As many as 180 international and Vietnamese bio-safety experts, professionals and practitioners are discussing bio-risk, bio-preparedness, and bio-terrorism at the 12th Asia-Pacific Biosafety Association (A-PBA) Conference that opened in Ho Chi Minh City on August 24.
Dr Chua Teck-Mean, President of the Asia-Pacific Biosafety Association, speaks at the 12th A-PBA Conference that opened in HCM City on August 24. (Photo: VNA)
HCM City (VNA) – As many as180 international and Vietnamese bio-safety experts, professionalsand practitioners are discussing bio-risk, bio-preparedness, andbio-terrorism at the 12th Asia-Pacific Biosafety Association(A-PBA) Conference that opened in Ho Chi Minh City on August 24.
The four-day conference aims atgenerating discussions on the various current bio-safety and bio-securityissues of concern at the global, regional, national and technical levels.
The discussions range frombio-terrorism, bio-risk management, challenges from bio-threat in a rapidchanging world of science and technology, and laboratory bio-risk in theAsia-Pacific region.
“With the increasing threat ofbio-terrorism around the world, concerns have been raised about how well we aremanaging and safeguarding infectious agents in our facilities,” Dr ChuaTeck-Mean, president of the A-PBA, said.
“The progress of science and technologyin the last decade has also posed new challenges in bio-safety and bio-security.”
It is with these concerns that A-PBAhas chosen the theme of this year’s conference to be “Biosecurity &Biosafety - New Challenges of Bio Threat in a Rapidly Changing World of Science& Technology,” he said.
Prof Dang Duc Anh, Director of theNational Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, a co-organiser of theconference, said researching and testing dangerous infectious pathogens playsan important role in controlling communicable diseases and helps prevent,detect and respond to dangerous diseases.
“Ensuring bio-safety and bio-securityin laboratories working with infectious pathogens is essential to protectlaboratory workers and the community.
“Today with the changes in science andtechnology, bio-safety and bio-security are becoming more and more concerned.”
The World Health Organisation and theUS Centres for Disease Control and Prevention have issued detailed guidelinesfor bio-safety and bio-security, and based on these guidelines, countries havedeveloped their own regulations and guidelines, he said.
Vietnam is a leading country inSoutheast Asia in developing a legal framework for bio-safety and bio-security,he said.
Thanks to that, its laboratories aresafe, he added.
A-PBA, begun in 2005, represents morethan 800 practising bio-safety professionals from more than 42 countries.-VNA
The Vietnamese government always gives priority to developing biotechnology during the country’s modernisation and industrialisation process while attaching more importance to biosafety.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) hosted a seminar in Hanoi on August 16 to seek effective strategies to develop a safe biotechnology system in Vietnam.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has just signed Decision 1836/QD-BTNMT on the issuance of bio-safety certificate for the genetically modified corn MON 89034 of Dekalb Vietnam Company Limited, a subsidiary in Vietnam of global seedling group Monsanto, the Vietnam Investment Review reported on September 3.
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.
Dr Chua Teck-Mean, President of the Asia-Pacific Biosafety Association, speaks at the 12th A-PBA Conference that opened in HCM City on August 24. (Photo: VNA)
