Today, non-communicable diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer cause 79 per cent of all deaths in Vietnam.
As living standards rise, people live longer and lifestyles become more urban, these long-term illnesses are becoming more common and are placing increasing pressure on hospitals and health budgets. To address this, Vietnam has passed a new Law on Disease Prevention, which will take effect on 1 July 2026. The law aims to shift the healthcare system away from mainly treating people once they are already sick and towards preventing disease and identifying health problems earlier.
Vietnam’s healthcare system has made major progress in recent decades, but it is still largely built around hospital care. Many patients travel directly to large hospitals, even for conditions that could be managed locally. This has led to overcrowding, long waiting times and rising costs.
Learning from international experience
Denmark is one of Vietnam’s long-standing partners in healthcare development. Through ongoing cooperation, Vietnamese health officials have been exchanging experience with Danish authorities and research institutions on prevention and primary healthcare, including how local health services support people living with chronic diseases such as diabetes.
The new law is designed to ease this pressure by strengthening primary healthcare: local clinics, family doctors and community health services. By offering more health checks, screening and early support closer to where people live, the government hopes to catch problems sooner and reduce the need for hospital treatment later.
When the law comes into force in 2026, disease prevention will, for the first time, be anchored in a single, comprehensive legal framework.
