The warning was issued by Tran Van Thuan, deputy health minister, during the signing ceremony of a cooperation programme on strengthening non-communicable disease management in Vietnam for 2026-2028, held in Hanoi on May 11.
According to the Ministry of Health, non-communicable diseases have become one of the world’s biggest healthcare challenges.
Statistics from the World Health Organisation showed that such diseases accounted for more than 75 per cent of global deaths in 2021, while the figure in Vietnam had reached about 80 per cent.
Tran Van Thuan, Deputy Health Minister, said the health sector is shifting its focus from treatment to prevention (Photo: Le Hao).
The ministry said most deaths linked to non-communicable diseases in Vietnam were caused by stroke, cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and chronic lung disease.
More than one-quarter of Vietnamese aged between 18 and 69 suffer from hypertension, while nearly five million people are living with diabetes, according to officials.
“These diseases are increasingly affecting younger age groups,” Thuan said.
“We cannot simply wait for patients to come to hospitals for treatment. The healthcare system must move a step further, from late treatment to early detection, from handling individual episodes to continuous management, and from hospital-based care to stronger connections with grassroots healthcare, communities and citizens.”
Nguyen Trong Khoa, deputy director of the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management, said the 2026-2028 cooperation programme would focus on stroke, cardiovascular, kidney and metabolic diseases, as well as interstitial lung disease.
Stroke prevention has already been prioritised under Vietnam’s national healthcare, population and development programme for 2026-2035.
The Ministry of Health is also developing a national emergency response project for 2026-2030 aimed at improving early stroke detection and emergency care.
The initiative will focus on shortening the “golden hour” for emergency access, standardising ambulance systems, expanding first-aid training in communities and applying artificial intelligence in emergency coordination.
The programme will initially be piloted in six provinces and cities before potential nationwide expansion.
Authorities aim to build a modern, professional and interconnected emergency response system capable of reducing deaths and complications caused by stroke, accidents and other emergencies by 40 per cent.
The health ministry said controlling non-communicable diseases remained one of Vietnam’s top healthcare priorities.