Overview of the seminar

The seminar was chaired by Deputy Director of VSS Nguyen Duc Hoa. Attendees included Mr. Lasse Pedersen Hjortshoj, Chargé d'Affaires of the Danish Embassy in Vietnam; representatives from relevant units under and directly affiliated with VSS; Social Security offices of provinces and cities; management agencies; healthcare facilities; and national and international experts.

The seminar took place in the context of the Vietnamese healthcare system facing significant challenges from the rapid increase in non-communicable diseases, requiring effective cost management solutions while ensuring the rights of health insurance (HI) participants and the sustainability of the fund.

Affirming the pivotal role of health insurance policy.

In his opening remarks at the conference, Mr. Hoa emphasized that in recent years, HI policies have been continuously improved, gradually affirming their role as one of the key pillars of the social security system. As a result, people's access to healthcare services has been increasingly expanded, contributing to reducing the burden of medical examination and treatment costs and ensuring equity in healthcare.

However, in the new context, the HI system is facing many challenges, especially the increasing pressure from non-communicable diseases such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and chronic kidney disease. These are diseases that are rapidly increasing, require lifelong treatment, and are costly, directly impacting the balance and sustainability of the HI fund.

In response to this demand, Mr. Hoa emphasized that workshop is an important forum for domestic and international managers, experts, and scientists to exchange and share experiences; thereby clarifying the role of medical data in supporting treatment decision-making, reducing the rate of severe complications, improving the efficiency of HI fund management and improving improving medical assessment (HI assessment), thereby contributing to improving the quality of people's health care. The international experiences shared will be a practical reference for Vietnam to continue to improve and enhance the capacity of the HI system in the coming time.

He also said that the conference, which is within the framework of cooperation between VSS and the Danish Embassy, and Danish partners since 2018 to now, has brought many practical results, especially in sharing international experiences, improving management capacity and improving the quality of the HI system. 2026 also marks 55 years of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Denmark, creating a favorable foundation for both sides to continue to promote deeper cooperation in the field of health and social security.

Speaking at the conference, Mr. Lasse Pedersen Hjortshoj, Chargé d'Affaires a.i., of the Danish Embassy in Vietnam, remarked that the conference is an important milestone in the strategic cooperation between Denmark and VSS, particularly in enhancing HI management capacity and chronic disease treatment. Mr. Hjortshoj acknowledged Vietnam's efforts in expanding HI coverage, improving access to medicines, and enhancing the quality of public healthcare. Since 2018, within the framework of cooperation between VSS and the Danish Embassy, practical activities have been implemented, contributing to capacity building for approximately 1,450 officials in the social security system in the prevention and management of non-communicable diseases. As a result, the effectiveness of management, assessment, and utilization of the HI fund has been gradually improved towards sustainability. The representative of the Danish Embassy also affirmed that they will continue to coordinate closely with partners, promote the sharing of experiences, and apply medical data, contributing to improving the quality of healthcare for the Vietnamese people.

The increasing financial burden puts pressure on the health insurance fund.

According to data from the Ministry of Health, non-communicable diseases currently account for nearly 74% of the total disease burden and are the leading cause of death in Vietnam, posing a significant challenge to the healthcare system and social security.

A report by VSS at the conference indicated that in 2025, nearly 98 million people nationwide participated in HI, reaching a coverage rate of 95.16% of the population. The number of HI medical examination and treatment cases reached over 195.1 million, an increase of 11.5 million visits (6.5%) compared to 2024. The total amount of HI reimbursement claims amounted to 166.4 trillion VND, an increase of over 23.5 trillion VND, equivalent to a 16.43% increase.

Notably, the HI fund currently covers approximately 7.98 millrontfion people with hypertension, over 400,000 cases of cardiovascular intervention, over 3.3 million people with diabetes, over 1.1 million people with chronic respiratory diseases, and nearly 500,000 cancer patients. Non-communicable diseases alone accounted for about 51 million medical visits, an increase of over 4 million visits (8.6%) compared to the previous year, with total payment costs amounting to 19.85 trillion VND, an increase of 17.82%.

These figures clearly reflect the rapidly increasing trend of treatment costs for chronic diseases and demonstrate the growing pressure on the HI fund, especially the burden from diabetes and metabolic disorders. This reality urgently requires innovation in management methods, shifting from individual treatment to comprehensive management, and from passive to active prevention and control of diseases.

At the conference, representatives of VSS proposed several key groups of solutions to improve the efficiency of management, monitoring, and treatment. First, it is necessary to continue to improve the legal framework and system of professional guidelines, focusing on issuing regulations on the management, use of medical examination and treatment data to serve monitoring and treatment.

In addition, it is essential to promote training, standardize clinical coding, and standardize data to ensure continuous management of metabolic diseases, thereby improving the quality of information throughout the system. Simultaneously, it is important to strengthen the quality control of data through appropriate financial and management mechanisms, ensuring the accuracy, completeness, and transparency of HI medical examination and treatment data.

Along with the above solutions, promoting the application of information technology, developing analysis tools and early warning systems are also identified as key factors, contributing to effectively supporting management, assessment, and treatment, towards the goal of using the HI fund safely, efficiently, and sustainably.

Shifting the approach from treatment to holistic management.

At the workshop, experts highlighted the need to shift from disease-specific management to a comprehensive approach to metabolic syndrome, encompassing obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and chronic kidney disease.

Associate Professor, PhD, MD Vũ Thị Thanh Huyền noted that non-communicable diseases, particularly type 2 diabetes, are increasing rapidly and are closely associated with risk factors such as overweight, obesity, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. Around 90% of people with type 2 diabetes are either overweight or obese.

Globally, data from the International Diabetes Federation show that approximately 589 million adults were living with diabetes in 2024, a figure projected to rise to 853 million by 2050. The disease is responsible for an estimated 3.4 million deaths annually—equivalent to one death every nine seconds—with healthcare costs estimated at no less than USD 1 trillion.

In Viet Nam, treatment outcomes remain limited, with only about 30% of patients achieving recommended targets. This contributes to a higher risk of complications, particularly cardiovascular and renal conditions, leading to increased treatment costs and a significant impact on quality of life. International studies indicate that effective control of blood pressure, blood glucose, and lipid levels could reduce the risk of premature mortality by up to 25%, underscoring the importance of comprehensive disease management and adherence to treatment.

A key focus of the workshop was the development and use of health data to enhance the efficiency of HI fund management. Experts noted that the application of Big Data platforms could support authorities in analyzing disease trends, forecasting expenditures, controlling the overuse of medical services, and enabling timely, evidence-based policy decisions. Discussions also centered on updating treatment guidelines and promoting the efficient and cost-effective use of medicines for chronic and non-communicable diseases, while ensuring HI coverage at the primary care level. Participants further proposed strengthening the interoperability of medical records and electronic health data to reduce service duplication, lower costs, and improve the quality of care in line with practical needs.

Strengthening international cooperation and promoting the sustainable development of the HI  system.

Drawing on Thailand’s experience, Associate Professor, PhD Petch Rawdaree, President of the Thai NCD Alliance, said the country has adopted a comprehensive approach to chronic disease management, closely integrating prevention, management, and treatment. A key focus is the stratification of the population by risk levels, with priority given to early intervention for medium-risk groups to prevent progression to high-risk groups that place greater demands on healthcare resources. At the same time, Thailand has strengthened the role of primary healthcare and primary healthcare services, while promoting the application of technology in chronic disease management. The country has also advanced public–private partnerships, mobilized community participation, and implemented coordinated policies to raise awareness, encourage behavioral change, and expand access to essential services and medicines through HI, thereby ensuring sustainable financial resources for the system.

Mr Frederik Persson, Director of the Diabetes Clinic at Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen (Denmark), noted that Denmark is implementing a data-driven diabetes management model aimed at early detection, risk stratification, and timely intervention. The system is structured across three levels: acute intervention for high-risk patients; subacute monitoring for cases with warning signs; and system-wide quality improvement based on population data analysis. In the coming period, Denmark will continue to promote remote consultation and monitoring, develop demand-driven services, strengthen workforce training and research, thereby improving treatment outcomes, optimizing resource use, and ensuring the sustainability of the health insurance system.

Based on the discussions and presentations at the workshop, Deputy Director General of VSS stated that, to enhance the effectiveness of management, supervision, and treatment - particularly for chronic diseases and to ensure the sustainability of the HI fund, it is necessary to implement a range of coordinated solutions. These include strengthening primary healthcare, promoting community-based disease management communication, expanding the application of information technology, and raising public awareness on disease prevention and lifestyle changes. In addition, expanding international cooperation and learning from countries with advanced healthcare systems would help refine policy mechanisms, improve the transparency and efficiency of HI fund management and utilization, and move toward the goal of ensuring equitable access to quality healthcare services for all.