Faster, stronger response to stamp out new COVID-19 outbreaks: Deputy PM
By strictly following guidelines on COVID-19 combat procedures, Vietnam will control the pandemic and ensure safety during the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday, said Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam.
Hanoi (VNA) – By strictly following guidelineson COVID-19 combat procedures, Vietnam will control the pandemic and ensuresafety during the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday, said Deputy Prime Minister VuDuc Dam.
Speaking at an online meeting on January 28 with the steeringcommittees for COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control of northern Hai Duongand Quang Ninh provinces where new outbreaks have been discovered, Dam, who ishead of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control,said that as the SARS-CoV-2 virus has spread faster and become more dangerous,pandemic control activities must be conducted more quickly and drastically.
The Deputy PM noted that Vietnam has for the first timefound two outbreaks at the same time with 82 infections, showing the higherspeed of spreading of the new variant of coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.
He lauded the Health Ministry and the two provinces’ quickresponse to the outbreaks in the spirit of “fighting the pandemic like fightingthe enemy.”
“We have not wasted any minute, any hour and this spirit should be continued,” he stressed.
Along with the tracing of people who had close contact withthe newly-discovered cases, he asked the Health Ministry and the two provincesto expand investigation on cases related to Van Don International Airport inQuang Ninh, thus defining all passengers going through the airport in the past15 days to minimise the risk of COVID-19 spreading.
A lockdown order has been issued for Cong Hoa commune in HaiDuong’s Chi Linh city and Dong Trieu township and the Van Don InternationalAirport in Quang Ninh.
He requested all ministries, sectors and localities tostrictly follow all medical guidelines on COVID-19 prevention and control./.
Vietnam recorded 82 new COVID-19 cases in the northern provinces of Hai Duong and Quang Ninh on January 28 morning after two locally-infected cases were confirmed late January 27.
Vietnam’s stock market suffered its sharpest drop in history on January 28 as a result of panic selling after new community transmissions of the coronavirus were reported.
The Ministry of Transport on January 28 decided to close down the Van Don international airport in the northern coastal province of Quang Ninh for 15 days after many locally-transmitted cases of COVID-19 was confirmed on the same day.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has issued a directive on several urgent measures to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, after 83 community transmissions of the SARS-CoV-2 variant were found in the northern provinces of Hai Duong and Quang Ninh on January 27 and 28.
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 Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam (Photo: VNA) 
