Policies for the development of traditional Vietnamese medicine: current status, and strategic orientations to 2030 with a vision to 2045

Abstract

Objective: To systematize the policy framework for the development of traditional medicine and pharmacy in Vietnam, to assess current system capacity and identify core bottlenecks, and to analyze the strategic orientations for the 2026- 2045 period. Scope of materials: Party resolutions, directives and conclusions; laws, decrees, decisions and circulars issued by the National Assembly, the Government, the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Health from 2003 to 2026; Decision No. 1976/QD-TTg dated 13 October 2026 of the Prime Minister approving the National Strategy for the Development of Vietnamese Traditional Medicine to 2030, with a vision to 2045; sectoral survey reports; and the Global Traditional Medicine Strategy of the World Health Organization. Main content: The review examines the policy framework and its degree of legal institutionalization; the current status of the service network, human resources, medicinal materials, science and technology, and state management; five core bottlenecks; the international context and lessons learned; and the viewpoints, targets and tasks of the new National Strategy. Findings indicate that the legal corridor has been broadened and the service network now spans all levels of care, yet capacity remains uneven across levels; primary health care is the weakest link; the medicinal material value chain is fragmented; scientific evidence and standardized data are insufficient, and only 17.7% of provincial health authorities have dedicated staff for traditional medicine. Conclusion: The imperative is to move from developing isolated components towards the synchronous development of a national traditional medicine ecosystem, with institutional reform as the breakthrough, science, technology, and digital transformation as the driving force, and the medicinal material value chain as the economic pillar.