Vietnam has emerged as Southeast Asia's leader in organ transplantation, performing over 1,000 procedures annually, but it faces significant challenges in brain-dead donor donations, according to a health official.
Vietnam has mastered transplant techniques despite entering the field years after other countries. (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) -꧋ Vietnam has emerged as Southeast Asia's leader in organ transplantation, performing over 1,000 procedures annually, but it faces significant challenges in brain-dead donor donations, according to a health official.
At the launch ceremony of the inter-hospital association for human tissue and organ donation in the southern region on December 23, former Health Minister Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Kim Tien, President of the Vietnam Tissue and Organ Donation Campaign Association, highlighted that the country conducts the highest number of organ transplants in the region, including some 100 liver transplants, 90 heart, 13 lung, and two small intestine ones each year.
According to Assoc. Prof. Dr Nguyen Hoang Bac, Director of the University Medical Centre Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam has mastered transplant techniques despite entering the field years after other countries while marking significant technological advancement in Southeast Asia.
However, the country documents the lowest rate of brain-dead organ donations in the region. While developed nations report 50-90% of organ donations coming from deceased donors, Vietnam shows an inverse trend, with 96% of transplants relying on living donors.
This imbalance largely stems from a deep-rooted traditional belief that bodies should remain intact after death./.
Health experts reviewed the results of Viet Duc Friendship Hospital’s organ and tissue transplantation activities at a workshop on Friday in Hanoi.
After more than three decades of relentless dedication, Vietnam's medical sector has achieved remarkable milestones in organ transplantation, becoming the leader in Southeast Asia in terms of the number of transplants performed annually.
The number of people registering for organ donation is still very low, so it is necessary to step up the building of the legal corridor on this sensitive issue.
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.
