Vietnam has contained well the COVID-19 pandemic but yet to win over it, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, head of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, said at a meeting of the committee in Hanoi on May 21.
Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam has contained well theCOVID-19 pandemic but yet to win over it, Deputy Prime Minister Vu DucDam, head of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention andControl, said at a meeting of the committee in Hanoi on May 21.
Along with the world, the fight against the pandemic maylast long, and Vietnam must be always in the readiness status, the Deputy PMstressed.
Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said morethan 5 million COVID-19 cases, including 325,000 deaths, have been recorded in215 countries and territories nationwide.
In Southeast Asia, there are 72,600 cases and nearly2,300 fatalities. Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Timor-Leste have so far reportedno deaths caused by the acute respiratory disease.
Vietnam has gone 35 straight days without communityinfections and the national count remains at 324, Long told the meeting.
The British man, designated as Patient 91 who is beingtreated at the HCM City Hospital for Tropical Diseases, has tested negative forSARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes the disease, for six times, andhis lung function has improved as compared with the previous days.
Regarding Flight VN001 from the US to Hanoi on May 16,Long said the test results of all 25 crew members came out negative.
All of the 299 passengers returning from Thailand onMay 18 have also been put under quarantine at concentrated facilities and theirtest results were negative, the official added.
Although no community infections have been recordedover the past 35 days, competent forces have still maintained their activeresponse and vigilance against the epidemic, Long said.
Committee members shared the views on the risk oftransmission from Vietnamese returning from abroad, foreign experts andlabourers, diplomatic and official passport holders, crew members and residentstravelling through borders.
They, therefore, urged the Ministry of Transport andlocalities to continue tightening control over passengers entering Vietnam, andseriously observe quarantine regulations.
Local authorities and the public security sector haveto guide the grant of visas for foreigners and prepare quarantine facilities,they said./.
No new COVID-19 case was confirmed on May 21, marking the 35th straight day Vietnam has gone without community transmission, the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control reported.
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 PM Vu Duc Dam (Photo: VNA) 
