The World Health Organisation (WHO) held a ceremony to present a certificate recognising Viet Nam’s contributions and achievements in tobacco harm prevention and control.
This recognition from the international community reflects Viet Nam’s efforts and accomplishments in policy-making, improving the legal framework, raising public awareness through communications campaigns, and implementing tobacco control activities in recent years.
At the plenary session, Deputy Minister Vu Manh Ha delivered a speech highlighting the importance of strengthening international cooperation to effectively address increasingly complex global health challenges, including emerging diseases, climate change, and the growing burden of non-communicable diseases. Viet Nam affirmed that global health is no longer an issue for individual nations alone but one that requires solidarity and collective action from the international community.
Deputy Minister Vu Manh Ha underlined three key priorities. Firstly, primary healthcare and grassroots health systems should be strengthened to ensure that all people, particularly those in remote and disadvantaged areas, have access to comprehensive and quality healthcare services, moving towards universal health coverage.
Secondly, global health security is promoted through the establishment of a fairer health architecture, with enhanced responsibility-sharing, greater data transparency, and equitable access to vaccines, treatments, and medical products in line with the spirit of the WHO Pandemic Agreement.
Thirdly, it is essential to respond to the health impacts of climate change. Viet Nam is accelerating the transformation of its healthcare system in an effort to adapt to and mitigate climate-related risks, while also seeking continued international support and cooperation in this field. Viet Nam further affirmed that “reshaping global health” is not merely about changing legal frameworks, it is also about transforming mindsets — shifting from passive response to proactive prevention and from competition to cooperation.
Viet Nam reaffirmed its commitment to continuing to share experience, contribute resources, and closely coordinate with countries and international organisations to build a safer, fairer, and more resilient global health system that is capable of responding to future challenges.
Within the framework of the assembly, Deputy Minister Vu Manh Ha and the Ministry of Health delegation also held meetings and exchanges with leaders of the health ministries of countries including Cuba, Malaysia, Laos, and Japan, as well as representatives of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and businesses, in order to share experiences and promote healthcare cooperation in areas of mutual interest and expertise.
