Ho Chi Minh City Healthcare Digital Transformation: April 2025 News Brief on the Smart Healthcare Direction

Editorial note: This is an April 2025 news brief (the original text is dated 20 April 2025). Some statements in the original did not match official sources and have been corrected. For the consolidated and most up-to-date information, see Healthcare Digital Transformation in Ho Chi Minh City: EMR, Health Data and Smart Healthcare.

The healthcare sector in Ho Chi Minh City is stepping up digital transformation, a field closely linked to residents’ quality of life and direct interests.

Direction for developing a smart healthcare ecosystem

The Ho Chi Minh City health sector aims to build a modern, smart healthcare system that serves residents effectively, conveniently and transparently. At the 10 April 2025 conference, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyễn Anh Dũng, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health, presented the sector’s plan to step up digital transformation (per the Ho Chi Minh City Children’s Hospital website, 14 April 2025). According to the original news brief, the plan focuses on completing IT infrastructure, building and using specialized and shared databases, and ensuring connection and interoperability with the city’s data center. The source cross-checked confirms that Dr. Dũng presented the plan, but does not confirm each of these details.

Electronic medical records at hospitals

The original stated that the city had completed electronic medical records at 100% of hospitals under the Department of Health. That statement does not match official figures from the same period: according to Tuoi Tre newspaper (10 April 2025), only 9 of the 51 public hospitals had completed EMR assessment, and 100% of public hospitals was a target to be completed before September 2025. The latest verified figure is 163 of 164 hospitals completing electronic medical records (Ho Chi Minh City Media Center, 29 December 2025).

Digitization of administrative procedures

According to Dai bieu Nhan dan newspaper (17 April 2025), one of the targets through 2025 is for 100% of eligible administrative procedures to be offered online. This is a target; no verified official report of results has been found.

Synchronized IT infrastructure and data interoperability

According to the original brief, the health sector is standardizing its IT infrastructure step by step, ensuring data security and connectivity between hospitals, medical centers and the city’s management system. The original brief states that data interoperability serves not only diagnosis and treatment but also supports epidemiological surveillance, disease prevention and health policy planning; this is the brief’s own statement and has not been checked against an independent source. The original cited a figure for the number of facilities in a health data management system; no source confirming it was found, so it has been removed. For the components of hospital IT systems, see HIS, EMR, LIS, RIS, PACS: what they are (in Vietnamese).

Direction for the smart healthcare ecosystem

In the next phase, the Ho Chi Minh City health sector aims to keep developing a smart healthcare ecosystem that puts residents at the center. Medical examination and treatment, health management, drug dispensing and medical record management are to be digitized and closely connected, to improve service quality and ensure comprehensive care for residents.

Conclusion

The Ho Chi Minh City health sector is moving step by step on digital transformation, with the participation of leaders at all levels and healthcare facilities. When completed, the digital health system is expected to improve management and care capacity and to bring a modern service experience to residents.

Sources

• Hội nghị đẩy mạnh hoạt động chuyển đổi số của ngành Y tế TP. Hồ Chí Minh (Ho Chi Minh City Children’s Hospital website, 14 Apr 2025): Dr. Nguyễn Anh Dũng, Deputy Director of the Department of Health, presented the digital transformation plan at the conference.
• Ngành y tế TP.HCM công bố 10 sự kiện nổi bật năm 2025 (Ho Chi Minh City Media Center, 29 Dec 2025): 163/164 hospitals completed electronic medical records.
• TP.HCM gấp rút hoàn thành bệnh án điện tử thay bệnh án giấy trong năm 2025 (Tuoi Tre, 10 Apr 2025): 9 of 51 public hospitals completed assessment; September 2025 target.
• Chuyển đổi số ngành y tế TP.HCM (Dai bieu Nhan dan, 17 Apr 2025): target of 100% of eligible administrative procedures online.