Senior officials, healthcare leaders, and industry experts from the UK and Vietnam convened in Ho Chi Minh City on Monday for the Health Innovation Business Forum, focusing on digital transformation and innovation within the health sector.
The forum explored the most recent advancements in digital health, medical technology, and life sciences. The UK, renowned for its leadership in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and digital health, sees this forum as a crucial step in strengthening partnerships with Vietnam to improve public health and drive healthcare innovation.
Marcus Winsley, the British deputy ambassador to Vietnam, emphasized the UK’s commitment to deepening healthcare partnerships. “The UK and Vietnam share a long-standing history of collaboration in healthcare, encompassing policy dialogue, research partnerships and trade. As Vietnam and HCM City accelerate their digital transformation and healthcare modernization, the UK stands ready to share its expertise in medical innovation, digital health, and workforce development.”
Dr. Nguyen Van Vinh Chau, deputy director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health, stated, “Today’s conference provides an opportunity to discuss trends, opportunities, and challenges in healthcare innovation in Vietnam, particularly Ho Chi Minh City, while also acting as a catalyst to advance digital transformation in healthcare.”
He added that the event marked a “new milestone” in the partnership between Ho Chi Minh City and British partners in healthcare. With support from the UK Government since 2023, the city has made considerable progress in realizing its plan to become a healthcare innovation hub in Southeast Asia. Additional opportunities will arise to engage with strategic partners, promote innovation, implement advanced technologies, and enhance medical capacity to improve Vietnamese healthcare, according to Dr. Chau.
The forum included discussions on “Innovation, Investment and Partnerships: Unlocking Vietnam’s Healthcare Potential,” where UK experts shared successful models, such as Liverpool. Matt Biagetti, the cluster lead for healthcare & life sciences at the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, noted, “HCM City’s ambitious vision for a health innovation hub presents an exciting opportunity for knowledge-sharing, investment and technological advancements that can improve patient outcomes and healthcare access.”
The event also examined digital transformation in healthcare, innovations in medical technology, and strategies for research and development to enhance operational efficiency and workforce development in support of innovation. A number of British healthcare organizations and companies showcased their expertise at the forum, including Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, Civic Health Innovation Labs (University of Liverpool), Modality Partnership, Nuffield Department of Medicine (University of Oxford), TPP, Blüm Health, Axela, Envisionit Deep AI, and MediBioSense.
The UK Government, Healthcare UK, KPMG, and the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit (OUCRU) Vietnam jointly organized the forum.
