Vietnam has established itself as the leading nation in Southeast Asia for organ transplants, performing over 1,000 procedures each year for the past two years.
Doctors and nurses at the Agricultural Hospital register as posthumous organ donors. (Photo: VNA/VNS)
Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Vietnam has established itself as the leading nation in Southeast Asia for organ transplants, performing over 1,000 procedures each year for the past two years.
Nguyen Thi Kim Tien, former Minister of Health and current President of the Vietnam Tissue and Organ Donation Advocacy Association, shared these figures during the launch of an organ donation registration programme at the Agricultural Hospital in Hanoi on November 12.
Tiến commended the nation's significant advancements in medical expertise and transplant techniques, marking over three decades of performing complex surgeries, including kidney, liver, heart, lung, pancreas, and corneal transplants.
"This accomplishment reflects Vietnam’s remarkable progress and places us on par with other regional leaders in organ transplantation," she stated.
Currently, Vietnam boasts 26 transplant centres that are well-equipped with modern technology and skilled personnel. However, a challenge remains: 96% of organ donations come from living donors, with donations from brain-dead donors comprising just 4%, insufficient to meet the growing demand for transplants.
Statistics from the Vietnam Tissue and Organ Donation Advocacy Association indicate that approximately 100,000 individuals have registered for posthumous organ donation, yet tens of thousands are still waiting for transplants. The scarcity of available organs leads to dozens of patient deaths daily. Annually, around 300 brain-dead patients could provide over 6,000 organs and tissues, yet many are not utilised.
Dr Le Van, head of the organ donation branch at the Agricultural Hospital, reported receiving numerous organ donation offers from families of brain-dead patients eager to aid medical needs. Notably, out of the hospital's 700 staff members, 200 have pledged to donate their organs after death.
🦂 Looking forward, the Agricultural Hospital’s organ donation branch aims to enhance training and infrastructure to support organ transplant operations within the coming years, starting with kidney transplants./.
The first pediatric organ transplant centre in Vietnam’s southern region is scheduled to be completed and put into operation on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification Day (April 30, 1975 - 2025).
Vietnam has successfully conducted organ transplants from brain-dead donors and is strongly encouraging people to register for organ donation after death, an official has said.
In recent years, the Vietnamese health sector has continued to make its mark on the world medical map with meaningful works that catch up with the advances of developed countries.
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.