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After more than six hours in the operating theatre, Hung, head of the urethral reconstructive surgery department at Binh Dan Hospital, left completely drained.

He had just performed a complex microsurgery to remove hardened scar tissue, locate two severed ends of the urethra deep in the pelvis and reconnect them with ultra-fine sutures to restore natural urinary flow.

He informed the waiting relatives that the surgery had been successful before leaving to rest.

On the operating table a 30-year-old man had undergone reconstruction after four years of living with a urine bag following a urethral rupture caused by a fall.

He had endured multiple failed operations, quit his job, sabotaged his relationship and struggled with suicidal thoughts.

After the successful surgery he again started to urinate normally, married his longtime partner, now has two children, and runs his own business.

He is among more than 3,000 patients who no longer rely on an external urinary drainage bag thanks to the 44-year-old doctor.

Nearly two decades ago, when he was a resident, Hung admitted he disliked working in this field.

At that time, traumatic urethral stricture had limited treatment options in Việt Nam. Patients either lived with a permanent suprapubic catheter and urine bag or returned routinely for urethral dilation.

Watching patients writhe in pain as metal rods of increasing size were inserted through the urinary tract, only for the stricture to recur, Hung says he felt powerless and often tried to avoid assisting in such procedures.

In 2015 Prof Joel Gelman of the University of California, Irvine, a leading US specialist in urethral reconstruction, visited Việt Nam.

Assigned as an interpreter, Hung was surprised when the professor reported a success rate of up to 99 per cent. After examining a postoperative patient and finding no recurrence, Hung applied to train under him.

Four years earlier, at the age of 29, Hung had completed a one-year fellowship at the University of Michigan in the U.S. in robotic and female urologic surgery.

He passed Gelman’s rigorous evaluations and returned to the US to train in urethral reconstruction. He learned end-to-end anastomosis and reconstruction techniques using oral mucosa or penile skin flaps and brought them back to Việt Nam.

Binh Dan Hospital upgraded its operating facilities to US standards with support from Assoc Prof Tran Vinh Hung, its director. The previous rigid endoscopes were replaced with flexible ones to reduce trauma.

Hung’s first-time surgeries now record a near-perfect success rate while the hospital’s overall rate stands at 98 per cent.

Annual case numbers have increased from 100–200 in the early years to more than 800 in 2025.

Hung says the greatest challenges involve patients who previously underwent multiple failed surgeries. Scar tissue and altered anatomy make such procedures unpredictable, he adds.

One patient from Hung Yen Province sought his help after enduring 16 painful dilations and a failed operation.

Some surgeries last 12-13 hours.

Hung’s team remains on its feet from morning until late at night without breaks, locating and reconnecting severed urethral ends embedded in dense scar tissue.

Hung says the responsibility of handling failed cases has caused him sleepless nights. In some situations he advises patients to wait several months while his team prepares an optimal plan.

A 47-year-old American businessman recently travelled to Binh Dan Hospital after 15 years with the condition and six failed surgeries in the US, Singapore and Thailand.

Following a two-hour operation by Hung and three weeks of catheterisation, his urinary function was fully restored.

“I feel reborn after years of despair and searching everywhere for treatment. I never imagined that Việt Nam would be the place that finally cured me.”

Dr Do Lenh Hung (L) and Prof Joel Gelman in the operating room. Photo by Read/Tran Nhung

Binh Dan Hospital has become a regional training centre for urethral reconstruction.

US doctors visit to observe and practice with rare and complex cases while Hung travels to Japan, Thailand and Malaysia to demonstrate surgical techniques.

Hung says urethral disease is not immediately life-threatening but hugely affects a patient’s quality of life and mental health.

Restoring natural urination often brings strong emotional reactions, with some patients breaking down in tears upon discharge, he adds.