Patients receive HPV vaccine shots in Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photo Minh Quyết

HÀ NỘI — The HPV vaccine will be offered free of charge in Việt Nam starting in 2026, along with the Rota vaccine for children.  

Known to prevent cervical cancer, the HPV vaccine can also protect against other conditions, such as genital warts in boys.

In addition, the pneumococcal vaccine will be provided for free under a phased rollout starting this year, as the vaccine remains costly. The seasonal influenza vaccine is also expected to be provided free of charge by 2030. 

This initiative is part of the National Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) for the 2021-2030 period, and was announced on Friday by deputy head of the programme’s office Hoàng Hồng Mai.

Specifically, the Rota vaccine has been included in the free national vaccination campaign since 2023-2024. By 2026, it will be rolled out nationwide to ensure that children in all cities and provinces receive two free doses.

Mai said that EPI has significantly changed disease profiles for children under five years old in Việt Nam, with cases of infectious diseases such as diphtheria, pertussis and measles decreasing hundreds to thousands of times.

She noted that only parents in major cities tend to choose private vaccination services for their children, while in remote and mountainous provinces, nearly all children are vaccinated under the support of EPI. 

EPI has been implemented nationwide since 1985. Over nearly four decades, it has achieved important milestones, with full routine immunisation coverage for infants under one year old consistently exceeding 90 per cent. 

Thanks to the programme, Việt Nam eradicated polio in 2000 and eliminated neonatal tetanus in 2005.

EPI currently provides 12 vaccines free of charge to protect against 11 common infectious diseases in children and expectant mothers. — VNS