Samples are tested at a quick COVID-19 testing site in Yen Hoa ward of Hanoi's Cau Giay district on April 3 (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)is providing Vietnam with hand sanitiser as support for the country in thefight against COVID-19.
In the first phase, the UNFPA will supply 7,000 bottles ofhand sanitiser which are set to be distributed to the frontline hospitals in Hanoi.
UNFPA Representative in Vietnam Naomi Kitahara said it isnecessary to support the Ministry of Health and medical workers, especiallythose working in the frontline, since they have to risk their health to protectother people’s health and prevent the disease from spreading.
Protecting medical workers from getting infected must be thetop priority throughout the process of response to the COVID-19 pandemic, she said.
Kitahara noted the UNFPA wants to show its solidarity with allVietnamese people, adding that together with UN organisations, the UNFPA alwaysstands ready to assist Vietnam with everything possible to help the country fightagainst this pandemic.
Special attention should also be paid to vulnerable groups,including pregnant women, Kitahara said.
Appreciating the UNFPA’s assistance to Vietnam, a leader of the Health Ministry stressed that protecting all people’ health in theCOVID-19 pandemic is the top priority of the Government, which has also givenspecial focus to vulnerable groups and frontline medical workers.
Likeother emergency situations, the COVID-19 pandemic could hamper people’s accessto essential reproductive health services and reduce authorities’ capacity of respondingto gender violence in the time women and girls are in need of those services.
The UNFPA has called on partners to jointlyhelp Vietnam in the COVID-19 combat by providing essential products for thedisease prevention and control, especially for high-risk groups like pregnantwomen and those susceptible to gender violence./.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Agency for Foreign Trade has urged firms that export goods to China to give the highest priority to preventing the COVID-19 pandemic from spreading further and ensuring the safety of their workers and the public.
Social distancing is an important solution in containing the spread of COVID-19, members of the National Steering Committee for Preventing and Controlling COVID-19 told a meeting in Hanoi on April 3 chaired by its head, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam.
Vietnam has been a role model in adopting measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 amid limited conditions, with eight doctors for every 10,000 people, according to an article posted on Russian news website zen.yandex.ru.
Four new COVID-19 infections, including two cases related to Ho Chi Minh City-based Buddha Bar, were confirmed by the Ministry of Health on April 3 evening, raising the total number in the country to 237.
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.
Samples are tested at a quick COVID-19 testing site in Yen Hoa ward of Hanoi's Cau Giay district on April 3 (Photo: VNA) 
