Vietnam is known for its beautiful landscapes, rich culture and an unfortunate, challenging history. After years of war, Vietnam has become one of the fastest-growing economies and has seen the poverty rate decrease to below 4% in 2023. With one of the most successful implementations of universal healthcare in Asia, Vietnam hopes to see more than 95% of its population covered by health care by the end of this year.

The government has also committed itself to increasing the coverage of low-income and marginalized groups in the country’s more rural and mountainous regions. These areas, which are higher in poverty than the larger cities, see the biggest impact when it comes to diseases, as many in these rural areas see lower income rates, which cause people to have health care bills they cannot afford. However, Vietnam continues to make improvements to the health care system and now boasts a life expectancy rate of 2.4 years higher than the world average. However, due to lifestyle changes and limited health care access in some regions, there are still many diseases impacting Vietnam, including communicable diseases like dengue fever, measles and influenza, as well as rising rates of noncommunicable diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Infectious Diseases 

With a tropical climate, diseases impacting Vietnam include many communicable diseases, such as dengue fever, which the country has had continued struggles with over the years. There were more than 114,000 reported cases of dengue fever in 2024, which is less than half of previous years, such as 2019 and 2022, when the country saw epidemics of dengue fever. In September of 2024, the country rolled out a dengue fever vaccine, Qdenga, which was dispersed in a vaccine drive in more than 200 health centers, in the hopes of slowing future breakouts of the disease.

Vietnam has also experienced several measles outbreaks over the years, which has affected mostly younger children, including an outbreak in 2024, where there were more than 7,500 confirmed cases. These cases have been mostly concentrated in the southern part of the country and attributed to a lack of children being vaccinated in these regions. The government continues to push for greater measles vaccination campaigns to curb outbreaks in these susceptible areas. The VNVC or Vietnam Vaccine Joint Stock Company donated 500,000 doses of the vaccine to be distributed throughout the country. These vaccination campaigns originally targeted for young unvaccinated children ages 1-10 but was expanded to include 6-9 month old children in early 2025. In total, 45 provinces have deployed vaccination campaigns with 28 of them having already completed the first phase.

Noncommunicable Diseases 

As the country sees an increase in urbanization and lifestyle changes, it is also seeing an increase in noncommunicable diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. NCDs are still the leading cause of death in Vietnam, with these diseases causing 77% of deaths. The rise in these NCDs is primarily due to an aging population and an increase in unhealthy diets and a lack of exercise. The country has seen a steep rise in inactivity in adolescence, and records show that more than 50% of the female population are overweight. These factors have contributed to a steep rise in diabetes in Vietnam, especially undiagnosed diabetes. With larger cities and more sedentary lifestyles, if not appropriately addressed with methods such as prescreening, and a push for healthier communities, the increase of diabetes could pose a significant risk to the population. 

Looking Forward 

The government has made a lot of progress over the years concerning its population’s health. With more access to health care than ever before, the country’s health should continue improving. However, diseases impacting Vietnam remain a challenge, especially as the rate of urbanization increases dramatically in Vietnam. This brings along accompanying problems, like air pollution, environmental changes and lifestyle changes. If not properly addressed, these issues can lead to the continued rise of cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes rates. However, the government plans to expand universal health care and reform health care centers across the country.

A new law concerning health care in the country is set to start July 1, 2025, which will expand the number of health care facilities that citizens can use, along with other changes, such as moving patients with rare or advanced diseases to higher-level facilities without prior approval. The country still has a ways to go, but currently, it is on a steady path to improving public health by reducing the rate of infectious diseases and providing more people nationwide with health care. 

– Collier Simpson

Collier is based in Savannah, GA, USA and focuses on Global Health for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr