Hanoi Medical University

Hanoi Medical University (HMU), located in Hanoi, is the oldest medical institution in Vietnam. It was established in 1902 by the French during the colonial era under the name Indochina Medical College. The university’s first director was Alexandre Yersin, renowned for co-discovering the bacterium responsible for the bubonic plague, later named Yersinia pestis in his honor.

Originally known as Indochina Medical University, HMU holds the distinction of being Vietnam’s first modern university, ranking second only to the Temple of Literature among the nation’s historic educational institutions. In 1961, the Hanoi University of Pharmacy separated from HMU and moved to the original campus, which it shared with the Faculty of Science of Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

HMU later relocated to its modern campus on Thong Tat Tung Road, named after one of its former directors. The campus is situated next to Bach Mai Hospital, one of Hanoi’s largest medical facilities, and the university also maintains an office at Viet Duc Hospital. HMU’s network of affiliated training hospitals includes the National Pediatric Hospital, National Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology, E Hospital, National Cancer Hospital, National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, National Hospital of Tropical Diseases, National Dermatology and Venereology Hospital, Duc Giang Hospital, as well as its own healthcare facility, Hanoi Medical University Hospital.