Increasing physical education for people between three and 18 years old is among activities Hanoi will promote to improve locals' average height (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – Hanoi plans to spend more than 363billion VND (15.5 million USD) on activities to help raise local people’saverage height between 2018 and 2025.
The capital city has issued a plan to developHanoians’ physical strength and height until 2030, aiming to improve thequality of local human resources.
The plan looks to help local young people havestable height increase so that at the age of 18, male youth can have averageheight of 167.5cm by 2025 and 169cm by 2030, while females will be 156.5cm and158cm tall, respectively.
The national averages are expected at 168.5cmamong males and 157.5cm among females by 2030.
To that end, Hanoi is going to boostcommunications to raise public awareness, promote height increasing nutritionalregimes, and step up physical education for people between three and 18 yearsold.
In 2017, the Hanoi Sub-department of Populationand Family Planning revealed the outcomes of a study calculating average heightof 1,500 people aged six and above in four districts. It showed that after 10 years,Hanoians’ height rose by 2 – 3cm, reaching 166cm for men and 155cm for women.
A survey in 2010 indicated that the averageheight of Vietnamese grew by only 4cm in 35 years.
In 2015, Vietnamese men were 164.4cm tall inaverage and women, 153.4cm, 15.4cm and 10.3cm shorter than the global averages,respectively.-VNA
A master plan to develop the physical strength and height of Vietnamese people in the 2011-30 period is expected to gradually enhance the quality and longevity of the Vietnamese people.
The average height of Hanoians is 2-3 cm taller than 10 years ago, according to head of the Hanoi Department of Population and Family Planning Nguyen Dinh Lan.
A school milk programme in the central province of Nghe An has helped cut malnutrition among children, especially those under five years-old, according to the provincial People’s Committee.
In 2017, more than two million children in Vietnam were stunted and 1.2 million were underweight. In particular, the report said one in every six children under five years old was below normal height.
The People’s Committee of the northern province of Ha Nam organised a conference on July 17 to launch a school milk programme for the 2018-2020 period.
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.
Increasing physical education for people between three and 18 years old is among activities Hanoi will promote to improve locals' average height (Photo: VNA) 
