PM requests stamping out COVID-19 outbreaks before lunar New Year
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked for extra efforts to quickly stamp out new COVID-19 outbreaks before the lunar New Year festival, which falls in mid-February.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc speaks at the permanent Cabinet meeting. (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked for extraefforts to quickly stamp out new COVID-19 outbreaks before the lunar New Yearfestival, which falls in mid-February.
The PM made the request at a permanent Cabinet meeting on the situation ofzoning off and dealing with newly-detected infections on January 29, just oneday after an urgent meeting with the National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Preventionand Control on the sidelines of the ongoing 13th National Party Congress.
He said that several leaders, who are delegates to thecongress in Hanoi, returned to their localities to direct, or chaired onlinemeetings with their localities on disease prevention and control work.
The Health Ministry has also sent many experienced staff tosupport the affected localities in the fight against the pandemic.
The PM stressed that the new variant of SARS-CoV-2 isspreading very quickly, that needs to take more rapid actions and extensivetesting, and quickly trace for anyone with possible contacts with the confirmedpatients.
Localities with community-transmitted infections shouldpractice social distancing at high-risk areas.
The Prime Minister also urged the Health Ministry to submita plan on buying COVID-19 vaccines to try serving people within the firstquarter of 2021./.
Vietjet has announced a plan to support customers with their flight to and from Van Don, the northern province of Quang Ninh, from January 29 to February 13 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
An eight-year-old girl in Ho Chi Minh City’s Thu Duc city has tested positive again for the coronavirus after completing her quarantine and being given the all-clear.
Vietnam reported 54 new COVID-19 cases from 6am to 6pm on January 29, including one imported case quarantined upon arrival, announced the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.
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.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc speaks at the permanent Cabinet meeting. (Photo: VNA) 
