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12-May-2025
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On April 14, 2025, the Ministry of Health of Vietnam announced the successful elimination of trachoma in the country, according to international evaluation criteria and recognition from the World Health Organization (WHO). Vietnam is one of 21 countries worldwide that have successfully eliminated this infectious disease. This marks an important milestone for Vietnam in general, and for the healthcare and ophthalmology sectors in particular, after over seven decades of efforts in diagnosing, treating trachoma, and eradicating this once-dangerous infectious disease from the community.
At the announcement ceremony, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Ngoc Dong, Director of the Central Eye Hospital, expressed his gratitude for the guidance from the Party, State, Government, and Ministry of Health, especially thanking the generations of ophthalmologists who have been dedicated and committed over the past 70 years in the fight against trachoma.
Vietnam’s success in eliminating trachoma has been supported by international colleagues and organizations such as WHO, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), the Fred Hollows Foundation (FHF), the International Trachoma Initiative (ITI), RTI International, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
At the announcement ceremony, the Representative of the Fred Hollows Foundation in Vietnam, Huynh Tan Phuc, shared his pride along with many international organizations in Vietnam that have supported ophthalmologists across generations in the fight against trachoma and the broader efforts to prevent blindness in Vietnam. Mr. Huynh Tan Phuc also affirmed that trachoma, once a leading cause of blindness, is no longer a public health concern in Vietnam. However, he emphasized other eye health issues that Vietnam is currently facing, such as refractive errors that require corrective lenses, eye diseases in children, and eye conditions in people with underlying diseases and the elderly, which demand more attention from the ophthalmology sector and local authorities. International organizations focused on blindness prevention in Vietnam have committed to continuing their support alongside the Vietnamese healthcare system, the ophthalmology sector, and local authorities to address blindness prevention and carry out vision programs in Vietnam in the coming years.
In her speech acknowledging the achievement of trachoma elimination in Vietnam, Ms. Angela Pratt, the WHO Representative in Vietnam, highly praised the efforts of the Vietnamese healthcare system in addressing, investing in, and ensuring a future free of trachoma. Vietnam’s victory over trachoma further demonstrates the effectiveness of disease elimination through a multidisciplinary approach, based on WHO’s scientific tools and evidence. Ms. Pratt was particularly impressed by the dedication of Vietnam’s ophthalmologists who have been tirelessly working to apply advanced techniques in caring for and protecting the vision of millions of people in Vietnam. She committed to continuing support and collaboration with Vietnam and emphasized the need for the country to focus on three key areas in the ongoing fight against trachoma:
- Sustaining this success with the tools currently in place, which have contributed to the successful control of trachoma cases, and continuing to maintain sanitation programs and clean water initiatives. These efforts also bring additional health benefits beyond preventing trachoma.
- Ensuring the quality of eye care services in Vietnam.
- Building on the success of trachoma elimination, continue promoting the elimination of other neglected tropical diseases in Vietnam.
At the announcement ceremony, Ms. Angela Pratt was authorized to present a certificate from the WHO Director-General to the Ministry of Health of Vietnam in recognition of the successful elimination of trachoma.
Prof. Dr. Tran Van Thuan, Deputy Minister of Health, received the certificate from WHO and delivered a speech, expressing sincere appreciation and gratitude to WHO and international organizations in Vietnam for their support and collaboration with Vietnam’s healthcare sector over the past decades in the effort to eliminate trachoma from the community. At the same time, Prof. Dr. Tran Van Thuan acknowledged the efforts of the grassroots healthcare teams, local authorities, and generations of Vietnamese ophthalmologists, emphasizing the important role of the Central Eye Hospital in leading the technical coordination throughout the implementation, execution, and monitoring of the trachoma control program.
Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan also emphasized that the healthcare and ophthalmology sectors should not be complacent, urging them to continue maintaining the results achieved and to implement a series of comprehensive measures as follows:
1/ Strengthen surveillance, detection, and management of the disease in the community.
2/ Continue to raise public awareness on personal hygiene and environmental sanitation to prevent trachoma.
3/ Ensure resources and financial mechanisms for disease prevention activities, including the coverage of trachoma surgery under health insurance regulations and current policies.
4/ Implement regular reporting requirements to the Central Eye Hospital and relevant state management agencies. These activities have also been institutionalized in government and Ministry of Health regulations related to the issue.
On this occasion, the Ministry of Health awarded certificates of merit to several organizations and commemorative medals to individuals who have contributed to the successful trachoma elimination in Vietnam.
The achievement of eliminating trachoma in Vietnam today cannot be discussed without acknowledging the attention given by the Party, State, and President Ho Chi Minh to the establishment of the Trachoma Institute on July 1, 1957 (the predecessor of the Central Eye Hospital today). This played a key role alongside the ophthalmology sector, domestic and international organizations, and especially generations of ophthalmic healthcare professionals who have dedicated themselves to the fight against trachoma.
Today’s declaration of the elimination of trachoma in Vietnam is also a result of the healthcare sector, the ophthalmology sector, and the Central Eye Hospital carrying out the teachings of President Ho Chi Minh, fulfilling his wishes during his lifetime: to treat trachoma for the people.
Seventy years ago, when trachoma affected 80-90% of the population, with 15% of people suffering from trichiasis due to trachoma, leading to blindness in 2% of the rural population, President Ho Chi Minh paid special attention to the widespread trachoma epidemic that severely impacted the health of both the military and the people.
In the autumn of 1956, President Ho Chi Minh visited the Eye Institute (the predecessor of the Trachoma Institute and the Central Eye Hospital). During the visit, he directly tasked the ophthalmologists: “You, the doctors who treat eyes, must have methods to prevent trachoma, actively treat those suffering from eye pain, and bring light to the people.”
After this important historical event, in early 1957, Prime Minister Pham Van Dong visited the Eye Institute, and subsequently issued Decree No. 278/TTg on July 1, 1957, establishing the Trachoma Institute (the predecessor of the Central Eye Hospital today), marking a new phase in the fight against blindness in Vietnam, with a special focus on preventing trachoma.
For many decades, the trachoma prevention movement spread throughout the country. The Trachoma Institute – Central Eye Hospital, as the core of the ophthalmology sector, has implemented advanced research and applied methods to prevent trachoma, established local ophthalmology personnel training networks, and organized mobile eye clinics for examinations and trichiasis surgeries in communities. Additionally, the hospital has launched public campaigns to raise awareness about personal hygiene and environmental sanitation.
The journey of trachoma elimination in Vietnam has spanned over seven decades, providing valuable experience and lessons in the close collaboration of various levels and sectors in implementing community-based eye disease prevention programs. It also highlighted the spirit of solidarity and joint efforts among generations of ophthalmology professionals in the fight against blindness, persistent research and application of advanced ophthalmological technologies in eye disease diagnosis and treatment, mobilization of social resources, and the support of international partners in blindness prevention efforts in Vietnam.
Some images from the ceremony.
19/11/2025
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