Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnam on August 25 received 300,000 doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine donated by the Romanian Government.
Speaking at the hand-over ceremony in Hanoi, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs To Anh Dung expressed sincere thanks to the Romanian Government and people for their valuable and timely support to Vietnam, saying this was a noble gesture reflecting the loyal and close friendship between the two countries, which has been nurtured by generations over the past 70 years.
Dung appreciated Romania as one of the first European Union members to donate vaccine to Vietnam, adding that it would make a practical contribution to the fight against COVID-19 in the country.
The deputy minister took this occasion to express his thanks to Romanian Ambassador to Vietnam Cristina Romila for playing an important role in mobilising the Romanian Government to present the vaccine to Vietnam. He also proposed the Romania Government consider the possibility of transferring its surplus vaccines to the country.
Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan affirmed that the Ministry of Health would soon put this batch of vaccine into use in the most effective way.
Romila said that after the phone talks between Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on July 14 as well as the letter from Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to Romanian Prime Minister Florin Citu on July 19, the Romanian Government decided to increase the donated number of vaccines to 300,000 doses, three times higher than the original plan.
She said the Romanian Government always remembered the valuable support of face masks and medical supplies from the Vietnamese Government and the Vietnamese community in Romania in the early stages of the pandemic.
Vietnam was the first Asian country to receive COVID-19 vaccine donated by Romania, she said.
𒀰 The ambassador affirmed that Romania would continue standing side by side with Vietnam and firmly believed that the country would soon put the pandemic under control./.
The traditional friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Romania have been fostered continuously over the past years, and the bilateral relationship has seen progress in all spheres, President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Nga said on November 29.
The Ho Chi Minh City Union of Friendship Organisations (HUFO) on December 1 hosted a get-together to mark the 102nd National Day of Romania (December 1, 1918 – 2020).
Romanian media have reported that the Vietnamese National Assembly had successfully consolidated key leadership positions, and showed their hope Vietnam-Romania cooperative ties would develop to a new height in the future.
Vietnam attaches importance to its traditional friendship with Romania, which has been nurtured by generations of leaders and people of both countries over the past more than seven decades, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has said.
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.
At the handover ceremony (Photo: VNA) 
