Military set up two COVID-19 treatment hospitals in Bac Giang, Bac Ninh
The military are urgently setting up two temporary hospitals to provide care for COVID-19 patients in the northern provinces of Bac Ninh and Bac Giang, which are the two provinces affected the worst by the current COVID-19 resurgence in Vietnam, on May 19 afternoon.
Medical staff conduct COVID-19 testing in a lab. (Photo: Ministry of Health)
Hanoi (VNA) – The military are urgently settingup two temporary hospitals to provide care for COVID-19 patients in thenorthern provinces of Bac Ninh and Bac Giang, which are the two provincesaffected the worst by the current COVID-19 resurgence in Vietnam.
The two facilities, one located on the ground of thePolitical Officers College’s No.2 campus in Bac Ninh city and the other atRegiment 831 of the Bac Giang Military Command in Viet Yen district, arescheduled to begin receive patients from 5pm on May 19.
Each has 300 beds and close to 120 medical workers. Theircapacity can be raised to 500 beds if required.
A COVID-19 checkpoint is set up between Bac Ninh city and Bac Giang's Viet Yen district. (Photo: VNA)
According to the Ministry of National Defence’s GeneralDepartment of Logistics, the hospitals are designed to offer emergency care andtreatment for COVID-19 patients in a bid to help the two provinces swiftly keepthe coronavirus at bay.
In a meeting with the ministry’s steering committee forCOVID-19 prevention and control on May 16, Minister of National Defence PhanVan Giang said his ministry will deploy more officers and vehicles to supportpandemic-hit localities in fighting the fourth COVID-19 wave.
Meanwhile, the National Institute of Hygiene andEpidemiology on May 19 announced that B.1.617.2 – the Indian variant ofcoronavirus – has been found in 29 samples collected in Vietnam. They include10 in Hanoi, five in the Vietnam National Cancer Hospital’s Tan Trieu facility,nine in Bac Giang, two in Bac Ninh, two in Vinh Phuc and one in Hai Phong.
The UK’s B.1.17 variant, meanwhile, were detected in twosamples collected in Hai Duong./.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has urged the entire political system and people to take a more swift and drastic approach to driving back COVID-19 pandemic because it could spread anytime if guard is let down.
Buying COVID-19 vaccines is a necessary and urgent task that must be carried out immediately, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh told permanent Government members who met on May 17 to discuss the purchase of Pfizer vaccine.
Nearly 3 trillion VND (130.16 million USD) sourced from the State budget has been disbursed for COVID-19 control and prevention since the start of the year.
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).
Vietnam reported 36 new COVID-19 cases in the past six hours to 12:00pm on May 19, all in quarantine facilities or sealed off areas, announced the Ministry of Health (MoH).
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.
Medical staff conduct COVID-19 testing in a lab. (Photo: Ministry of Health)
A COVID-19 checkpoint is set up between Bac Ninh city and Bac Giang's Viet Yen district. (Photo: VNA)
