Vietnam Accelerates Hospital Record Digitization, Boosting Quality and Internationalization

Ho Chi Minh City is pioneering efforts to expand access to quality healthcare by deploying doctors and extending hospital services to remote and island areas, as part of its push toward universal health coverage. The city's Department of Health reviewed a pilot program combining hospital-based practice with work at grassroots health stations and organized a healthcare job fair, attracting nearly 1,000 candidates and 94 recruiters offering 806 positions. Director of the municipal Department of Health Tang Chi Thuong stated that a key prerequisite for attracting foreign patients is a strategy to develop centers of medical excellence. He proposed selecting hospitals and specialties with strong expertise for investment towards international standards, particularly in competitive fields such as cardiology, oncology, robotic surgery, assisted reproduction, pediatrics, dentistry, cosmetic medicine, specialized health check-ups, traditional medicine, and rehabilitation. Under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), the US Department of State, working with Congress, plans to provide $98.75 million in life-saving global health assistance over the next five years. This includes $21.385 million in dedicated Global Health Security funding to support Vietnam’s transition to full country ownership of its HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis programs, while strengthening its capacity to detect and respond to emerging and re-emerging infectious disease threats. The cooperation will also support Vietnam in strengthening its healthcare capacity and gradually enhancing self-reliance in HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis prevention and control programs, as well as in responding to emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. Vietnam will launch nationwide screening for five groups of school-related diseases and health conditions among students from preschool through high school from 2028, including overweight and obesity, refractive errors, spinal curvature, oral diseases, and mental health disorders. According to the infectious disease surveillance system, nearly 100,000 cases were reported so far this year, more than 2.5 times over the same period last year. The number of cases remains high in southern cities and provinces. According to the Hanoi Department of Health, 316 dengue cases were recorded across 74 communes and wards in the city from August 7-14, up 81 from the previous week. Eleven new outbreaks were also reported, bringing the total number since the beginning of 2026 to 63, with 24 still active. The healthcare sector has undergone significant transformation in recent years to realize the Politburo’s Resolution No. 72-NQ/TW on breakthrough solutions to improve healthcare delivery and public health. This digitization effort is a crucial part of modernizing Vietnam's healthcare system, enhancing services for its citizens, and boosting international competitiveness.