❀HCM City will pilot a food safety and hygiene programme in schools in six districts to prevent food poisoning incidents. (Photo: VNA)
HCM City (VNA) -💟 A pilot programme on ensuring food safety andhygiene at all schools in six districts in HCM City will begin in the upcomingschool year.
Under the programme, the six pilotdistricts of 3, 5, 8, 11, Tan Binh and Binh Thanh must ensure that all schoolshave either met standards of the city’s food safety chain model recognised bythe city’s Food Safety Management Board, or have food-safety certificates (suchas the global ISO 22000:2005, and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point(HACCP), Good Manufacturing Practice (Japan-GMP), VietGap and GlobalGap. If any school unit has notterminated a contract with a food supplier that has not met standards since the2017-2018 school year, it must do so and report the action to the department. The Department of Education andTraining has told the remaining districts to be ready for the programme as wellin the 2018-2019 academic year. Under the programme, by 2020, allcanteens, kitchens and catering services at all district schools would meetfood safety standards. HCM City has more than 2,800 schoolunits from pre-school to tertiary schools providing food services for students. At least 1,600 schools havekitchens, 880 provide canteen services, and 320 collaborate with cateringservices. Local agencies have faced manydifficulties trying to prevent food poisoning incidents and controlling thequality of food supplied to kitchens and canteens.-VNA
Vietnamese enterprises should strive to meet strict food safety requirements from importing countries, especially choosy markets like the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the European Union.
Vietnam pledges coordination with and hopes to receive further support from the World Bank (WB) and other partners to improve food hygiene and safety, said Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam at an online conference held in Hanoi on April 18.
Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has urged Ho Chi Minh City to boost the application of high technology in tracing the origins of food products as a way to gradually change the habits of production and consumption to improve awareness of food safety.
With a market of 93 million people, Vietnam has seen rapidly growing consumer demand for food and beverage (F&B) products, offering great opportunities for the sector to expand, experts have said.
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.
