From refugee to respected GP and business leader: Dr Van Nguyen’s journey of resilience and impact
How Dyvest Group’s founder continues to champion accessible care
Dr Van Nguyen, or Dr Van as he is affectionately known, still walks through the doors of his clinic in Busby — the same suburb in Sydney’s south-west where he first opened a solo GP practice more than 25 years ago. But much has changed since those early days.
That modest clinic across the road has evolved into a bustling medical centre, now home to 13 GPs, a team of nurses, allied health professionals, and the same receptionist who started with him on day one.
“Even though I now live over an hour away, I’ve kept my practice in Busby because of the loyalty of our patient base,” says Dr Van.
“It’s very much a working-class suburb, so we stay open seven days a week to make it easier for people to access care. And yes, we’re still bulk-billing.”
Busby was the launchpad for what is now Dyvest Health Care, a group of 16 medical centres servicing communities across Sydney — with further expansion into other states on the horizon.
In 2023 alone, Dyvest clinics delivered over one million patient consults, the vast majority of them bulk-billed.
It’s a volume that speaks to both the demand for accessible primary care and the organisational scale Dr Van has built.
And while Dyvest now supports 16 practices of nearly 200 GPs, Dr Van still works as a clinician three days a week.
Balancing patient care with his role as CEO, and a growing list of other business interests, takes discipline — something he learned early in life.
“I was 14 when we came to Australia from Vietnam in 1981. I couldn’t speak English, which made school and university incredibly tough,” he recalls.
“I used to take a Walkman to lectures at Sydney Uni and record everything because I couldn’t follow along.
“Then I’d spend five hours reviewing each lecture. That’s how I had to learn.”
While his peers studied full-time, Dr Van washed dishes three to four nights a week to support himself through both high school and university.
That tireless work ethic followed him into medicine, through overtime shifts at Canberra Hospital as an intern, to seven-day weeks as a new solo GP in Busby.
“It took me two years of working every day until 9pm before I was able to bring in another GP and grow the practice. You have to be prepared to work incredibly hard if you want to succeed — especially in general practice.”
Dr Van’s story is one of resilience and vision — and of building something that lasts.
Many of the GPs working with Dyvest have been with him for over 20 years. And as the organisation grows, so does its impact on communities often underserved by the broader health system.
“Medicare hasn’t kept pace with the rising costs of running medical centres,” he says. “But because we’ve reached the size we have, we’re able to use economies of scale to make sure we’re still offering affordable healthcare to the people who need it most.”
Even with his business achievements, Dr Van remains first and foremost a GP — a calling shaped early by his father’s own love of medicine.
“My father was a self-taught doctor in Vietnam. He studied medical textbooks on his own and eventually opened his own surgery,” Dr Van said.
“He inspired all 10 of his children to become university graduates — that tells you everything about his dedication.”
It’s this same blend of passion and purpose that fuels Dr Van’s advice to medical students and young doctors today.
“You’ll face obstacles — everyone does,” he says. “For me, it was the language barrier and adjusting to a new culture. But resilience is the key. You have to develop the skills to stay focused on your goals, even when it’s hard.”
He also encourages prevocational doctors to explore their passions within medicine — and keep learning.
“Medicine is a huge field. Get to know what excites you, follow that path, and never stop developing your skills. And above all, be prepared to work hard and give your all to your patients.”
Dr Van Nguyen’s journey — from refugee teenager with no English to respected GP, entrepreneur, and community leader — is proof that dedication, vision, and the right support can transform not only a career but entire communities.
With Dyvest’s ongoing growth, it’s a story that’s still being written — one patient, one clinic, one doctor at a time.
