On the afternoon of November 24, Vienam National Children’s Hospital had the honor of welcoming His Excellency Johan Ndisi — Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden to Vietnam — along with a working delegation from the Swedish Embassy for a visit and working session, aiming to expand long-term cooperation in pediatric care, medical training, and child health research.
Sweden has been a longstanding and important partner of Vietnam in general, and of Vietnam National Children’s Hospital in particular. Since 1981, the Swedish government and people supported the hospital’s infrastructure development, sent experts to advise on operations, and provided technical training and professional know-how transfer. Although the official aid programme has ended, health cooperation, training, and scientific research collaboration continue to be sustained.
Professor Tran Minh Dien — Director of Vietnam National Children’s Hospital — expressed deep gratitude for the support from the Swedish government and people. He emphasized that many of the hospital’s achievements, especially in non-communicable disease treatment among children, still bear the imprint of Swedish assistance. These contributions laid a crucial foundation for the hospital’s professional development.
Professor Tran Minh Dien also noted that the Hospital is maintaining several joint research and training projects with Swedish partners. However, the scale and pace of cooperation have not yet matched the real needs, especially as the pattern of childhood diseases has changed significantly, presenting more complex challenges.
He expressed hope that this working visit would serve as a bridge to open more substantive and sustainable cooperation directions.
During the visit, representatives of Vietnam National Children’s Hospital provided an overview of the hospital’s history, key milestones in cooperation with the Swedish government and people, specialized medical activities, research orientations and outcomes, as well as identified needs for advanced pediatric training that the hospital is prioritizing.
Ambassador Johan Ndisi commended the dedication of the medical staff in protecting the health of Vietnamese children. He expressed his pleasure at witnessing the important role of the National Children’s Hospital, and emphasized that the hospital is not only a symbol of the Vietnam–Sweden friendship, but also continues to grow through effective international cooperation initiatives.
The two sides discussed past achievements and potential collaboration areas — particularly in scientific research, training in stem-cell therapy and high-tech medical techniques. The Hospital is ready to welcome Swedish students for internships and hopes to create opportunities for its young doctors to pursue master’s and doctoral programmes or other advanced training courses in Sweden.
At the end of the visit, the delegation paid a visit to the statue of the former Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme — a long-time friend of Vietnam during the country’s national reunification struggle — located at the Hospital’s International Medical Center.
