Spring COVID-19 vaccination campaign to start on January 29
Vietnam will implement a COVID-19 vaccination campaign from January 29, with an aim to give booster shots to all eligible adults within the first quarter of 2022.
Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam will implement a COVID-19 vaccination campaign from January 29, with an aim to give booster shots to all eligible adults within the first quarter of 2022.
The campaign, launched by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh at a recent conference of the Health Ministry, also targets the completion of full COVID-19 vaccination for all children from 12-17 years old by the end of January, while continuing to consider and prepare for vaccination for children from 5-11 years old.
According to the Ministry of Health, the number of COVID-19 cases, including infections of the Omicron variant, may rise strongly during the upcoming Lunar New Year Festival and this year’s festive season, putting high pressure on the health care system.
Vietnam has so far detected 166 Omicron infections, including six found in the community, it said.
Therefore, the ministry expects that the Spring vaccination campaign will help reduce the number of fatal cases, and enable the reopening of schools in a safe manner.
Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said that the campaign will run until February 28 at national level, with the support of military and public security forces as well as other sectors.
Mobile vaccination posts and mobile emergency aid teams will also be set up to speed up the progress of the campaign, he said.
As of January 27, Vietnam had recorded 2,203,208 COVID-19 cases, with 1,945,611 having recovered and 37,291 succumbing to the disease.
The fatality ratio in January 2022 is five out of 100,000 cases, down by two compared to December 2021.
Vietnam has become one of the six countries with highest COVID-19 vaccination coverage in the world, with almost 100 percent of people of 18 years old and over receiving at least one shot of vaccine and 95 of them being fully inoculated. The corresponding ratios among children from 12 to 17 are 92 percent and 76 percent./.
The Tourism Advisory Board (TAB), the Private Sector Development Committee (Committee IV) and the Vietnam Business Forum (VBF) Alliance have proposed that the Government remove all domestic and international travel restrictions and completely reopen the tourism market from May 1.
The Ministry of Health has asked provinces and cities nationwide to create favourable conditions for people to return to their hometowns to welcome the Lunar New Year (Tet), citing the large coverage of COVID-19 vaccination.
The positive initial outcomes of the pilot border reopening to foreign visitors have shown the tourism sector’s adaptability, an important basis for the culture ministry to propose the complete resumption of international travel activities from May, an official has said.
Prof. Sir Jonathan Van-Tam, Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England, applauded the COVID-19 fight strategy of Vietnam in a recent interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency in the UK.
Ho Chi Minh City is set to conduct COVID-19 vaccination throughout the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday, which will last for nine days starting this weekend, according to its Department of Health.
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.
Illustrative image (Source: VNA) 
