Vietnam launches its COVID-19 inoculation drive on March 8 morning, administering the AstraZeneca vaccine to medical workers in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and northern Hai Duong province – the country’s biggest pandemic hotspot at present.
Vietnam launches its COVID-19 inoculation drive on March 8 morning. (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam launches its COVID-19inoculation drive on March 8 morning, administering the AstraZeneca vaccine to medicalworkers in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and northern Hai Duong province – thecountry’s biggest pandemic hotspot at present.
The vaccination is conducted at the Central Hospitalfor Tropical Diseases in Hanoi, the HCM City Hospital for Tropical Diseases andtwo medical centres in Hai Duong.
As many as 100 staff members of the Central Hospitalfor Tropical Diseases are expected to receive the shots in the morning of March8. The hospital is allocated 450 doses among the first batch of 117,600 dosesof AstraZeneca vaccine the country has received.
In Hai Duong, 50 medical workers at Hai Duong city’smedical centre, and 30 others at Kim Thanh district’s medical centre will bethe first in the province to be injected.
The Ministry of Health has allocated the vaccine to 13localities, along with the Ministry of National Defence, the Ministry of PublicSecurity and 21 hospitals during the first phase.
Among the localities, all having reported COVID-19cases since the latest wave of outbreaks since January 27, the Hanoi Centre forDisease Control (CDC) is given 8,000 doses, Hai Duong CDC 32,000, and HCM CityCDC 8,000.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of National Defence and theMinistry of Public Security each receive 30,000 doses.
At a meeting on March 6, Health Minister NguyenThanh Long stressed the need to ensure equality in vaccine access as suggestedby the WHO, UNICEF and COVAC.
The localities excluded in the first phase shouldcontinue to prepare for the inoculation, with training programmes, he said,adding that they would receive the vaccine after the next shipment arrives inVietnam in March.
The ministry will roll out the vaccination in allCOVID-19 treatment hospitals, prioritising those involved in frontline work,and those who participate in the pandemic combat in the community like contacttracers.
People getting the shots will be monitored viadigital health records and receive e-certificates for their completion ofinoculation.
Vietnam plans to import about 150 million doses ofCOVID-19 vaccines./.
The Ministry of Health must ensure the safety and efficiency of Vietnam’s COVID-19 vaccination programme, under the instructions of the Politburo and the Government, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam said at a meeting of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control on March 5.
The Ministry of Health will mobilise all resources to carry out COVID-19 vaccinations, the largest-ever vaccination programme, so as to ensure absolute safety for people, Minister Nguyen Thanh Long has said.
Vietnam reported no COVID-19 cases in the past 12 hours to 6:00 am on March 8, according to 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.
Vietnam launches its COVID-19 inoculation drive on March 8 morning. (Photo: VNA) 
