As Vietnam’s healthcare sector enters a phase of full-scale digital transformation, telemedicine has emerged as a crucial breakthrough. It not only helps relieve overcrowded hospitals but also empowers doctors across all levels of the system to perform their duties more effectively.
2020–2025: When Hospitals Became “Closer” To The People
In 2020, the Ministry of Health launched the Telemedicine Project 2020–2025, with a goal to ensure that “every citizen has access to quality healthcare services, no matter where they live.” Hundreds of connection points have since been established, linking central hospitals with provincial and district-level facilities. Regular teleconsultations, remote training sessions, and digital clinics have become common practice—especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, when telemedicine proved both urgent and invaluable.
According to the Ministry of Health, within just two years of rollout, tens of thousands of teleconsultations and remote diagnoses had been conducted. This significantly reduced the number of patients transferred to major hospitals such as Bach Mai, Viet Duc, and Cho Ray. Beyond saving patients’ travel time and costs, the system also strengthened lower-tier medical staff through expert support, improving diagnostic accuracy and treatment capacity.
Independent studies during the same period reported similar outcomes. A survey of five public hospitals in Vietnam found a significant increase in digital maturity thanks to electronic medical records and teleconsultation platforms. Researchers also noted that adopting digital health technologies “reduced the burden on central hospitals and enhanced continuity of patient care.”
A 2022 field survey across multiple provinces showed that over 60% of participants had either used or were willing to pay for telehealth services—evidence of growing trust and real demand among the public.
At the specialty level, several pilot projects have demonstrated positive clinical outcomes. In cardiology, telemonitoring for chronic heart failure (HFrEF) improved treatment adherence and reduced readmission rates. In pathology, hospitals like Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital have applied telepathology, enabling specialists to share histopathological images with national experts for more accurate diagnoses.
According to KPMG’s “Digital Health in Vietnam – Market Intelligence Report”, Vietnam is now among the fastest digital adopters in healthcare across Southeast Asia.
Easing The Overcrowding: Small Steps, Big Impact
Telemedicine may not be a “magic pill,” but it is an intelligent approach to redistributing medical resources and tackling hospital congestion. Instead of concentrating all cases at national-level facilities, many provincial hospitals can now handle complex cases independently with remote support from top specialists.
As a result, central-level doctors can focus more on critical cases rather than non-urgent visits. Dr. Nguyen Dang Tuan from Vinmec Hospital shared that telemedicine enables the timely involvement of experts during the “golden hour” of emergency care, leading to better treatment outcomes.
From a systems management perspective, telemedicine bridges geographic gaps, expands the reach of healthcare, and eases administrative burdens through electronic health records, laying the foundation for a smarter, more connected healthcare network.
After just one year of the national Telehealth program, more than 1,500 connection points had been established between lower- and higher-tier hospitals, with over 410 complex cases successfully treated at local levels without transfer. Technical training through satellite hospital programs, particularly in cardiology, helped reduce referral rates by around 50%, while Bach Mai Hospital’s Center for Training and Direction of Healthcare Activities supported nearly 200 provincial hospitals, cutting specialist referrals to central hospitals by roughly 30%.
Challenges That Remain
Despite steady progress, telemedicine in Vietnam still faces multiple challenges after nearly five years of implementation.
First, infrastructure remains uneven—particularly in mountainous and island regions, where weak internet connectivity affects the quality of video and audio during remote consultations. According to Dr. Tac Van Nam, Deputy Director of the Thai Nguyen Department of Health: many healthcare facilities in mountainous areas still face significant challenges. Numerous commune health stations are using outdated technology without the budget to upgrade, and some medical staff lack sufficient skills to operate computers and smartphones proficiently.
Second, the legal framework and payment mechanisms are still being finalized. While the amended Law on Medical Examination and Treatment (effective January 1, 2024) recognizes telemedicine, detailed implementing regulations are still in progress. The Ministry of Health is seeking feedback on draft circulars for eligible conditions and technical procedures, and health insurance reimbursement is undefined. Technical standards, data security, and legal liability also await clear guidance.
Data security and interoperability among hospital management systems also remain technical concerns. The KPMG report highlights that Vietnam’s healthcare landscape still operates through “fragmented digital ecosystems,” with no unified data-sharing standards. As a result, telemedicine often functions as isolated “digital islands,” where each hospital performs well internally but lacks full interconnection, limiting scalability at the national level.
In an interview with Vietcetera, Dr. Ly Dai Luong noted that each hospital running its own digital management system “slows everything down.” He pointed to South Korea as a model, where a patient’s medical record is securely synchronized across hospitals and clinics after a single visit, ensuring both efficiency and privacy.
The Road Ahead: Opportunities For The Next Phase
Even so, Vietnam’s telemedicine journey is entering its most promising stage yet. With expanding 4G and 5G infrastructure and a high smartphone penetration rate, the potential for remote healthcare delivery is broader than ever. At the same time, AI and remote health monitoring technologies are being integrated into early screening, diagnosis, and chronic disease management.
Private investment and the rise of health-tech startups are accelerating this shift. From digital consultation platforms to connected healthcare ecosystems, telemedicine has become a central pillar of Vietnam’s national digital health strategy.
If 2020–2025 marks the “launch phase” of connected healthcare, then the coming years will be about consolidation and expansion—strengthening infrastructure, enhancing digital literacy among doctors and patients alike, and broadening telemedicine’s reach from teleconsultation and outpatient care to chronic disease management, rehabilitation, and elderly care.
Alongside public-sector efforts, many Vietnamese enterprises are also redefining the future of healthcare through technology.
Francis Nguyễn Tuấn Anh, Founder & CEO of OneMedic, shared in Vietnam Innovators Podcast – Episode 100:
If Vietnam wants to make healthcare truly equitable, it must bring AI and digital technologies into the system — not to replace doctors, but to help them work faster, more accurately, and reach patients earlier.
He also emphasized that for technology to truly deliver impact, Vietnam’s healthcare data infrastructure needs to be standardized and interconnected, forming a solid foundation for AI applications in diagnosis and treatment.
With OneMedic, Francis aims to bring Vietnamese-developed AI solutions and electronic medical records to international markets, contributing to the creation of a smart, data-driven healthcare ecosystem “made in Vietnam.”
You can listen to the full conversation on Vietnam Innovators Podcast here.
Hosted by Vietnam Innovators Digest, the Healthcare Summit 2025 themed by “Making Vietnam an Innovation Hub through Healthcare” will bring together healthcare leaders, investors, policymakers and innovators. This year's summit will be a dynamic convergence focused on healthcare innovation, investment and accessibility through digital health solutions. We will explore how investment and innovation can accelerate the healthcare transformation in Vietnam and beyond.
Date and Time: 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM, 24 October, 2025
Location: JW Marriott Hotel & Suites Saigon, Corner Hai Ba Trung Street & Le Duan Boulevard, Sai Gon Ward, HCMC
Special thanks to our sponsors & partners for accompanying us in this event: Pharmacity (Major Partner); DKT Mekong (Engagement Partner); Vietcetera (Media Partner); UK Embassy, Britcham Vietnam, Hello Bacsi (Communications Partner).