Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam and Japan are strengthening healthcare cooperation in preventive medicine, human resource training, and sustainable medical infrastructure development, aiming to advance comprehensive healthcare.
Healthcare cooperation has been highlighted as one of the key pillars of Vietnam–Japan relations, reflected in programmes promoting preventive medicine, infrastructure development, and human resource training.
At a seminar themed “Vietnam – Japan Relations: New Momentum, New Heights" hosted by the Investment Review on the occasion of the 52nd anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries (1973–2025) on October 15 in Hanoi, delegates discussed strategic cooperation, with healthcare considered a top priority.
In his remarks at the event, Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Ito Naoki said that the two countries are expanding cooperation in innovation, digital transformation, green transition, artificial intelligence (AI), and the semiconductor industry. The two governments have agreed to consider these as new pillars to promote sustainable development.
According to the diplomat, the two countries are promoting many cooperation programmes in preventive medicine, healthcare digitalisation, and elderly care, aiming to build a more efficient healthcare system.
Japan is currently supporting Vietnam in strengthening primary healthcare capacity, narrowing regional gaps in service access, and enhancing the ability to prevent and control both non-communicable and infectious diseases.
Dang Quang Tan, Director General of the Department of International Cooperation under the Ministry of Health (MoH), said Japan is a key partner in healthcare. The bilateral cooperation has evolved into a long-term strategic relationship, strengthened by the Memorandum of Cooperation in the Health Sector signed in 2019 between the MoH and the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.
So far, many key cooperative projects have been implemented, focusing on three pillars - modern infrastructure, advanced equipment, and capacity development.
Notable projects in Vietnam include the 3 million USD project, "Strengthening Capacity Development System for Health Workers through Telemedicine" implemented by MoH in cooperation with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and Improving the Prevention and Control of Viral Hepatitis between the Vietnam Administration of Disease Prevention and JICA. These projects have yielded positive outcomes in disease control and treatment, bringing practical benefits to the Vietnamese people.
Vietnam's healthcare development strategy in the coming years will be based on innovation, high technology application, improved service quality, and international integration, Tan said. Vietnam encourages Japanese enterprises to share experience, technology, and advanced management models in areas such as pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, food safety, traditional medicine, and hospital management.
Dang Quang Tan, Director General of the Department of International Cooperation under the Ministry of Health (Photo: VietnamPlus)
From an economic and investment perspective, Nguyen Anh Tuan, Deputy Director-General of the Foreign Investment Agency under the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MoPI), said Japan is currently the largest provider of official development assistance (ODA) capital for Vietnam, the third-largest foreign investor, and the fourth-biggest trade and tourism partner of the Southeast Asian nation.
So far, Japan has invested in more than 5,600 projects in Vietnam with a total registered capital exceeding 78 billion USD.
Japan’s investment advantages align closely with the Vietnamese Government’s priorities for sustainable economic development, particularly in high technology, manufacturing, healthcare, digital transformation, and science and technology. Among these, healthcare remains a key priority in bilateral cooperation, with concrete and timely progress being made.
At the seminar, speakers emphasised the crucial role of public–private partnership (PPP) models in building a sustainable healthcare system.
Ambassador Ito Naoki praised the contribution of Japan's private sector in this field. He expressed belief that through cooperation activities of Japanese companies in healthcare, the quality of healthcare services and the capacity of Vietnam’s health system will continue to improve.
The diplomat cited the case of Takeda Group as a prime example of Japanese enterprises’ role in Vietnam’s healthcare sector, noting that the company developed the first dengue vaccine licensed for use in Vietnam.
From 2021 to 2024, Takeda, in collaboration with Japan's National Centre for Global Health and Medicine (NCGM) under the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and the Ho Chi Minh Society of Asthma, Allergy and Clinical Immunology (HSAACI), launched an initiative to strengthen the diagnosis and treatment capacity for Hereditary Angioedema (HAE) — a rare disease.
So far, this initiative has helped strengthen professional capacity in diagnosing and treating HAE in Vietnam through expert exchange programmes between Vietnam and Japan. Over 70 seminars, discussions, and training courses were organised, benefitting 7,500 healthcare professionals, screening over 100 suspected cases, and accurately diagnosing 35 HAE patients.
Two specialised treatment centres have been established in Hanoi and HCM City, expanding access to care for patients./.
