Promoting Vietnam-France medical cooperation in the new period

This is the opening activity within the framework of the France-Vietnam Health Conference 2025; at the same time, it is an opportunity for direct policy dialogue between Vietnamese state management agencies and French experts.

Attending the seminar were: Comrade Nguyen Thuy Anh, member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Head of the Central Policy and Strategy Committee, President of the Vietnam-France Friendship and Cooperation Association, President of the Vietnam-France Friendship Parliamentarians' Group; Professor, Dr. Tran Van Thuan, Deputy Minister of Health; Phan Anh Son, President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations; representatives of the French Embassy in Vietnam; leaders of hospitals, research institutes, leading medical training facilities, experts, doctors, scientists of the two countries... and leaders of the Franco-Vietnamese Medical Association - an organization that brings together more than 20 French medical associations, the French Academy of Medicine.

The discussion took place in the context of Resolution No. 72-NQ/TW of the Politburo on "Some breakthrough solutions to strengthen the protection, care and improvement of people's health" being vigorously implemented.

This is an important occasion for the two sides to jointly determine major orientations for the new phase of cooperation, including promoting the signing of the Vietnam-France Health Cooperation Agreement, aiming to contribute to the goal of building a Vietnamese health system that is high-quality, equitable, effective and internationally integrated, in line with the spirit of Resolution No. 72-NQ/TW.

Leaders and experts from both sides assessed the results of cooperation in the health sector, one of the traditional, typical and effective fields of cooperation in the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and France.

Notably, not only stopping at professional and technical results, Vietnam-France medical cooperation also demonstrates humanistic values, solidarity and creativity. Cooperation activities are increasingly diverse, connecting the two countries' hospital networks, universities and research institutes, with diverse forms of cooperation: Human resource training, joint research, technology transfer, cooperation on vaccines, pharmaceuticals, digital medicine, surgical robots, and the application of artificial intelligence in medicine.

There are currently nearly 100 direct partnerships between medical and training establishments of the two countries. In particular, the Franco-Vietnamese Medical Association plays an important role in coordinating, connecting and promoting cooperation, and at the same time, coordinating with the Vietnamese side to organize five Franco-Vietnamese Medical Conferences, two of which were held at Hanoi Medical University.

Priority cooperation directions are expected to focus on training high-quality medical human resources, technology transfer, cooperation in the fields of vaccines, pharmaceuticals, digital medicine, preventive medicine and public health care.

Comrade Nguyen Thuy Anh spoke at the seminar.

Comrade Nguyen Thuy Anh, member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Head of the Central Policy and Strategy Committee, President of the Vietnam-France Friendship and Cooperation Association, President of the Vietnam-France Friendship Parliamentarians' Group, emphasized: If Vietnam-France medical cooperation is a precious legacy of history, today, that relationship has become deeper, more diverse and more vibrant than ever, thanks to the strong links between hospitals, research institutes, universities and medical staff of the two countries, nurtured by friendship, trust, knowledge sharing, solidarity and mutual respect, which are the core values of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries.

The discussion took place at a very important time, when Vietnam and France are moving towards new goals in the health sector. Vietnam and France are preparing to renew the Framework Agreement on cooperation in the health sector, providing common strategic directions for cooperation projects.

On the other hand, Resolution No. 72-NQ/TW also sets ambitious goals for public health development, hospital system modernization and human resource training. These orientations require closer coordination between parties, enhanced connectivity between projects and the building of a vision between Vietnamese and French partners.

Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan speaks at the seminar.

Speaking at the seminar, Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan said that since the early 1990s, Vietnam-France medical cooperation has developed strongly, especially in training resident doctors, technology transfer, scientific research and hospital support.

Many generations of Vietnamese doctors who studied in France have now become leading experts, playing key roles in the health system. At the same time, each year dozens of doctors and hundreds of French students come to work and practice in Vietnam.

Many cooperation models between research institutes, universities and hospitals of the two countries have become successful models. France is also one of the active partners supporting Vietnam in public health, disease prevention and control, and the development of pharmaceuticals and medical equipment.

Vietnam's healthcare sector is entering a new stage of development, with strategic orientation from important resolutions of the Party such as: Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW on science-technology and digital transformation; Resolution No. 59-NQ/TW on international integration in the new situation and especially Resolution No. 72-NQ/TW which has comprehensively reformed the healthcare sector.

These resolutions emphasize building a fair, high-quality, effective and sustainable health system, focusing on people; strongly shifting the mindset from curing diseases to proactive disease prevention and comprehensive health care throughout the life cycle, promoting digital transformation, smart health, linking training-research-practice; and considering international cooperation as a key driving force to access the world's medical quintessence.

In that context, cooperation with France, a country with a developed and experienced medical system and a sustainable cooperative relationship with Vietnam, is even more strategic, especially when the two countries upgraded their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership by the end of 2024.

Representatives of the Franco-Vietnamese Medical Association exchanged at the seminar.

Deputy Minister Tran Van Thuan said that, from the perspective of sustainable healthcare system development strategy, Vietnam and the French Republic still have a lot of room to expand and deepen their cooperation - especially in areas where both countries have practical needs and clear potential to complement each other.

First of all, in the field of training and development of health human resources, Vietnam is making efforts to promote the standardization and internationalization of training programs for doctors, pharmacists, nurses, public health officers, etc., linked to practical capacity and output standards.

In this process, cooperation with countries with advanced medical education systems such as France will play a particularly important role, from supporting residency and specialized training, to cooperating in developing dual degree training programs, articulation and mutual recognition of professional competence.

Second, in scientific research and innovation, the two sides can coordinate to implement highly applicable projects in preventive medicine, biotechnology, precision medicine, artificial intelligence and technology transfer in healthcare. These are areas in which France has a solid foundation, while Vietnam is in need of access to advanced knowledge to serve the process of modernizing the healthcare system.

Third, in the field of public health, Vietnam wishes to strengthen cooperation with France in preventing and combating non-communicable diseases, managing cross-border health risks, responding to health emergencies, ensuring global health security and adapting to climate change, challenges that are increasingly present in all countries.

Fourth, in pharmaceuticals, vaccines and medical equipment, Vietnam is focusing on perfecting the innovation ecosystem, encouraging investment, technology transfer, and forming research and development centers located in Vietnam, contributing to improving self-reliance and strengthening national internal strength.

Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Minh Dien, Director of the National Children's Hospital, discussed at the seminar.

To concretize these cooperation contents, the Vietnamese Ministry of Health and the French Ministry of Public Health are currently promoting the signing of a bilateral health cooperation agreement. The draft agreement is being reviewed by relevant ministries and branches to be submitted to the Prime Minister for approval.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Health pledges to continue creating favorable conditions for Vietnam-France medical cooperation activities to become increasingly effective, practical and sustainable - for the common goal of protecting, caring for and improving people's health.

Minh Hoang

Source: https://nhandan.vn/thuc-day-hop-tac-y-te-viet-nam-phap-trong-giai-doan-moi-post919604.html