COVID-19 vaccination to begin in Vietnam on March 8
Vaccination using the recently imported AstraZeneca vaccine is expected to start on March 8, Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long informed a meeting of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control on March 5.
Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long speaks at the meeting (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – Vaccination using the recentlyimported AstraZeneca vaccine is expected to start on March 8, Minister ofHealth Nguyen Thanh Long informed a meeting of the National Steering Committeefor COVID-19 Prevention and Control on March 5.
Earlier, more than 117,600 doses of the vaccine,manufactured in the Republic of Korea (RoK), arrived in Vietnam on February 24.After holding working sessions with the producer, Vietnam has obtained anaccreditation certificate for the batch from the RoK.
Long said the doses, verified by the ministry, meet theconditions for vaccination in Vietnam.
As scheduled, on March 6, the Health Minister will chair aconference to launch the vaccination plan and provide related training formedical staff nationwide in the use and storage of the vaccine, as well as the handlingof post-injection complications.
According to the official, priority in vaccination will begiven to people at the front line of the fight against COVID-19, includinghealth, army, police, customs and immigration personnel; those working insectors offering essential services like aviation, transport, tourism andeducation; people with chronic illnesses or above 65 years old; those living inpandemic-hit areas; the poor and beneficiaries of social welfare policy.
People getting the shots will be monitored via digitalhealth records and receive e-certificates for their completion of inoculation.
Vietnam plans to import about 150 million doses of COVID-19vaccines this year./.
While Vietnam as a whole is exerting every effort to contain the spread of COVID-19, scientists have been racing against time to develop vaccines - a weapon that will help humankind fight the deadly pandemic and considered the most effective course of action in the long run.
Deputy Minister of Health Truong Quoc Cuong has said COVID-19 vaccination will begin right after the Ministry of Health receives an accreditation certificate from the Republic of Korea (RoK), scheduled for late this week or early next week.
People, aged from 18-59 and residing in Hanoi, can register for human trials of Vietnam’s second COVID-19 vaccine candidate COVIVAC from March 5 morning.
A total of 367 volunteers, including 30 aged over 60, have been injected with Nano Covax, Vietnam’s first homegrown COVID-19 vaccine candidate, in the second phase of its human trials, according to the Military Medical University.
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.
Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long speaks at the meeting (Photo: VNA) 
