Viet Nam ends 2025 with strong public health progress

In 2025, as part of its broader reform agenda, the Government of Viet Nam made the biggest commitment to changes to the health sector in a generation, and set out bold ambitions for health. These include commitments to providing free essential health care in the future, digital transformation, a multi-sectoral approach to health security and public health including a healthier environment, and prioritizing investment in public health and grassroots health services.  

As the country works towards realising these ambitions, WHO is proud to be a valued partner to the Government, alongside national and international partners and donors.   

WHO Representative in Viet Nam Dr Angela Pratt said, “The current political momentum offers an unprecedented opportunity to accelerate health gains for people everywhere across Viet Nam. WHO is immensely honoured to accompany the Government in its vitally important work at this historic time to drive positive health impact, for a healthier, safer and fairer Viet Nam. 

Dr Pratt said, “WHO’s work to support Viet Nam’s health impact in these areas is made possible thanks to the expertise and generosity of national and international partners and donors, community-based organizations, academic institutions and our UN sister agencies.  

“We are deeply grateful to all of the health partners who continue to support WHO in this very worthwhile work so we can continue to deliver health and social gains with the Government and for the people of Viet Nam.”  

WHO plays a unique role, operating across the full public health policy spectrum, from standard-setting and technical guidance, to support for policy development, and advising on-the-ground implementation, with innovative, tailored solutions, such as in noncommunicable disease (NCD) care or climate adaption and mitigation for health-care facilities.  

Priority areas of work during the latter part of 2025 included collaborating with the Government to strengthen primary health care and expand access to essential care including for Viet Nam’s biggest cause of death – NCDs, protecting children against vaccine-preventable diseases, reducing the risk factors for disease such as use of tobacco, e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products (HTPs), bringing down the devastating youth road toll, mitigating and adapting to climate change, improving air quality, controlling disease and strengthening preparation for and responding to health emergencies.  

Below are some examples of WHO’s impact in these areas. 

Supporting the Government’s transformation of the primary health care system

As part of its broader health sector reform agenda, the Government of Viet Nam is prioritizing investment in grassroots health services—including public health services and primary care. This is an unprecedented opportunity for accelerating transformative primary health care.  

WHO’s aim is to support transforming Viet Nam’s formidable network of commune health stations into the trusted, equitable and high-performing foundation of the health system. This will be measured by an increase in universal health coverage, especially for the diagnosis and care of NCDs – such as hypertension and diabetes – that can be managed at the primary care level.  

To help Viet Nam draw on lessons from international best practice to optimise primary health care, the Ministry of Health and WHO hosted a high-level policy forum that was addressed by WHO Western Pacific Regional Director Dr Saia Ma’u Piukala during an official visit to the country in August 2025.  

Also as part the Organization’s high-quality policy advice and technical support, WHO published Primary Health Care in Viet Nam: A Review of the Commune Health System, a comprehensive analysis of Viet Nam’s grassroots health care system at a pivotal moment of national reform. The review examines the system’s strengths, challenges and opportunities to strengthen primary health care delivery. .  

Expanding access to essential care 

Hypertension diagnosis and care is an example of how strengthening grassroots health care can bring significant benefits. It also aligns with the Government’s plan to strengthen preventive care.  

Expanding access to care is especially important as an estimated 18 million people in Viet Nam are living with high blood pressure, many of them undiagnosed and therefore untreated.  

Viet Nam has made major gains in hypertension management. With thanks to partners, WHO has been honoured to collaborate with the Ministry of Health on a model that has now reached more than 2 million people, helping them be better protected from heart attacks and strokes with controlled hypertension. Read about earlier phases of work to bring essential health care closer to people who need it.   

In Viet Nam, liver cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths. More than 7 million people in Viet Nam are estimated to live with hepatitis B and C, which cause 90% of liver cancer cases. WHO is also helping expand access to prevention, early diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis B and C.  

More children protected against vaccine-preventable diseases

^{Nguyen Thi Minh Chau, 6 months, awaits vaccination at Phu Dien Ward Health Station in Ha Noi City. Credit: WHO/Loan Tran}

Viet Nam has made remarkable progress in protecting children from vaccine-preventable diseases. In 2025, a new report found immunization coverage in 2024 had not only rebounded to the high levels seen before the COVID-19 pandemic but surpassed the rates recorded in 2019. 

At the same time, Viet Nam has intensified efforts to break the cycle of measles transmission through intensified vaccination campaigns, improved surveillance and community engagement, with deployments from WHO's Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN). Read about support to maintain high measles vaccine coverage and outbreak response preparedness.  

Strengthening control of tobacco and nicotine products

^{Smoke-free fathers help safeguard their children's health and ensure a brighter, healthier future. Credit: WHO/Loan Tran}

More than 40% of men in Viet Nam smoke; tobacco causes about 100 000 deaths a year. Cigarettes have been among the most affordable in the world. However, in 2025, Viet Nam’s National Assembly voted to increase tobacco taxes.  

WHO has continued its decades-strong support for tobacco control, which includes advocacy - for example for smoke-free tourism, promoting lung disease prevention activities - policy advice, convening partners and modelling the impact of different options. WHO’s taxation simulation TaXSim model predicts that the tobacco tax reforms will result in 2.1 million fewer smokers by 2031, and 700 000 premature deaths averted in the coming decades. Read about WHO’s support for tobacco tax reform and its impact.  

Meanwhile, a historic ban on e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products is already protecting young people’s health. In December, the National Assembly added these products to its list of products that it is not legal to invest in or trade commercially in the Law on Investment, confirming the comprehensive ban. Data from Bach Mai Hospital’s Poison Control Center shows an almost 70% reduction in emergency cases associated with the harmful usage of these products, particularly among young people, since the ban was adopted. Support by WHO for the ban included advice on implementing it comprehensively without exceptions and engaging with journalists, who can help share facts, create opportunities to discuss health issues and shape people's understanding of important topics – such as vaping.  

Injury prevention: Road safety

^{WHO Representative in Viet Nam Dr Angela Pratt shares a high-five with a young participant at the launch of Viet Nam Project 2000 Road Safety Partnership. Credit: WHO/My Pham}

Every year, around 2000 children and young people die on Viet Nam’s roads; it is a leading cause of death for these age groups.  

In October 2025, WHO launched the Viet Nam Project 2000 Road Safety Partnership, in collaboration with the Asia Injury Prevention Foundation, to catalyse practical action on motorbike helmets, child car seats and safer school zones. The vision is to reduce the number of children and young people who die on the road every year from 2000 to zero. 

The Partnership brings together 17 organizations including development partners, academia, civil society and the private sector. Read the launch speech by Dr Pratt. WHO’s work on road safety also includes training for journalists, support for technical events and close collaboration with partners to improve road safety.  

Air pollution

Air pollution kills about 70 000 people a year in Viet Nam, a problem that is gaining wider attention. WHO is proud to work with partners, including the United Nations Development Programme, to support the Government to translate high-level commitment into measurable improvements in air quality that lead to greater health for all. An example is public advocacy, such as at a Clean Air for Blue Skies event.  

This work takes forward priorities discussed at the National Scientific Conference on Combating Air Pollution and Improving Air Quality, held in April.  

Climate resilience and environmental sustainability

 ^{Yen Thanh District Hospital Head of the Department of Infection Control Dr Phan Thi Thuy checks real-time air quality data on a phone app. Credit: WHO/Loan Tran}

In a new phase of a WHO-supported pilot programme to enhance the climate-resilience and environmental sustainability of health-care facilities(CRESHCF),  air quality sensors have been installed in three hospitals. The sensors deliver real-time data to help the hospitals track air quality trends, compare indoor and outdoor conditions, and identify potential risks to patients, staff and visitors.  

One of the hospitals in the pilot programme is in the Mekong Delta where its water supplies have become saltier, as a result of climate change. With WHO support, Cu Lao Minh Area General Hospital has upgraded its water facilities, and can now treat more patients, safely.  

WHO, along with partners, has supported Viet Nam to integrate health into the country’s national response to climate change – its nationally determined contributions under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change – ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Brazil in November 2025. Read Dr Pratt’s speech.  

As with many other areas of WHO’s work, climate change and primary health care are cross cutting – for example, with climate action helping to protect human health.  

^{Pham Thi Hue tested HIV positive in 1999 and has overcome isolation, stigma and despair to become an advocate and leader – in Viet Nam and abroad. Credit: WHO / Loan Tran}

Viet Nam has achieved one of the most rapid and substantial declines in new HIV infections in WHO's Western Pacific Region. New infections have fallen nearly 60% from 14 000 a year in 2010 to fewer than 6300 in 2024, as a result of strong Government leadership, collective action and the critical support of partners.  

The country’s dramatic progress has been reflected in the lives of people living with HIV, like Pham Thi Hue.  

In 2025, Viet Nam marked 35 years since reporting its first HIV case and the midpoint of its strategy to end AIDS by 2030. Read about achievements in AIDS prevention and care, and challenges ahead.  

Other examples of WHO support for progress to control and eliminate disease include nearing zero leprosy, and tackling a rise in rabies deaths with targeted interventions in high-risk provinces, and support for a cross-sectoral One Health approach. 

Strengthening health security

In Viet Nam, WHO and partners are helping strengthen Viet Nam’s capacity to anticipate and respond to risks – from infectious diseases to natural hazards. 

In July, Viet Nam completed its second Joint External Evaluation (JEE) to identify the highest priority investments for preparing for, detecting and responding to public health emergencies, such as disease outbreaks or disasters. This was followed by a workshop to develop a subnational risk profile using the Strategic Toolkit for Assessing Risks (STAR), with provincial health, animal health, environmental and food safety partners. 

WHO has declared antimicrobial resistance (AMR) one of the top 10 global public health threats. As well as supporting efforts to prevent AMR, WHO worked with the Government to train multidisciplinary hospital teams (including staff working in infection prevention and control, laboratory, and as clinicians, epidemiologists and administrators) to help strengthen the response to outbreaks in hospitals.  

WHO also recognized the crucial role of the pharmaceutical industry in tackling AMR, such as developing new antibiotic, supporting stronger antimicrobial stewardship and data sharing – to help ensure people have access to effective medicines when they need them.  

Similarly, WHO encouraged Viet Nam to further optimize and improve opportunities for clinical trials. Enabling high-impact and timely clinical trials can deliver safe and effective interventions for those who need them most, and accelerate solutions to improve public health – including access to quality medicines, equipment and vaccines.  

Supporting climate-related disaster response and resilience 

^{After Typhoon Bualoi struck central Viet Nam in September, WHO contributed emergency supplies of water purification tablets and water containers to provide safe drinking water and prevent disease. Credit: WHO/Loan Tran}

Climate change is a growing public health threat, with an estimated 70% of Viet Nam’s population living in coastal or low-lying areas that are vulnerable to flooding, saltwater intrusion and extreme weather. 

In the second half of 2025, WHO supported the Government’s preparedness and response efforts for several devastating storms and floods, for example by sharing risk communication messages for the public and donating supplies to enable safe drinking water.  

Viet Nam also commemorated one year since Typhoon Yagi, the country’s strongest storm in 30 years, hit northern areas of the country. WHO worked with sister United Nations (UN) agencies – all marking 80 years since the founding of the UN – and other partners to support immediate health needs and the resilience of health-care facilities. 

Strength in partnership 

WHO in Viet Nam sincerely thanks all our Member States, partners and donors who have generously contributed to the Organization’s work in support of the Government and people of Viet Nam. With sustained and predictable financing, WHO will be able to continue to advance health equity, help bring health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) back on track, and “future-proof” health systems and communities - ensuring resilience against the inevitable shocks and challenges of the post-SDG era.