The Ministry of Health is seeking feedback on a draft revision of the Law on Donation, Removal and Transplantation of Human Tissues and Organs and Donation and Recovery of Cadavers, including proposed changes to eligibility requirements and age limits for donors.

Organ transplant costs remain inconsistent

According to the Ministry of Health, Vietnam currently has no standardized technical-economic norms or service prices for the removal and transplantation of human tissues and organs. Individual medical facilities set their own rates, and many do not publicly disclose them.

Under the draft law, the ministry proposes introducing regulations governing the pricing of tissue and organ transplant services. The price would cover intensive care to preserve tissues and organs from donors at risk of brain death or circulatory death; determination of brain or circulatory death; organ and tissue retrieval and quality assessment; transplantation; and other expenses prescribed by law.

Vietnam currently has 34 medical facilities capable of performing organ transplants. A survey shows that at Viet Duc University Hospital in Hanoi, heart and liver transplants cost an average of about VND1 billion ($38,000), while kidney transplants range from VND200 million to VND500 million ($7,600-$19,000). At Bach Mai Hospital, also in Hanoi, a kidney transplant costs about VND270 million ($10,300).

At Vietnam National Children’s Hospital, a liver transplant costs about VND450 million ($17,100), a kidney transplant VND350 million ($13,300), and a stem cell transplant between VND700 million and VND1 billion ($26,600-$38,000). Kidney transplants cost about VND195 million ($7,400) at Thai Nguyen National Hospital and VND129 million ($4,900) at Phu Tho General Hospital.

At University Medical Center Ho Chi Minh City, a liver transplant costs about VND1.45 billion ($55,100), while a kidney transplant costs VND396 million ($15,000). Cho Ray Hospital reports that a living-donor liver transplant costs between VND1 billion and VND1.5 billion ($38,000-$57,000), excluding medication, while a kidney transplant costs around VND300 million ($11,400).

Most transplant costs are currently covered in part by Vietnam’s health insurance system. Other funding comes from science and technology programs, support from organizations and individuals, and hospital funds. Health insurance coverage also varies significantly: at University Medical Center Ho Chi Minh City, it accounts for 16.2% of liver transplant costs and 17.6% of kidney transplant costs, compared with about 40-45% at Vietnam National Children’s Hospital.

Ministry proposes minimum age of 25 for organ donations outside the family

Under current law, people aged 18 or older who have full civil capacity may donate tissues or organs while alive, donate them after death, or donate their bodies. The Ministry of Health says the provision has shortcomings because people at 18 may still be developing physically and cognitively and may not yet have stable employment or income.

The draft proposes separate age requirements for living donors. Those donating to family members would need to be at least 18, while those donating to people outside their family would have to be at least 25.

In explaining the proposal, the drafting agency cited assessments associated with the World Health Organization indicating that brain regions involved in judgment continue developing into the mid-20s, while kidney function peaks between the ages of 20 and 30 before declining after 40. Kidney donors aged 18-25 face a significantly higher risk of developing chronic kidney disease over the following 20-30 years. Medical experts therefore recommend against kidney donation before age 25, except when donating to a blood relative.

As of March 2026, Vietnam had performed 11,187 organ transplants. Of these, only 962 involved organs from brain-dead donors, accounting for 8.6% of the total. In 2025 alone, there were 934 kidney transplants from living donors compared with 120 from brain-dead donors, while 170 liver transplants involved living donors and 74 used organs from brain-dead donors.

The Ministry of Health is also proposing to allow organ donation following circulatory death, expanding the current framework beyond brain-dead donors.

For donation following brain death or circulatory death, the draft stipulates that donors must be at least 18 and have registered as organ donors. If they had not formally registered, they must have expressed their wish before death, either verbally to a parent or guardian or in writing, with the representative's consent.

The draft would also allow people under 18 to donate organs after death in certain circumstances. Minors must have expressed that wish before death and have the consent of their parents or legal guardian.

Vo Thu