On January 28, a pivotal seminar titled “Ensuring Sustainable Health Financing for HPV Vaccination for the Prevention of Cervical Cancer and Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccination under the National Expanded Immunization Program (EPI)” was held in Hanoi, marking a key step in strengthening the country’s vaccine rollout strategy.
In response to the growing burden of vaccine-preventable diseases, the Vietnamese government issued Resolution No. 104/NQ-CP, laying out a roadmap to gradually expand the EPI vaccine portfolio between 2021 and 2030. Under the plan, pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV vaccines) were set to be included in 2025, followed by the HPV vaccine—used to prevent cervical cancer—in 2026. However, both introductions are now facing delays due to implementation challenges.
As international aid declines, Vietnam is gradually transitioning toward greater domestic financing for health. To meet the funding needs outlined in Resolution 104/NQ-CP, robust research and evidence-based analysis on sustainable immunization financing are critical to ensuring a smooth EPI expansion.
The seminar showcased findings from studies on EPI-related health financing, including cost-effectiveness analyses and budget impact assessments for integrating HPV and PCV into the national program. These findings provide scientific evidence to guide policy development, roadmap planning, and the establishment of feasible, effective, and sustainable mechanisms for new vaccine introduction under the EPI framework.
The event brought together a wide range of stakeholders, including representatives from relevant departments of Vietnam’s Ministry of Health, provincial health departments and Centers for Disease Control (CDC), universities and research institutions, international partners (including Duke Kunshan University), global health organizations, vaccine manufacturers, and immunization experts.
The research is co-led by Vietnam’s Health Strategy and Policy Institute (HSPI) and the Duke Global Health Institute, with technical support from international collaborators including the Innovation Lab for Vaccine Delivery Research (VaxLab) at Duke Kunshan University, Australia’s National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS), and the University of Sydney. The project is primarily funded by the Gates Foundation.
As a key member of the international collaboration team, VaxLab provided technical support in health economics and policy analysis, with a focus on quantitative research into the cost-effectiveness and budget impact of introducing PCV into the EPI. Additional analytical support came from Professor Huang Huaxiong’s team at the Data Science Research Center, Duke Kunshan University.
According to the findings on cost-effectiveness and budget impact, nationwide PCV implementation in Vietnam between 2026 and 2030 could prevent approximately 1.2 million cases of illness and around 5,000 deaths, while saving the health system tens of millions of US dollars in treatment costs. For HPV vaccines, the study suggests that early implementation with high coverage is projected to deliver substantial long-term health benefits, significantly reducing the incidence and mortality of cervical cancer, delivering substantial health returns for the next generation of Vietnamese women. Compared to a no-vaccination scenario, investment in both vaccines is not only highly beneficial from a public health standpoint but also cost-saving for society when factoring in both direct treatment costs and indirect economic losses.
Discussions at the seminar also touched on the need to define central and local financial responsibilities, establish centralized procurement mechanisms, select appropriate vaccine products based on epidemiological context and affordability, and fully account for implementation costs at the primary care level—including human resources, cold chain systems, health communication, and immunization safety monitoring.
The meeting reaffirmed that investing in HPV and PCV vaccines under the EPI is a strategic investment in Vietnam’s future health, equity, and sustainable development. In her closing remarks, Dr. Nguyen Khanh Phuong, Director of HSPI, noted that the seminar helped clarify key issues and that the research team will continue to refine its reports and develop policy briefs to directly inform decision-making at the Ministry of Health.
Professor Tang Shenglan, Co-Director of the Global Health Research Center at Duke Kunshan University and Head of the VaxLab, commented: “Like many middle-income countries, Vietnam is facing international aid reduction and needs to establish effective and sustainable domestic financing mechanisms to support the introduction of new vaccines and the long-term operation of its immunization program. VaxLab team is very pleased to serve as one of the international partners working alongside HSPI to conduct research that helps Vietnamese policymakers craft evidence-based strategies tailored to the country’s unique context.”
