Partcipants at the launching ceremony (Source: organisation board)
HCM City (VNA) – A campaign to tackle HIV was launched in Ho ChiMinh City on May 24.
A person living with HIV taking antiretroviral (ARV) therapy daily as instructedby doctors and maintaining the condition of undetectable viral load will have no risk to transfer HIV virus to his/herpartners, read a message released at a ceremony to launch the K=K campaign.
The K=K (undetectable=incommunicable) campaign was launched by the HoChi Minh City Centre for HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control, the US Centre forDisease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Vietnam and the Vietnam Network ofPeople Living with HIV/AIDS (VNP+).
The message released at the ceremony explained how a person living withHIV taking antiretroviral (ARV) therapy daily and maintaining an undetectableviral load has no risk of transferring the HIV virus to sexual partners.
Dr. John Blandford, Principal Director of the CDC Division of GlobalHIV/AIDS, said the message brings new hope for those who are living with HIV andtheir friends and family.
With access to ARV treatment, HIV-infected people can keep their viralload to an undetectable level and can live longer. They can have children anddon’t have to worry about passing the virus to their partner, he said.
Meanwhile, discrimination against HIV-infected people will be reducedand eliminated due to higher public awareness of the low risk, said Blandford.
At the same time, Dr. Hoang Dinh Canh, Vice Director of the Departmentof HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control under the Ministry of Health, said themessage is important in making those living with HIV more confident and moreintegrated into society.
The K=K campaign runs through September 30, 2018 with various activitiessuch as providing the undetectable=incommunicable message to health staff andpeople living with HIV/AIDS, and communications targeting HIV-infected peopleon the need to strictly follow treatment plans.
The evidence-based campaign has been recognised by more than 700organisations and agencies in 75 countries worldwide.-VNA
Vietnam has successfully bidden ARV drugs with prices 15-17 percent lower than those of similar drugs in use, bringing more hopes to local HIV/AIDS patients.
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has provided more than 170 million USD in financial support for Vietnam’s efforts in HIV/AIDS prevention over the last two decades.
The southern province of Dong Nai had a meeting on May 9 with the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to discuss a project to give technical support to the province, aiming to prevent and control HIV/AIDS in the locality.
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.
Partcipants at the launching ceremony (Source: organisation board) 
