Vietnam’s hospitals face some of the highest infectious disease caseloads in Southeast Asia, and strengthening ICU capacity is increasingly recognised as a national health priority. This year’s training drew over 140 intensive care doctors and clinical pharmacists from 20 hospitals and medical universities across Hồ Chí Minh City.
The programme covered the breadth of modern ICU practice, from ventilator-associated pneumonia prevention, sepsis phenotypes, haemodynamic monitoring, point-of-care ultrasound, to sedation, organ dysfunction, antimicrobial resistance, and delirium and withdrawal management. Sessions also included interactive case presentations, and a review of key critical care research from past year.
Speakers included experts from Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Southampton, alongside clinicians from the Hospital for Tropical Diseases and People’s 115 Hospital in Hồ Chí Minh City.
The visiting team also visited Gia Định People’s Hospital in Hồ Chí Minh City, and Đồng Tháp General Hospital, marking the first time the collaboration has extended beyond the city. These visits provided direct insight into intensive care practice across both urban and provincial settings, informing a short on-site training in Đồng Tháp tailored to local needs.
Going forward, these insights will help shape future programmes to be more targeted and locally relevant, with the broader aim of strengthening clinical exchange at provincial level.
Professor Louise Thwaites, Senior Research Fellow at OUCRU Vietnam, said: “Vietnam’s infectious disease burden places enormous pressure on intensive care units. Clinicians here are managing some of the most complex cases in the region, often with limited resources. This training is about ensuring they have access to the same expertise as specialists anywhere in the world, while strengthening local networks and partnerships.”
The annual training is part of a long-standing collaboration between OUCRU and Guy’s and St Thomas’, which has been running since 2014. It is funded by Dragon Capital Group, a long-term supporter of OUCRU’s work to improve healthcare in Vietnam. Future plans include additional training programs, research collaborations, and the establishment of formal links between Vietnamese and UK ICU societies.