COVID-19: more passengers flying with 17th patient test negative

Twenty people on the same flight from London to Hanoi (VN0054) with the 17th COVID-19 patient of Vietnam who then travelled to Ho Chi Minh City have tested negative for SARS-CoV-2, reported the HCM City Centre for Disease Control and Prevention on March 8.
COVID-19: more passengers flying with 17th patient test negative ảnh 1Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)
HCM City (VNA) – Twenty people on the same flight fromLondon to Hanoi (VN0054) with the 17th COVID-19 patient of Vietnam who then travelled to Ho Chi Minh City have testednegative for SARS-CoV-2, reported the HCM City Centre for Disease Control andPrevention on March 8.

They include four Vietnamese residing in Ho Chi Minh City,an Australian of Vietnamese origin, and 15 foreign tourists.

Among them, five foreigners took flight VN223 from Hanoi toHo Chi Minh City, then boarded the Viking Cruise ship to travel to Cambodia onMarch 4.

One of these five passengers shared the same business class cabinwith the 17th COVID-19 patient, and is being quarantined on theship.

The centre has asked passengers who sat in the same cabinwith the quarantined person on flight VN223 to immediately contact localmedical stations and fill in health declarations. Other passengers on theflight should monitor their health at home as guided by the Health Ministry.

Also on March 8, the Health Department in the northernprovince of Hai Duong said two passengers on flight VN0054 who returned to theprovince have tested negative to SARS-CoV-2.

In the northern province of Quang Ninh, nine foreigners whoarrived in Vietnam on flight VN0054, including four testing positive to thevirus, have been sent to the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases fortreatment and quarantine.

All areas at high risk of infection in Ha Long city havebeen zoned for quarantine.

Nine new COVID-19 cases were confirmed in Vietnam as late March 8,bringing the total number of COVID-19 cases in Vietnam so far to 30. Among the cases, the first 16 patients were cured and discharged fromhospital in February. The 17th patient was confirmed on late March6, followed by more infections./.
VNA

See more

A doctor at Trung Nguyen Medical Station in Te Lo commune, Phu Tho province, examines a child patient. (Photo: VNA)

Phu Tho builds hospital culture to improve patient satisfaction

In recent years, alongside efforts to improve the quality of medical examinations and treatment, Phu Tho province’s health sector has focused on creating civilised, friendly hospital environments and strengthening healthcare workers’ sense of responsibility and service-oriented attitudes, with the aim of earning patients’ trust and satisfaction.

An overview of the meeting between Deputy Prime Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra and César Louis-Philip Marseille, Managing Director of VAMED Engineering GmbH of Austria and member of the Board of Directors of VAMED+WWH Group of Germany,in Hanoi on October 7. (Photo: VNA)

Deputy PM suggests studying long-term development of hospital ship model

Vietnam is one of VAMED’s important partners in Southeast Asia. The group plans to invest 1.2 billion EUR in Vietnam over the next five years, creating jobs for thousands of workers and promoting knowledge and technology transfer. It also wishes to expand cooperation through preferential credit projects, public-private partnerships (PPPs) and partnerships with private enterprises; and supply medical products from Austria and Germany for Vietnamese partners.

The Son Tra regional medical centre (Photo: benhviensontra.com.vn)

Da Nang: Satellite hospitals prove effective at grassroots level

The model is an important component of the roadmap to turn Da Nang into a specialised medical centre for the central and Central Highlands regions, with a number of key specialties, in line with the spirit of Politburo Resolution No. 72-NQ/TW dated September 9, 2025, on breakthrough solutions to strengthen the protection, care and improvement of people's health.

Illustrative image (Photo: daibieunhandan.vn)

Ho Chi Minh City digitises 99.4% of hospital records

As of July 2026, 163 of the city's 164 hospitals, or 99.4%, adopted electronic medical records, the report said. About 64% of public hospitals and 65% of private hospitals now run the technology across their entire operations

Yersin International Clinic in Ho Chi Minh City. (Photo: VNA)

Ho Chi Minh City eyes more foreign medical tourists

Director of the municipal Department of Health Tang Chi Thuong said a key prerequisite for attracting foreign patients is a strategy to develop centres 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, paediatrics, dentistry, cosmetic medicine, specialised health check-ups, traditional medicine and rehabilitation.

A nurse from Children's Hospital No. 1, Ho Chi Minh City, collects a blood sample for HIV testing from an infant. (Illustrative photo: VNA)

Health cooperation adds fresh momentum to Vietnam-US relations

Through this MOU, the US Department of State, working with Congress, plans to provide 98.75 million USD in life-saving global health assistance over the next five years, including 21.385 million USD in dedicated Global Health Security funding, to support Vietnam’s transition to full country ownership of its HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis programmes while strengthening its capacity to detect and respond to emerging and re-emerging infectious disease threats.

Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan and US Ambassador to Vietnam Jennifer McNamara Wick sign the memorandum of understanding on health cooperation. (Photo: US Embassy in Vietnam)

Vietnam, US launch five-year health cooperation

The cooperation will also support Vietnam in strengthening its healthcare capacity and gradually enhancing self-reliance in HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis prevention and control programmes, as well as in responding to emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases.

Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health Tang Chi Thuong (third, right) presents flowers to congratulate six young doctors who have volunteered to work at grassroots-level health stations (Photo: VNA)

Ho Chi Minh City strengthens grassroots healthcare workforce

Ho Chi Minh City's Department of Health on September 10 reviewed a pilot programme combining hospital-based practice with work at grassroots health stations and organised the fourth healthcare job fair, attracting nearly 1,000 candidates and 94 recruiters offering 806 positions.

Children undergo health screening. (Photo: Dong Da General Hospital in Hanoi)

Vietnam to screen students nationwide for five health risks from 2028

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.