Each year, Vietnam records more than 220,000 new stroke cases, with a mortality rate of approximately 11%, underscoring the urgent need for a comprehensive health system response - from prevention and emergency care to treatment, rehabilitation, and community reintegration.

At the conference, Dr. Mai Duy Ton, Director of the Stroke Center at Bach Mai Hospital, stated that stroke is currently the leading cause of death in Vietnam, and this trend is expected to continue over the next ten years.

In recent years, the healthcare sector has made efforts to reduce the burden of stroke, including the issuance of new clinical guidelines for stroke diagnosis and treatment in 2024 and Circular No. 47/2016 to promote the establishment of stroke centers and units nationwide.

As a result, by the end of 2023, Vietnam had 53 stroke centers, and the in-hospital mortality rate dropped from 5% to just over 2%.

However, Dr. Ton emphasized the need for a national strategy to reduce stroke burden over the next decade. This strategy should be integrated into a national health priority program, focusing on public awareness, pre-hospital emergency care, in-hospital treatment, and secondary prevention.

Specifically, the strategy should enhance public understanding of stroke prevention, early symptom recognition, and risk factors. It should also promote routine health checkups and screenings, improve diagnostic and treatment capabilities, and enhance patients’ quality of life through rehabilitation, counseling, and disease management.

Even grassroots-level medical facilities can play an important role in counseling and preventing stroke for high-risk individuals.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is also expected to play a pivotal role in Vietnam’s future national stroke prevention strategy.

In the near future, doctors at all levels will be able to use specialized AI tools for stroke that can interpret data, respond to complex queries, provide diagnostic and treatment recommendations, analyze medical imaging, assess prognosis, and support clinical decision-making.

For patients, mobile applications may be developed to track health indicators and locate the nearest stroke emergency centers.

Stroke screening is simple and affordable

According to Dr. Nguyen Huy Thang, President of the Ho Chi Minh City Stroke Association, although stroke is dangerous, it is entirely preventable. Screening is neither complicated nor expensive, despite common misconceptions.

He noted that many medical facilities promote costly stroke screening packages that only benefit a small group of high-risk individuals. Widespread use of advanced screening technologies for the general population would be financially unsustainable.

Instead, Dr. Thang pointed out that nearly 90% of stroke patients have hypertension, 30% have diabetes, 50–60% suffer from lipid disorders, and 10% have arrhythmias or atrial fibrillation.

Therefore, simple health checkups that include blood pressure measurement, blood glucose and lipid testing, are cost-effective yet highly beneficial for prevention.

When risk factors are detected, patients should follow medical guidance and take prescribed medications. Maintaining health indicators at normal or below-normal levels significantly reduces stroke risk.

Dr. Thang also stressed the critical importance of time in stroke treatment. Early recognition of symptoms is vital to prevent death and long-term disability.

Common warning signs include sudden numbness or weakness in the face, arms, or legs - especially on one side of the body - facial drooping, slurred or lost speech, blurred vision, headache, dizziness, and loss of balance.

Phuong Thuy