Skip to main content
  • Review
  • Published:

An introduction to the health system in Vietnam

An Erratum to this article was published on 01 April 1998

Abstract

After independence, the Vietnamese government made an enormous effort to construct a comprehensive health care network from the central down to the grass roots levels, however, the health situation of the population has not improved as much as was expected. The most fundamental cause is poverty, as it is in other developing countries. Because of poverty, the means to achieve a safer environment such as sanitation, safe drinking, water and adequate nutrition, is often absent. Inefficient administration due to the sectionalism among different organizations makes the situation worse.

With the introduction of a market policy in 1986, privatization has been introduced into the health sector in order to address some of the inadequacies inherent in the current system. Although privatization might reduce public health expenditures by reducing utilization pressure on public facilities, it deprives the most vulnerable inhabitants of health services.

References

  1. General Statistical Office. Statistical yearbook 1992. Hanoi: Statistical Publishing House, 1993.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Ministry of Health. Health Statistics of Vietnam 1990–1992. Hanoi, 1993.

  3. Ministry of Health. Health Statistics yearbook 1993. Hanoi, 1994.

  4. Boyte (Ministry of health). Chien luoc Bao ve suc koe nhan don 1990–2000, ke hoach 1991–1995. Hanoi, 1990.

  5. Ministry of Health. Health Statistics Summary 1988. Hanoi, 1989.

  6. Ministry of Health

  7. UNICEF. Viet Nam. Children and women situation analysis. Hanoi, 1994 ; 42.

  8. Circular No.21, 18 June 1994 of the Ministries of Finance, and Labour-Invalid and Social Affairs providing a guidance for the realization of systems of social security in compulsory form.

  9. Ministry of Health

  10. Nguyen D. H. Prevention of blindness in Vietnam. In: Conference Medical development plan in Vietnam, Hanoi: VINAPHA, 1994.

    Google Scholar 

  11. UNICEF. Viet Nam. The situation of children and women. Hanoi, 1990 ; 70.

  12. Arnulf L. Les systeme de sante au Vietnam. La Revue du Praticien-Medecin General, 1991 ; No. 137 : 1147–62.

  13. Ministry of Labor, Invalid, and Social Affairs

  14. Ministry of Health

  15. Prescott N, Jamison DT. The distribution and impact of health resource availability in China. International Journal of Health and Planning. 1985 ; 1: 45–56.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Quinlan JP. Vietnam Business opportunities and risks. Berkeley: Pacific View Press, 1995 ; 4.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Additional information

An erratum to this article is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF02931242.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Matsuda, S. An introduction to the health system in Vietnam. Environ Health Prev Med 2, 99–104 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02931974

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02931974

Key words