Healthcare innovation in Vietnam

The supplement, Healthcare innovation in Vietnam, gives prime examples of how innovative Vietnam has been in the face of the pandemic and how they are training the next generation of healthcare professionals. It also shares success stories of how early-stage start ups are transforming healthcare.

The special supplement and virtual event are kindly supported by the UK Government through the British Embassy in Hanoi and British Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam).

Overview

Over the last 20 years, Vietnam’s economic growth has accelerated, and it is becoming known as a regional centre for development. The education system is seeing rapid improvement, and the tech sector is growing dramatically, with highly skilled workers. 

And healthcare is no exception  – innovation is everywhere in Vietnam, from high-level academic research to simple but highly effective schemes to provide remote healthcare.

We wanted to showcase all that, but it would be impossible to do so without shining a light on Vietnam’s response to covid-19. At the time of writing, the global distribution of vaccines is gathering pace. 

Still, in this special supplement, we focus on some of the innovations that have enabled Vietnam to keep its case numbers low and societal disruption minimal, despite the apparent risks of a local disaster.

Robyn Klinger-Vidra and colleagues outline the social and political environment that allowed innovative ideas that worked against the pandemic to flourish; Van le Tan and colleagues describe the healthcare interventions – from the field to the laboratory – that have fought the virus.

Away from the pandemic, we have Louise Thwaites and colleagues front the VITAL project run by OUCRU describing new innovations in critical care monitoring, and importantly their applicability. David Duong and colleagues take us through some exciting innovation in medical training – perhaps an area where countries like Vietnam can leapfrog more traditional medical establishments to train doctors for the 21st and 22nd century.

And to spotlight some of the work of Vietnam’s health tech entrepreneurs and software developers, we look at a new platform for patients to book appointments. We hope you enjoy this special supplement and are inspired and intrigued.