At a talk show organised by VIR on October 15, Dr. Dang Quang Tan, director general of the Department of International Cooperation under the Ministry of Health (MoH), said that the ministry has been encouraging direct collaboration between hospitals, medical universities, and research institutes from both Vietnam and Japan, particularly in human resource training, scientific research, expert exchange, and technology transfer.
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| Takeda is at the forefront of developing innovative solutions to safeguard public health against infectious diseases, including the dengue fever vaccine, Photo: Takeda |
On this basis, many key cooperation projects have been implemented across three pillars: building modern medical infrastructure, providing advanced medical equipment, and improving human resource capacity. They include projects on improving medical recovery capacity and ensuring health security during and after the pandemic, and promoting prevention of viral hepatitis, among others.
Speakers at the event emphasised that in the journey of healthcare cooperation over the past five decades, the business community has played an important role. Among them, large corporations such as Takeda, Taisho, and Daiichi Sankyo are increasing their presence in Vietnam, and will continue to be a bridge to further strengthen the bilateral relationship.
Benjamin Ping, general manager of Takeda Vietnam, said that enhancing healthcare access in Vietnam is fully aligned with Takeda’s strategic priorities.
On the patient front, from 2021 and 2024, Takeda collaborated with Japan’s National Centre for Global Health and Medicine and the Ho Chi Minh City Society of Asthma, Allergy and Clinical Immunology to implement an initiative that strengthened the diagnosis and management of hereditary angioedema (HAE), a rare disease in Vietnam.
Through this collaboration, over 7,500 healthcare professionals were trained, 100 individuals were screened, and 35 HAE patients were diagnosed in cases that might otherwise have gone undetected. At the local level, Takeda has also partnered with the National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion to organise training programmes, seminars, and professional exchanges to strengthen capabilities in haematology management.
The company is also advancing digital upskilling, particularly in AI, in alignment with Vietnam’s national direction on innovation and digital transformation.
Meanwhile, Takeda has been focusing on addressing dengue fever, a growing public health challenge exacerbated by climate change. “We’re trying to work closely with the government and relevant stakeholders to achieve to reduce preventable dengue deaths to zero by 2030,” Ping said.
Takeda is currently contributing to strengthening capacity building among healthcare workers, raising public awareness, and expanding vaccine access across Vietnam. The company’s dengue vaccine, the first of its kind approved in Vietnam in 2024, has now been approved in over 40 countries, with over 20 million doses distributed globally.
According to Tan of the MoH, Vietnam’s vision for healthcare development focuses on innovation, high technology, improving service quality, sustainable development and international integration. In that context, the expertise and strengths of Japanese enterprises can contribute in many areas.
“We consider innovation and technology as keys. AI, big data, and Internet of Things applications create opportunities in research and development, manufacturing, quality control, and supply chain management. Vietnam welcomes joint research, clinical trials, and the establishment of international testing and production centres with Japan,” Tan explained.
In medical equipment, Vietnam seeks to cooperate with Japanese firms’ advanced technologies in diagnostics and treatment, integrate local production into global supply chains. Public-private partnerships are encouraged to strengthen private healthcare and improve service quality. Elsewhere, Vietnam is utilising electronic medical records and telemedicine. Japan’s technological strengths and hospital management experience can support the development of smart hospitals, data integration, human resource training, and digital healthcare, Tan said.
In food safety and functional foods, Vietnam is reforming regulations and developing a national strategy towards 2040. “With that cooperation, we are confident and hopeful that Japan will continue to accompany and support Vietnam’s healthcare development, contributing to sustainable growth and improved medical service quality,” Tan noted.
