The University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Ho Chi Minh City (UMP-HCMC) is the south's counterpart to Hanoi Medical University the primary and most prestigious medical institution of southern Vietnam, founded in 1947 as part of the University of Saigon. Through the colonial era, the wartime period, and the post-1975 unification of Vietnam, UMP-HCMC has maintained its position as the dominant centre for medical education and research in southern Vietnam, producing the vast majority of the region's physicians, pharmacists, and healthcare professionals across nearly eight decades of continuous operation.
The university operates from its main branch at 215 Hong Bang Boulevard, Ward 11, District 5 in the heart of the historic Cho Lon area of Ho Chi Minh City with additional branches, schools, and faculty campuses distributed across the city. Its School of Pharmacy is at 41–43 Dinh Tien Hoang; the School of Nursing and Medical Technology is at 201 Nguyen Chi Thanh; and a Faculty of Traditional Medicine, Faculty of Odonto-Stomatology, Faculty of Public Health, and Faculty of Basic Sciences are distributed across multiple locations in Districts 1, 5, and 8. This distributed campus model reflects the university's scale and specialisation depth it is not a single-building institution but a comprehensive medical academic system embedded in the fabric of Ho Chi Minh City.
UMP-HCMC's clinical training takes place at its own teaching hospital (operational since 2000) as well as at affiliated hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam's largest city with a population exceeding 9 million and the most complex urban healthcare environment in the country. The university's modern Medicine Learning Centre is equipped with advanced teaching technology, and clinical internships at the teaching hospital provide structured, supervised patient interaction that prepares students for independent practice. The 2026 announced tuition fee for General Medicine is VND 88,000,000 per year (approximately USD 3,400 or ₹3.06 lakh) confirmed by the university for the 2026 cohort.
UMP-HCMC is recognised by the NMC of India, WHO, FAIMER, and is listed in the WDOMS. Graduates are eligible for NExT in India, USMLE in the United States, and PLAB in the United Kingdom. Ho Chi Minh City's tropical climate warm year-round, with a clear wet and dry season is very comfortable for most Indian students, particularly those from southern and western India. The Indian community in Ho Chi Minh City is established and growing, with Indian restaurants, cultural events, and community networks readily accessible. For students who want the south's most established and prestigious medical university, at a confirmed 2026 tuition of approximately ₹3.06 lakh per year, in Vietnam's most dynamic and clinically diverse city, UMP-HCMC is the premier southern choice.
