Vietnam rolls out extensive health policy reforms effective July 2026

From 1 July 2026 Vietnam’s new Preventive Disease Law (Luật Phòng bệnh 2025) takes effect, shifting the health system’s focus from treatment to proactive prevention. The law widens regulation to cover communicable and non‑communicable diseases, mental health, nutrition and sets out measures such as epidemiological surveillance, disease reporting, risk assessment, medical isolation, quarantine, vaccination and bio‑security.

Key provisions include free HPV vaccination for girls aged 9‑14 under the expanded immunisation programme, and full reimbursement by health insurance for outpatient examinations costing less than 379,500 VND. The insurance fund will also pay 50 % of fees for certain out‑of‑network outpatient visits at designated primary‑care and specialised facilities.

Compensation rules for serious vaccine adverse events are introduced: victims with permanent disability receive a payout equal to 30 times the current basic salary, and families of vaccine‑related deaths are paid 100 million VND, with the state covering any additional treatment costs not reimbursed by insurance.

Additional measures provide free‑of‑charge medicines under a new support scheme, and state funding for postgraduate studies in preventive medicine, covering tuition and living expenses. Maternity benefits are enhanced with a minimum cash assistance of 2 million VND for women who have two children before age 35, extended paternity leave, and mandatory prenatal screening for several genetic disorders and newborn screening for 103 congenital diseases, prioritising low‑income and ethnic‑minority populations.