At a glance
CDC has worked in Vietnam since 1998. CDC works closely with the Government of Vietnam and partner organizations to build effective public health collaboration and partnerships to detect, prevent, and respond to global public health threats. CDC’s work aims to protect the health of Americans and support public health around the world.
Key accomplishments
- Shared over 1,000 influenza positive human and animal specimens each year with CDC’s headquarters in Atlanta to support pandemic preparedness.
- Supported 26 medical laboratories to obtain international accreditation for HIV, TB, influenza, dengue, and other clinical testing.
- Trained approximately 1,400 public health professionals in the Field Epidemiology Training Program since 2007. Training occurred across the 3-month Frontline, 9-month Intermediate, and 2-year Advanced courses.
- Led the introduction and scale up of antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV treatment, high quality HIV diagnostic and viral load testing, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), and the use of HIV surveillance and program monitoring for quality improvement, placing Vietnam on track to achieve sustainable HIV epidemic control by 2030.
- Implemented routine immunization screening in schools to identify children who have missed required vaccine doses, a program which is now being scaled up nationwide.
Global health security
CDC’s global health security work in Vietnam focuses on reaching the goals outlined in the Global Health Security Agenda and rapidly detecting and responding to public health threats. CDC strengthens the country’s public health systems across the following core areas:
Laboratory systems
CDC helps Vietnam develop national strategic plans, a public health reference laboratory network, a biosafety and biosecurity system, whole genome sequencing capacity, and clinical laboratory capacity to detect antimicrobial-resistant pathogens.
Emergency response
Investments in the detection and response for a wide range of infectious diseases have built strong foundations that Vietnam leverages to stop health threats from crossing borders. Vietnam was at the forefront of global efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. CDC’s technical staff continue to partner with Vietnam’s Ministry of Health to ensure emergency preparedness for public health threats by:
- Developing national guidelines for surveillance, quarantine, laboratory testing, and infection prevention and control.
- Assisting in investigations to protect communities.
- Providing data analysis to the government to make informed decisions.
- Providing training on sample collection, biosafety, and testing.
- Supporting risk assessments regarding border surveillance and testing requirements.
Workforce development
CDC supports training public health professionals through the Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP) in all 34 provinces in Vietnam. Through FETP, CDC strengthens. Vietnam’s workforce capacity to identify and stop outbreaks and other health threats before they spread. In addition to FETP, CDC supports workforce development of laboratory leaders through the Global Laboratory Leadership Programme, which has enhanced management skills of over 50 laboratorians.
Immunization
CDC supports the Government of Vietnam to improve vaccine coverage and strengthen the national immunization program through technical assistance on vaccination policy and guidance development, new vaccine introductions, targeting hard-to-reach populations and school children for delivery of routine immunizations, and strengthening vaccine-preventable disease surveillance and outbreak response efforts.
HIV and TB
As a key implementer of the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), CDC plays an essential role in the fight against HIV and TB. With unmatched scientific and technical knowledge and long-standing relationships with ministries of health, CDC is uniquely positioned to advance HIV, TB, and other global health security activities that keep Americans safe at home and abroad.
Through PEPFAR, CDC provides critical support to Vietnam's public health infrastructure, improving the country's ability to prevent, detect, and respond to HIV, TB, and other infectious diseases and minimizing their risk from entering the U.S.
Influenza
CDC has partnered with Vietnam to strengthen influenza preparedness and response since 2005, resulting in the establishment of two National Influenza Centers in Hanoi (2006) and Ho Chi Minh City (2010). These centers serve as key laboratories for national influenza surveillance, testing, and virus characterization. CDC supports the introduction of influenza vaccination for healthcare workers and the development of evidence-based vaccination policies.
Technical and financial support for routine influenza surveillance is also provided, and specimens are shared with CDC Atlanta to inform global vaccine strain selection. Data also contribute to the Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System. These investments also enhance early warning systems of zoonotic influenza, particularly in live bird markets and swine populations, to strengthen Vietnam’s ability to detect and respond to highly virulent influenza strains.
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Success stories
