Vietnam reports four more COVID-19 cases, total at 237
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.
A man has his sample taken for examination at the quick COVID-19 testing site located at the cultural centre of Yen Hoa ward, Hanoi's Cau Giay district (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) - Four new COVID-19 infections, including two cases related to Ho Chi Minh City-based Buddha Bar, were confirmed by the Ministry of Healthon April 3 evening,raising the total number in the country to 237.
The 234th patient is a69-year-old Vietnamese woman living in Buon Don district in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak. She returned from Paris to HCM Cityon flight number VN2106, seat 45 on March 18, and was quarantined upon arrival.
The patient tested positive for the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 that caused the acute respiratory disease (COVID-19) on March 30, then was transferred to theCOVID-19 treatment hospital in HCM City’s Can Gio district for treatment.
The 235th patient is a25-year-old British man who went to the Buddha Bar on March 14.
He showed no symptoms andunderwent treatment at the COVID-19 treatment hospital in HCM City’s Cu Chi district.
The 236th patient is a26-year-old British woman residing in Thao Dien ward, district 2, HCM City, who also went to the Buddha Bar on March 14.
She was sent to a concentrated quarantine area at district 9’s Academy of Politics on March 25.
The patient was admitted to the COVID-19 treatment hospitalin Cu Chi district after testing positive for thevirus on April 1.
The 237th patient is a64-year-old Swedish man who entered Vietnam in late December 2019 and travelled to different provincesand cities across the country, includingNinh Binh province on March 17, HCM City from March21 to 22 and Hanoi from March 22. He has blood cancer.
On March 26, the patient wasinvolved in an accident and was sent to Vietnam- France Hospital in an ambulance. Hereturned to a hotel afterwards.
On March 31, he started havinga nosebleed and had an examination at Duc Giang General Hospital then was transferred to the National Institute of Haematology andBlood Transfusion.
The patient was confirmed to beinfected with COVID-19 on April 1 and admitted to the National Hospital forTropical Diseases.
According to the latest reportby the Ministry of Health, 85 patients, equivalent to 36 percent of theconfirmed cases, have beengiven the all clear as of 18:00 on April 3./.
No Vietnamese citizens in Saudi Arabia had contracted the acute respiratory disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), the Vietnamese Embassy in the Middle East nation said on April 2.
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.
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.