Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam is expected to have the first batch oflocally-produced COVID-19 vaccines at the end of the third quarter of 2021.
The statement was made by Deputy Director of the Departmentof Science Technology and Training under the Health Ministry Nguyen Ngo Quang,who is Chief of the Office of the National Programme on Vaccine Research andDevelopment, at a meeting of the Standing Board of the Steering Committee for InternationalCooperation in Clinical Trials of COVID-19 Vaccines on March 22.
Quang said that Vietnam is currently making research onthree types of COVID-19 vaccine.
Accordingly, the second phase of human trials on NanoCovaxvaccine, produced by the Nanogen Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, is beingconducted, with the second dose to be injected on March 26.
The results of the second phase are expected to be announcedin May as scheduled, while the third phase will be conducted from May toSeptember. The vaccine is hoped to be registered for circulation in September,three months shorter than planned. Earlier, the trial time of the second phasewas also shortened from six months to three months.
A system on monitoring and assessing vaccines’ protectionefficiency in Vietnam and other countries is expected to be operated fromSeptember 2021 – September 2022.
Meanwhile, the first injections of the first phase of humantrials on Vietnam’s second homegrown candidate vaccine COVIVAC, developed bythe Institute of Vaccines and Medical Biologicals (IVAC), were made on March15.
An overview of the meeting (Photo: VNA)
The first phase of human trials on the country’s third homegrowncandidate vaccine, developed by VABIOTECH, is hoped to begin in April.
Standing members of the Steering Committee for InternationalCooperation in Clinical Trials of COVID-19 Vaccines agreed that the outcomes ofpre-clinical trials of all three vaccines were assessed good thanks toVietnamese units’ close coordination with prestigious vaccine producers andresearch units over the world and their compliance with international standardsand procedures in vaccine research and development.
Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam,who is head of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention andControl, hailed efforts made by the Ministries of Health and Science andTechnology, and vaccine research and development units.
He requested extra efforts to speed updomestically-developed vaccine research and production.
At the event, the Health Ministry affirmed that it has nopolicy that allows businesses and companies to import COVID-19 vaccines./.
No new case of COVID-19 was reported in the past 12 hours to 6am March 20, while more than 30,900 people have received shots of COVID-19 vaccines, according to the Health Ministry.
Standing members of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control have discussed the preparation of technical and policy solutions to implement the “COVID-19 vaccine passport” scheme while ensuring the principle of “safety first”.
Right after the fourth wave of COVID-19 in the country was put under control at the beginning of March, travel agencies in Hanoi started offering various products at favourable prices to attract tourists.
Vietnam saw no new COVID-19 case in the past 12 hours to 6am of March 22, keeping the national count at 2,572, including 2,198 recoveries, according to the Health Ministry.
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.
Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam (Photo: VNA) 
An overview of the meeting (Photo: VNA) 
