COVID-19 vaccines to be distributed equally: Deputy PM
Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam thanked countries, international organisations and individuals for their support to Vietnam in the COVID-19 fight at a ceremony in Hanoi on April 1 to receive first 811,200 doses of COVID-19 AstraZeneca vaccine from COVAX Facility.
Hanoi (VNA) – Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam thanked countries, international organisations and individuals for their support to Vietnam in the COVID-19 fight at a ceremony in Hanoi on April 1 to receive first 811,200 doses of COVID-19 AstraZeneca vaccine from COVAX Facility.
Vietnam will effectively use the gift, he said, adding that the vaccine will be distributed on the basis of equal access for all.
So far, Vietnam has organised COVID-19 vaccinations in a very careful and prompt manner, he said.
Meanwhile, UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam recognised Vietnam’s efforts in preventing the COVID-19 pandemic from spreading.
Vietnam’s quick response to the pandemic has minimised its impacts on the local’s lives, he noted.
He said that this year, 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines are expected to be provided for 92 countries in the first step and 190 countries in the next stage.
So far, COVAX has supplied 33 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to 73 eligible countries.
The vaccine doses have been immediately transferred to the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (NIHE) for storage, awaiting the health ministry’s instructions on the allocation of the vaccine to 63 cities and provinces during this month. Another batch of over 3.36 million doses will be provided for Vietnam in May.
Vietnam had been promised 30 million doses of the vaccine under COVAX, a global mechanism for developing, manufacturing and procuring COVID-19 vaccine that help member countries access vaccines as they become available.
The remaining batches are scheduled to arrive in the country by the year-end or early 2022.
All of the doses will be supplied free of charge by COVAX through UNICEF./.
The first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines from the COVAX Facility cannot be delivered to Vietnam as planned in late March as producers are expanding and optimising production process, the Ministry of Health’s Department of Preventive Medicine has said.
Vietnam continues seeking and diversifying its COVID-19 vaccine sources by working with nations such as the US, India and China, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang said at a regular press conference held on March 25.
Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam and Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Pham Cong Tac on March 26 received the jabs of Vietnamese-made COVID-19 vaccine, Nano Covax, as part of the second phase of human trials.
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.
Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam (Photo: VNA) 
