Vietnam rolls out free Vitamin A supplementation campaign for children

The Ministry of Health’s Nutrition Institute announced a nationwide free Vitamin A supplementation campaign for children aged 6 to under 60 months. The first round runs from 1 – 6 June, with a second round scheduled for 1 – 2 December, aiming to reach at least 98 % of eligible children.

Each child receives a high‑dose capsule (100,000 IU for ages 6‑12 months, 200,000 IU for ages 12‑60 months) administered at local health stations. The program, supported by a donation of nearly 3 million capsules from the U.S.‑based Vitamin Angels, targets regions with high rates of micronutrient deficiency, where up to 9 % of children under five lack adequate Vitamin A.

Officials stress that regular supplementation, combined with a diversified diet, is a low‑cost measure to improve growth, vision, immune function and overall child development, while warning against unsupervised overdoses.