Strengthening preparedness planning
Since 2013, the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (PIP) Framework Partnership Contribution (PC) has helped Viet Nam establish a more coordinated and agile preparedness architecture. A central achievement has been the development and continual refinement of the Pandemic influenza Preparedness and Response Plan (PPRP) and the national pandemic influenza vaccine deployment plan. Although originally designed for influenza, the draft PPRP provided the structural foundation for Viet Nam’s rapid and effective COVID‑19 pandemic response. In 2023, the PPRP was updated again with lessons learned from the pandemic.
Enhanced laboratory capacity and global contributions
Under the PIP PC, the four regional laboratory institutes in Viet Nam, including the two National Influenza Centres (NICs), have significantly expanded their laboratory capacities. Investments in viral isolation, molecular diagnostics and next-generation sequencing have enabled Viet Nam to better detect, characterize and report on circulating respiratory viruses.
During the COVID‑19 pandemic, laboratory staff swiftly applied these strengthened capacities to SARS‑CoV‑2 testing and sequencing, supporting national decision-making and global variant tracking. “Through PIP Partnership Contribution support, Viet Nam’s National Influenza Centres have significantly strengthened laboratory capacities, enabling Viet Nam to support stronger influenza preparedness. These enhanced systems also enabled the rapid deployment of laboratory responses to SARS‑CoV‑2 during the pandemic”, Hoang Vu Mai Phuong, Director, NIC, National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology and Cao Minh Thang, Director of NIC, Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City, Ministry of Health Viet Nam.
Integrated surveillance for faster detection and response
PIP support has also strengthened surveillance for influenza like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory infection (SARI). Improvements in sample quality, data management, and reporting have helped Viet Nam detect unusual respiratory clusters more rapidly and respond more effectively.
Collaboration across national and subnational levels, between Pasteur Institutes, the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (NIHE), Provincial Centers for Disease Controls (CDCs), hospitals and laboratories, has strengthened Vietnamese participation in global surveillance systems, including Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System (GISRS) and sharing data with WHO’s RespiMart data platform.
Importantly, integrated sentinel surveillance for influenza, SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses of epidemic potential have now been institutionalized under the 2026–2035 National Target Programme on Healthcare, Population and Development. This aims to ensure Viet Nam can capture early warning signals from communities, clinical facilities and laboratories more systematically.
Strong threat assessment protects communities
Viet Nam’s ability to assess and respond to zoonotic influenza threats has also expanded. The country was an early adopter of the tripartite Joint Risk Assessment (JRA) tool in 2019 and has since applied it consistently during animal and human health events. In 2024, structured multisectoral assessments supported rapid responses to two avian influenza events, demonstrating strong collaboration across ministries and reinforcing preparedness capacities.
A strong foundation for future pandemics
Today, Viet Nam’s preparedness system is more connected, capable, and resilient than ever. National leadership acknowledges that the country’s broader socio‑economic development has been accompanied by deliberate strengthening of health security capacities—progress made possible in part through the PIP Framework.
"Viet Nam’s current era of significant progress on many levels, reflects not only rapid socio-economic transformation, but also a focused scale up of national health security capacities including that of influenza pandemic – and we are grateful for the support over the years from the WHO PIP PC which enables us to continue building our system capacity"- Dr Vo Hai Son, Deputy Director General of Viet Nam Administration of Disease Prevention, Viet Nam Ministry of Health.
Through continued collaboration with WHO and global partners, Viet Nam is helping build a safer region and demonstrating the impact of over a decade of sustained PIP PC support.