Banking sector, businesses hand over donations to COVID-19 vaccine fund
The Ministry of Health received financial assistance of 160 billion VND (over 6.9 million USD) from the banking sector and 4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from Vingroup at a ceremony on May 21.
Hanoi (VNA) - The Ministry of Health received financial assistance of 160 billion VND(over 6.9 million USD) from the banking sector and 4 million doses of COVID-19vaccines from Vingroup at a ceremony on May 21.
Addressing the ceremony, Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long said that under thedirection of the Politburo, the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat, theGovernment, the Prime Minister, the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Preventionand Control, and the Ministry of Health, and with the involvement of the entirepolitical system, Vietnam has brought three outbreaks under control and isgradually controlling a fourth.
As part of efforts to access COVID-19 vaccines, the Ministry of Health haspromoted negotiations for purchases from foreign producers and suppliers.
At the ceremony (Photo: VNA)
Commitments have been made so far to provide some 110 million doses to Vietnam thisyear, including 38.9 million from the COVAXFacility programme, 30 million from AstraZeneca, and 31 million fromPfizer/BioNTech. The ministry has also registered to purchase an additional 10million doses under a cost-sharing mechanism through the COVAX Facilityprogramme.
The ministry is continuing its efforts to secure 150 million doses to inoculate 75 percent of the population, henoted.
The minister expressed a hope that the banking sector will continue toaccompany the health sector in combating the pandemic.
The financial assistance and vaccines presented at the ceremony will be donatedto the COVID-19 vaccine fund, which will manage and coordinate finances for the sponsorship,purchase, and use of vaccines.
The fund’s operations fall under the supervision of State financial management institutionsand the State Audit Office of Vietnam.
It is obliged to report collections andspending to the Government and the National Assembly, and to publicisemobilised sources, lists of donors, and volume of vaccines on hand./.
Vietnam is expected to get 31 million COVID-19 vaccine doses developed by US-based firm Pfizer in the third and fourth quarters of 2021, said the Ministry of Health (MoH).
Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son on May 19 held phone talks with British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs Dominic Raab, during which he suggested that the UK consider the transfer of COVID-19 vaccine production technology to Vietnam.
Dr Kidong Park, WHO Representative in Vietnam, has granted an exclusive interview to the Vietnam News Agency on the Vietnamese government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and WHO’s support for Vietnam in the effort.
Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai has approved the plan of using financial resources raised by the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) for COVID-19 prevention and control to buy COIVD-19 vaccines.
Vietnam now boasts a nationwide healthcare network with 1,665 hospitals, 384 of which are non-public, supported by local commune- and ward-level stations. At the end of 2024, hospital bed capacity reached 34 per 10,000 people, slightly above the global average.
The 56-year-old patient from Quang Tri province was discharged in stable condition as he no longer experienced shortness of breath and was able to walk, move around, and eat normally.
Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Vu Trung, Director of the Pasteur Institute, said that under the MoU, the two sides committed to promoting diverse and practical collaborative activities, including joint conferences and workshops, exchanges of scholars, researchers and students, sharing academic materials, and the development of specific programmes and projects in scientific research, training, and epidemic prevention.
TytoCare, a leading Israeli telemedicine company based in Netanya, is willing to work with Vietnamese regulators, insurers, and healthcare providers to develop a sustainable digital health ecosystem.
The partnership is under the framework of a Memorandum of Understanding on the development and implementation of the National Action Plan on Breast Cancer and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Control, signed in Hanoi on July 22.
An estimated 7 million Vietnamese are currently living with diabetes, but about 50% remain undiagnosed, a dangerous gap that is fuelling serious, preventable complications and increasing the burden on the healthcare system.
In 2024, Vietnam achieved 99% coverage for the first dose of the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine, up from 80% in 2023. Immunisation coverage in the country has not only rebounded to the high levels seen before the COVID-19 pandemic but has now surpassed the rates recorded in 2019.
Health authorities in HCM City have issued an urgent alert after six people died from dengue fever, amid a spike in infections driven by the onset of the rainy season.
During the peak months of July and August 2025, the National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion (NIHBT) needs at least 90,000 units of blood to supply 180 hospitals in the northern region. However, despite continuous efforts, the reserve blood is still short of 30,000 units.
The Hanoi ceremony highlighted efforts to ensure all citizens, especially women and youth, can access accurate information and healthcare services to make informed reproductive choices.
After such a long time, the law has revealed many limitations, prompting the Ministry of Health (MoH) to gather opinions to amend the law to give more chances to thousands of patients every year.
Currently, cardiovascular specialists from the 108 Military Central Hospital are working alongside a team of Prof.Dr. Jan D. Schmitto, Deputy Director of MHH’s Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery on clinical trials for MCS devices, implanted in heart failure patients either as a bridge to transplantation or as permanent treatment.
The centre not only serves residents living on the island, but also receives tens of thousands of visitors every year, according to Assoc Prof Dr Tang Chi Thuong, Director of the HCM CIty Department of Health.
Not only does Vietnam attract international tourists with its landscapes, culture, and cuisine, but it is also gradually becoming a reliable destination for medical treatment, offering high-quality services at reasonable costs.
Over the past six months, 150 communal health stations in provinces including Ha Giang, Bac Kan, Lang Son, Lao Cai, Lai Chau, Yen Bai, Tay Ninh, Hau Giang, Ben Tre and Ca Mau have been equipped with information technology systems. In addition, 117 key provincial healthcare workers have received training, with thousands more expected to follow.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Ministry of Health swiftly launched a telemedicine programme, connecting more than 1,000 medical establishments nationwide. The model, which remains in operation, has benefited tens of thousands of patients, including foreign nationals.
After more than three weeks of intensive treatment, the patient's pneumonia improved, breathing stabilised, sedation was reduced, and the breathing tube was removed. He is now conscious, able to eat orally, and in recovery.
Illustrative image (Photo: Getty Images) 
At the ceremony (Photo: VNA) 
