Vietnam’s Journey Towards Cervical Cancer Elimination

21 August, 2025

Cervical cancer’s global burden is heavily weighted towards Asia, which currently accounts for approximately 3 out of every 5 new global cases and deaths. Several APAC region countries – Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines – have developed national strategies to eliminate this preventable cancer, aligned with the targets ratified by member states of the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2020. 

However, Vietnam is lagging behind its neighbors, putting Vietnamese women’s cervical health at heightened risk. Current HPV vaccination coverage in Vietnam is estimated at only 12.5% of females ages 15-29, and only 30% of eligible women have been screened for cervical cancer in the past five years, primarily through opportunistic use of less accurate methods such as Pap tests or visual inspection. Modeling estimates project roughly 3,500 new cases and 1,900 deaths in 2025 alone. 

It’s time to put Vietnam squarely on the path to cervical cancer elimination with a costed, comprehensive elimination plan aligned with global targets. TogetHER for Health joined the APAC Women’s Cancer Coalition because we know that leadership in the Asia-Pacific region on cervical cancer elimination will have global implications. We worked with our Coalition partners to develop a white paper examining Vietnam’s progress to date on cervical cancer prevention and control, drawing on case studies from six focal countries across the APAC/ASEAN region. 

We’re proud to launch this impactful new publication offering actionable recommendations for an accelerated national response from Vietnam, making the case for a comprehensive, costed cervical cancer elimination strategy. Click here to read the white paper. An Executive Summary is also available in English here and in Vietnamese here.

Key recommendations from the report include: 

  • Develop and Implement a Comprehensive and Costed National Cervical Cancer Elimination Strategy (2025-2026): Finalize and adopt a comprehensive National Cervical Cancer Elimination Strategy and Operational Plan aligned with WHO’s 90-70-90 targets across each of the three pillars – HPV vaccination, cervical cancer screening and early treatment – to ensure equitable and affordable access to prevention services nationwide. 
  • Secure Sustainable Financing: Engage with national policymakers to mobilize dedicated domestic resources such as Social Health Insurance (SHI) funds, catalytic external funding, and innovative financing mechanisms to ensure long-term sustainability.
  • Roll Out Population-Based HPV Screening: Leverage insights from pilot studies to initiate a phased national rollout of population-based cervical cancer screening using primary HPV testing, ideally with HPV self-collection options, with a goal of at least 50% coverage of the eligible primary target cohort by 2030. 
  • Roll Out and Scale HPV Vaccination: Successfully launch and rapidly scale the HPV vaccination program within the national Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI), aiming for at least 70% coverage of the primary target cohort (girls 9-14 years) by 2030. 
  • Strengthen Health System Capacity: Invest in workforce training, especially in HPV testing, colposcopy, and treatment, and establish robust national screening and cancer registries. 
  • Enhance Public Awareness and Engagement: Launch sustained national education campaigns to increase knowledge, address misinformation, reduce stigma, and drive demand for vaccination and screening services nationwide, while also enhancing awareness and information among health professionals. 

Vietnam is currently updating its national breast and cervical cancer control plan to reduce incidence and mortality from both diseases (2026-2035). The country is poised to make significant strides towards eliminating cervical cancer as a public health problem, saving thousands of lives, reducing economic hardship, and building a healthier future for women and girls. The time for decisive action is now.