Doctor Ngo Hai Son: I hope many people can climb mountains.

Doctor Ngo Hai Son in a conversation with Tuoi Tre Newspaper - Photo: QUOC CUONG

Tuoi Tre had a conversation with Dr. Ngo Hai Son (Viet Duc Friendship Hospital) on February 27, to talk about his passion for sports alongside the noble mission of a physician.

Like difficult things

* How does the doctor's sports practice work?

- In middle school I loved soccer, when I was in high school at Hanoi - Amsterdam High School and in college at Hanoi Medical University I played basketball. In 2011 I graduated from college and did an internship at Viet Duc Friendship Hospital, there were 5-6 years I didn't play sports because I was too busy working and continuing to study.

* Why did you choose to pursue plastic surgery?

- Cardiovascular surgery and plastic surgery are two very difficult and broad specialties in medicine. There are many challenges in this specialty so I decided to pursue it, I like doing difficult things.

Doctors after graduating like me at that time were only allowed to do simple tasks in surgery such as pumping water, cutting stitches, connecting blood vessels... Seven years after graduating from university, mastering the operations, performing thousands of surgical assistants, I was finally allowed to be the sole prescriber and perform surgery. That was in 2018, I prescribed and performed surgery to reattach a severed finger for a patient. Many people think that plastic surgery is only done on the face, but that is not the case, we operate from head to toe.

Doctor Ngo Hai Son (right cover) is Vietnam's leading expert in gender reassignment surgery, reconstruction, and genital organ transplantation... - Photo: NVCC

* How did you get started with mountain climbing?

- I don't like sports with many players. I climb mountains because it is difficult and can challenge myself. In 2015, I started climbing my first peak, Bach Moc Luong Tu. In 2017, I climbed the highest peak in Africa, Kilimanjaro (Tanzania, 5,900m).

In 2018, I conquered Kailash in Tibet (China), through Dolma Pass at an altitude of 5,600m. In 2019, I climbed Mount Mera (Nepal, 6,500m). In 2022, I climbed Mount Manaslu (Nepal) at an altitude of 8,163m.

In 2023, I will challenge myself to climb Amadablam (Nepal, 6,812m high) with the highest technical difficulty in the Himalayas. The average climbing program of climbers in this stage is 25 days, but it only took me 12 days.

In 2024, I will climb K2 - the most dangerous and difficult mountain in the Karakoram range and in the world. At the end of 2024, I will go to Japan to learn ice climbing in the Akadake mountain range (Yamanashi). In January 2025, I will complete climbing the highest mountain in the Americas - Aconcagua (Argentina, 6,962m).

Doctor Ngo Hai Son conquers high mountain peaks around the world - Photo: NVCC

Facing death every day

* Of the mountains you have conquered, which journey was the most dangerous?

- In 2022, I climbed Manaslu (Nepal, altitude 8,163m) but due to avalanches, I could not reach the top. In my group, there were nine climbers and nine support people, but two of them died and could not return. I was lucky to return safely even though I could not reach the top of Manaslu and it took 40 days.

According to statistics, there have been about 13,000 people climbing the world's highest mountain, Everest (Nepal, 8,848m). However, this number at the top of K2 is only 400 people (some statistics say 1,000 people). 20% of those who climbed to the top of K2 died and could not return.

Saying that shows how difficult and dangerous K2 is, usually people who have climbed Everest before climb K2. Climbers often die on the way down, after reaching the top. Descending skills are very difficult, when your body is exhausted, you cannot handle the situation correctly, avalanches, snowstorms are when you face danger.

* How does mountain climbing help a doctor's work and vice versa?

- After many years of working in a high-pressure environment that requires a high level of precision, I have been trained both mentally and physically. This keeps me calm in the face of unexpected changes in life or on a mountain climbing journey.

When climbing K2, there was a time when I lost my grip on the rope and fell 3m down the cliff. Luckily, my body was only impacted, and I was able to hold on to the rope to stay upright.

Many people ask me if I am afraid of death. I face death every day in the hospital. If I was afraid, I would not have chosen to climb mountains, not climb the world's most difficult mountain, K2. You climb mountains to see the world, not for the world to see you. The most beautiful views appear only after the most difficult journey.

20% of climbers who conquer K2 die after reaching the finish line. Doctor Ngo Hai Son said that if he was afraid, he would not have chosen mountain climbing as a career - Photo: NVCC

* How do you arrange time to climb mountains when you are so busy with work?

- To have time to climb mountains, I put all my work into my time in Vietnam. When I go abroad, I take unpaid leave. When climbing K2, it took me 50 days. One month of that was at the base camp (5,150m high) in the Himalayas to train my physical strength, get used to the weather and altitude, and wait for favorable weather to depart with the group. The actual time to climb from 5,150m to the top of K2 took only four days up and one day down.

* The cost of a mountain climbing trip must be very expensive?

- Mountain climbing is a sport that requires many factors: time, money, will. To have money to travel everywhere to conquer the peaks, I have to work very hard and accumulate finances. Not only working at the hospital, I also work outside and have business projects. I am a very simple person, eat healthily, do not drink alcohol, do not smoke, and do not have time to travel.

The cost to climb Aconcagua (Argentina) is 16,000 USD, climbing Manaslu (Nepal) takes 40 days and costs 18,000 USD. The cost for a 50-day trip to K2 is 42,000 USD (nearly 1.1 billion VND).

Doctor Ngo Hai Son is the most experienced and challenging mountain climber in Vietnam - Photo: NVCC

Dream of contributing to the community

* What is a doctor's day like?

- I wake up early and am at the hospital at 7am to work. I often exercise at the hospital, after work and during breaks between surgeries. After each surgery, I have a 15-minute break, during which I do push-ups and sit-ups. Sometimes I have 8-9 surgeries a day, if I take advantage of the time, I can do more than 200 push-ups and 400 sit-ups.

* As a leading doctor in Vietnam performing gender reassignment surgery, are you particularly interested in this issue?

- During my time working at Viet Duc Hospital, I have participated in many surgeries such as gender reassignment; handling complications of gender reassignment surgery (patients performed abroad); reshaping and reconnecting severed genitals... Most transgender people have difficult lives and unstable finances. In 2021, I was fortunate to be the first person in Vietnam to perform vaginal reconstruction surgery from a segment of the colon. Being able to help patients treat their illnesses, improve their quality of life, and perform the functions they desire makes me extremely happy.

* What is your dream for the future?

- As a doctor, I hope to have many opportunities to contribute to the community in the medical field. I have climbed 2/7 of the highest peaks in the world, if given the chance, I would climb the remaining five peaks.

I opened a travel company specializing in training and taking people with the dream of climbing to conquer the highest peaks in the world. My desire is to share knowledge and mountain climbing skills with people who share the same passion. To do this, I have to research and travel all over the world to learn about mountain climbing.

Currently, mountain climbing in Vietnam is still spontaneous, most people do not have knowledge. No one is responsible for the professional activities of this sport, so I want to contribute to promoting the establishment of the Vietnam Mountaineering Association.

Doctor Ngo Hai Son (middle) in the operating room - Photo: NVCC

Dr. Ngo Hai Son

Master - Doctor Ngo Hai Son (38 years old) graduated from Hanoi Medical University in 2011. In 2015, he defended his master's thesis. In 2018, he obtained a certificate in maxillofacial plastic surgery in London (UK).

He is currently working at the Department of Maxillofacial - Plastic - Aesthetic Surgery (Viet Duc Friendship Hospital). With his excellent professional achievements, Dr. Hai Son has received many awards and certificates of merit from the Ministry of Health, including the excellent award at the Vietnam Health Youth Innovation Conference 2021 - 2024.

Tuoitre.vn

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/bac-si-ngo-hai-son-toi-mong-nhieu-nguoi-co-the-leo-nui-20250227092657567.htm