29 July 2025 / Ha Noi, Viet Nam
To strengthen Viet Nam’s ability to prevent and respond to health emergencies, the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners, completed its second Joint External Evaluation (JEE) from 20-25 July 2025.
The evaluation, supported by international experts, has helped Viet Nam identify the highest priority investments to address gaps for preparing for, detecting and responding to public health emergencies, such as disease outbreaks or disasters. This important work will help Viet Nam to strengthen its health system – and its health defenses – for the future, in support of the Government’s ambitions for the country’s social and economic development.
JEE evaluation team visited National Hospital of Tropical Diseases. Photo: WHO Viet Nam.
Nine priority areas have been identified. These include:
- Leveraging current administrative reforms in Viet Nam to optimize workforce capacity, improve coordination and translate national policies into effective cross-sectoral health security actions at all levels.
- Developing a five-year National Action Plan for Health Security (NAPHS).
- Designating and empowering a National International Health Regulations (2005) - IHR – Authority.
- Ensuring the Law on Disease Prevention and associated decrees support the strengthening of health security.
- Analysing and addressing financing challenges, to ensure timely and adequate budget availability for disease prevention and emergency response.
- Increasing financing for disease prevention, food safety and other core capacities, in line with Viet Nam’s National Action Plan for Health Security (NAPHS).
- Enabling more rapid and comprehensive responses to public health emergencies through increasing contingency funding, better facilitating emergency funding and developing budget mechanisms for ministries to support provinces.
- Developing a concrete plan for improving interoperability of data platforms for health emergency detection, notification, assessment, prevention and response across sectors, regions and administrative levels.
- Expanding climate resilient health care facilities to better protect local communities by strengthening Viet Nam’s resilience to climate related disasters and health emergencies.
Dr Vo Hai Son, Deputy Director of the Viet Nam Administration of Disease Prevention, Ministry of Health said, “This week’s JEE has been an opportunity to build on the lessons of the past, address the remaining gaps, understand the current context and prepare for future challenges, together.
Strengthening health security is a collective effort that benefits from international best practice. In this, Viet Nam is grateful for the support of WHO, experts from all over the world and partners including the Governments of Australia and the Republic of Korea.”
To carry out the evaluation, the Government brought together representatives of sectors across Viet Nam including human and animal health, environment, agriculture, food safety, chemical and radiation safety, finance, risk communication, disaster management, transportation, customs, civil aviation, universities or institutes, and political leadership.
WHO Representative in Viet Nam Dr Angela Pratt said, “WHO is very proud to support the JEE process, as well as to provide ongoing policy, technical and strategic support in key areas of health security. Under the leadership of the Government, WHO will support integrating the outcomes of the JEE into the National Action Plan for Health Security, and the crucial process of implementing the plan for maximum impact.
“Viet Nam has chosen the perfect time to conduct the JEE, as the country reviews several relevant laws and national targets and undergoes major health sector reforms. The process will help ensure Viet Nam has strong, resilient, responsive and inclusive health security capacities to protect health, society and development,” she said.
WHO Regional Emergency Director, Dr Gina Samaan, acknowledged Viet Nam’s commitment to the IHR JEE process, “We thank Viet Nam for prioritizing health security and conducting the second JEE to continuously strengthen core capacities.”
The JEE is a WHO process that helps countries measure progress toward implementing the IHR (2005), which are a legal framework that defines countries’ rights and obligations in handling public health events and emergencies with the potential to cross borders.
International experts and representatives of sectors across Viet Nam involved in JEE. Photo: WHO Viet Nam.
To support Viet Nam to carry out this second JEE, WHO brought together specialists in epidemiology, zoonotic diseases, emergency response, biosecurity, laboratory systems and risk communication, representing countries including Australia, Singapore, Jordan, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Moldova, and Japan. A team of observers from the United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA), Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), and the Government of Papua New Guinea also joined the mission, contributing regional and partnership perspectives. This multidisciplinary and geographically diverse composition ensured a comprehensive evaluation of Viet Nam’s health security capacities.