerged as a key strategic hub for global supply chains, diplomacy, and security.
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