On the morning of May 13, 2025, a delegation of experts from Laos Children’s Friendship Hospital visited and worked with Vietnam National Children’s Hospital to exchange and learn about the operation and development of the Human Milk Bank model.
The delegation visited Vietnam National Children’s Hospital to gain hands-on experience and insights into the operations of its Human Milk Bank.
The meeting was attended by representatives of the Neonatal Care Center of Vietnam National Children’s Hospital, the team managing the Human Milk Bank of Laos Children’s Friendship Hospital, and representatives from the Alive & Thrive organization.
At the beginning of the program, Dr. Nguyen Thi Hoa (Level II Specialist in Pediatrics), a representative from the Neonatal Care Center, introduced the Human Milk Bank at Vietnam National Children’s Hospital and emphasized the vital role of donor breast milk in providing essential nutrition for premature, low-birth-weight, and medically fragile infants. Since the establishment of the Human Milk Bank in 2022, the hospital has seen a significant reduction in mortality among hospitalized preterm infants.
The hospital shared an overview of the Human Milk Bank’s operational procedures and the importance of donor milk in neonatal care.
Following that, Dr. Senkeo Vilayvone, representing the Laos delegation, introduced the first Human Milk Bank in Laos, established in 2023. Though still operating on a small scale with some procedures yet to be standardized, the Milk Bank has shown promising results in newborn care. Therefore, the delegation expressed a desire to learn more—particularly about milk culturing procedures before and after pasteurization—to complete and expand their own Human Milk Bank.
The Lao delegation observed the Human Milk Bank workflow at Vietnam National Children’s Hospital.
As part of the visit, the delegation toured the operational areas of the Human Milk Bank and received detailed explanations of the donor milk reception, pasteurization, and storage processes. They also visited the Kangaroo Mother Care Unit and observed how breastfeeding support is provided to premature infants. It is hoped that this exchange will foster stronger cooperation between the two hospitals and contribute to the expansion of Human Milk Bank models throughout the region.
The visit took place in the lead-up to World Human Milk Donation Day (May 19), an occasion to honor the generous and life-saving act of breast milk donation that supports thousands of newborns.
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Vietnam National Children’s Hospital established its Human Milk Bank in March 2022. After more than three years of operation, the bank now collects and processes approximately 350–400 liters of donated breast milk per month—an amount sufficient to meet the nutritional needs of newborn patients at the hospital. Donor milk has become a vital part of care for ill newborns, especially extremely preterm infants. |
