The US Mission to Vietnam, through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), on January 16 announced training and technical support for Bach Mai Hospital Stroke Centre to improve stroke care in Vietnam and the Mekong sub-region.
Bach Mai Hospital Director Assoc. Prof. Dao Xuan Co and Federation Handicap International Country Manager Mazedul Haque sign the memorandum of understanding. (Photo: US Embassy in Vietnam)
Hanoi (VNA) - The US Mission toVietnam, through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), onJanuary 16 announced training and technical support for Bach Mai HospitalStroke Centre to improve stroke care in Vietnam and the Mekong sub-region.
The announcement affirms the US’s supportfor strengthening health cooperation and assisting Vietnam’s critical medicalfacilities under the US - Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
Vietnam is among the countries with thehighest incidence rate of stroke, with about 200,000 stroke persons yearly.Stroke is the second most common cause of death in the country. Amongsurvivors, this condition leaves a high rate of disability behind.
Under a memorandum of understanding (MOU), signedby Bach Mai Hospital Director Assoc. Prof. Dao Xuan Co and Federation HandicapInternational Country Manager Mazedul Haque, in the next two years, the USAIDimplementing partner will work with Bach Mai to build a specialised workforcethrough supporting postgraduate training specialising in stroke and cerebrovasculardisease for doctors; strengthen the delivery of multidisciplinary services forpatients with specific attention to ensuring a continuum of care throughout thecare pathway; foster coordination, sharing of good practices and technicalsupport through national and international networks; and build researchcapacities of the Stroke Centre and the Rehabilitation Centre of the hospital.
“We look forward to helping Vietnamexpand the application of international best practices in saving lives andreducing disabilities among stroke victims,” USAID Mission Director Grubbssaid./.
A helicopter operated by the Army Corps 18 under the Ministry of National Defence has operated an emergency flight to bring a fisherman suffering a stroke from Song Tu Tay island in the central province of Khanh Hoa’s Truong Sa district to Ho Chi Minh City for treatment.
The Military Hospital 175 in Ho Chi Minh City has been achieved the level “Diamond Status” at the World Stroke Organisation (WSO) Angels Awards in recognition of improvements in its stroke care quality.
The General Hospital of northern Phu Tho province has become one of the seven Vietnamese establishments to win the Diamond Status from the World Stroke Organisation (WSO), the highest award for quality in emergency care and stroke treatment worldwide.
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.
Bach Mai Hospital Director Assoc. Prof. Dao Xuan Co and Federation Handicap International Country Manager Mazedul Haque sign the memorandum of understanding. (Photo: US Embassy in Vietnam) 
