Vietnam ranks 4th in terms of readiness for self-care.

According to newly published research, Vietnam scored 3.04 out of 4 points in terms of readiness for self-care, ranking 4th internationally. The study shows that the healthcare system has a relatively high level of support, but public trust, access to health data, and digital tools remain challenges that need further improvement.

On December 15th, the Institute of Health Strategy and Policy ( Ministry of Health ), in collaboration with Opella Vietnam, announced the research "Assessing Vietnam's Readiness for Self-Care and Influencing Factors". The research, conducted from June to December 2025, is based on the Global Health Care Readiness Framework, comprising four key factors and fourteen component indicators.

Delegates from various ministries and departments discussed and contributed ideas to the research.

The study combined qualitative and quantitative methods and was conducted in four locations: Phu Tho, Bac Ninh, Hue City, and An Giang. Data was collected from five in-depth interviews with policymakers, 28 focus group discussions with managers, healthcare officials, and residents; and a quantitative survey with 171 healthcare officials and 418 consumers.

The results show that Vietnam scored 3.04 points out of 4, ranking behind Singapore, Australia, and Germany among the 10 countries compared. The scores for the four key factors are: Stakeholder support and acceptance (2.79 points); Patient and consumer empowerment (3.06 points); Health policies on self-care (3.05 points); and the legal environment (3.26 points). Of the 14 component indicators, 9 scored 3 points or higher, reflecting a relatively good but uneven level of readiness.

In the "Support and Acceptance from Stakeholders" group, the "Healthcare Workers Trust and Support Self-Care" index reached 3.03 points; 73.1% of healthcare workers reported regularly advising patients on self-care. Meanwhile, the "Public Trust and Support Self-Care" index only reached 2.38 points, indicating that the public remains hesitant, although willing to use over-the-counter medications for minor illnesses.

The "Empowering Patients and Consumers" group scored 3.06 points, with the "Self-Testing" index reaching 3.36 points. Conversely, access to personal health data (2.69 points) and digital tools to support self-care (2.91 points) were only at an average level.

Delegates from various ministries and departments discussed and contributed ideas to the research.

“Legal environment” is the highest-scoring indicator group (3.26 points). Access to and distribution of self-care products scored 3.75 points, but also poses risks regarding product quality on online channels. The “Advertising and pricing” index scored 2.72 points due to Vietnam's strict advertising regulations for pharmaceuticals.

According to the study, Vietnam needs to prioritize raising public awareness, strengthening medical advice, and improving access to official information. Proposed solutions include promoting self-care communication, implementing integrated electronic health records (VNeID), applying electronic labels to medicines, and piloting self-care models in the community.

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Source: https://baolaocai.vn/viet-nam-xep-thu-4-ve-muc-do-san-sang-tu-cham-soc-suc-khoe-post889041.html