What a 3D-printed femur reveals about the future of connected robotic surgery

In 2025, an eight-year-old patient arrived at Vinmec Times City with osteosarcoma that had affected the entire femur, leaving limited conventional reconstructive options. No standard implant was available for a patient of his age and anatomical dimensions.

Vinmec’s team developed a modular titanium implant based on patient-specific imaging data and manufactured it domestically. The procedure represents the world’s youngest recorded case of total femur replacement using a customised implant in an oncology patient.

One year later, on June 27, 2026, Vinmec Healthcare System officially launched its nationwide network of High-Tech Robotic Surgery Centers, scaling the capabilities that supported cases such as Tran Minh Duc’s. 

It is one example of how Vinmec’s “3-in-1” model is applied in practice: a procedure designed around patients’ specific anatomy, executed with precision, and governed by protocols standardised.

Designing the procedure around the patient

Vinmec is the first healthcare provider in Vietnam to develop a “3-in-1” robotic surgery model built on Personalization, Automation and Standardization. Rather than centering the model around a specific robotic platform, Vinmec applies the framework across the entire surgical pathway.

Personalization begins before a patient enters the operating room. Every procedure is preceded by preoperative 3D reconstruction and individualized surgical planning, creating a patient-specific anatomical model that informs implant selection, approach design, and intraoperative decision-making. In complex cases, this layer often forms the basis for subsequent clinical decisions. 

The second pillar, Automation, translates that planning into surgical execution with greater precision. 

Vinmec’s network currently integrates nine robotic platforms across multiple specialties. These include Da Vinci Xi, Hugo RAS and Toumai MT-1000 for general surgery; ROSA, MISSO and CORI for orthopedics; and StealthStation S8, Mazor X Stealth Edition, and the O-arm with StealthStation O2 for neurosurgery and spine procedures. Across these systems, robotic assistance serves as a tool to support surgical decision-making and execution, with the objective to improve precision.

Notably, the Toumai MT-1000, deployed at Vinmec Smart City and Can Tho, introduces 5G-enabled remote surgery capability, extending specialist access beyond physical geography. CORI generates real-time 3D joint models intraoperatively, eliminating pre-surgical CT dependency while maintaining sub-millimeter implant positioning. The Mazor X Stealth Edition provides continuous intraoperative verification for spinal procedures where error margins are measured in fractions of a millimeter.

“Robots do not replace doctors,” said Prof. Tran Trung Dung, CEO of Vinmec Healthcare System. “They help us maximize our expertise through 3D visualization, precise movements, and better control in complex cases.”

Standardisation establishes internationally aligned protocols across the entire surgical pathway. Preoperative preparation, intraoperative procedures and postoperative care are managed according to international standards for quality and patient safety. 

“When these three elements come together, the true value lies not in the technology itself but in treatment outcomes and patient experience,” said Assoc. Prof. Pham Van Binh, Director of Vinmec’s High-Tech Robotic Surgery Center Network.

The Robotic Surgery Academy at Vinmec Times City serves as the institutional mechanism. It aims to develop clinical protocols from complex cases, standardizing them centrally, and disseminating them across all connected hospitals. Every physician must complete structured training and international certification before performing robotic procedures independently.

Building capability beyond technology

The initiative forms part of Vinmec’s broader investment in specialist training, clinical research, technology transfer and internationally standardized quality systems. As Prof. Dung emphasised, the network is intended to evolve beyond a treatment platform into a regional hub for training and research in robotic surgery, supporting the development of local expertise alongside clinical services.

The ambition also reflects a wider shift in Vietnam’s healthcare sector. If the past decade focused on gaining access to robotic technologies, the next may be defined by the ability to operate, train, research and eventually contribute to their development.

Future advances in robotic surgery are expected to rely not only on individual systems, but also on the wider clinical ecosystem supporting them.