More than 3,300 medical stations will apply AI in 2026

“Artificial intelligence is identified as one of the national strategic breakthroughs, contributing to building a smart healthcare system,” Permanent Deputy Minister of Health Vu Manh Ha said at the event. Workshop launches responsible health AI network in Vietnam (V-RHAIN) and promotes responsible health AI solutions, afternoon of January 14.

Artificial intelligence (AI) plays an important role in improving prevention, diagnosis, treatment and medical management capacity. In fact, many hospitals have deployed AI in medical examination and treatment, becoming an effective assistant of doctors. For example, Cho Ray, K, and Bach Mai hospitals bring AI and robots to treat cancer; Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital applies AI in echocardiography to support accurate diagnosis and optimal treatment of heart failure.

However, the grassroots level – where there are still many challenges in human resources, infrastructure and access to quality medical services – is still limited in applying AI. Therefore, in 2026, the Ministry of Health will focus on deploying AI at 3,321 commune and ward health stations nationwide. Essential AI solutions are applied such as tuberculosis screening, cardiovascular disease, community nutrition consultation, and support for diagnosing serious diseases such as acute kidney failure and respiratory failure. AI has also become a virtual assistant to help manage and operate grassroots healthcare more effectively.

The Ministry of Health identifies medical AI as a field that directly impacts the lives, health and rights of people, so it is deployed cautiously, has a roadmap and is managed according to the level of risk. Applications are developed and used on a human-centered platform, ensuring patient safety, health data security, transparency, and bias.

“The controlled testing approach associated with practical impact assessment is an important direction to both promote innovation and control risks,” Mr. Ha said.

According to Mr. Nguyen Truong Nam, Deputy Director of the National Center for Health Information (Ministry of Health), Vietnam has the advantage of applying AI in health with 3 strengths including a strong application product deployment team, ready medical data and great practical demand.

Vietnam is one of 10 pioneering countries participating in the HealthAI Foundation’s global network, providing access to medical AI management toolkits according to international standards, connecting to the Global Management Network (GRN) and participating in the Community of Practice (CoP) to share knowledge and research data. Thereby, “Make in Vietnam” AI products have the opportunity to be recognized and included in the Global Public Directory (GPD).