Silent difficulties in organ and tissue donation
More than 30 years after the first successful organ transplant in Vietnam, our country's organ transplant industry has achieved many important achievements, gradually affirming its position on the world organ transplant map. Vietnam has now mastered the technique of transplanting many types of organs and continuously successfully performed complex multi-organ transplants. In the past two years, hospitals across the country have successfully performed more than 1,000 organ transplants each year.
Although Vietnam has mastered many modern organ transplantation techniques, it is still seriously lacking organ donation sources. Therefore, besides developing medicine, raising community awareness and building trust in the transparency of the organ donation and transplantation system is very important.
According to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dong Van He, Director of the National Coordinating Center for Human Organ Transplantation, Deputy Director of Viet Duc Friendship Hospital: Vietnam started organ transplantation in 1992, but only in the last 4 years has the number of new transplants increased sharply. In 2025, there were 1,368 transplants, the fourth consecutive year exceeding 1,000 cases; in the first quarter of 2026, 308 more cases were performed.
However, Vietnam's organ transplant rate is only about 13.6 cases per million people, much lower than Spain (139 cases). The biggest reason is the limited source of organ donation, especially from brain-dead people.
The work of organ and tissue donation and transplantation in Vietnam is still facing many challenges. Currently, the source of donated organs mainly comes from living donors, accounting for about 90% of the total transplants, while the source of donation from brain-dead people - a source that can save many patients at the same time - is still very limited. The serious shortage of organ sources causes dozens of patients to die every day due to not having the opportunity to have organ transplants in time.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dong Van He believes that the development of the organ donation and transplantation system depends on the law, the health system and especially the support of the community. When people understand correctly and trust, many families will be willing to make the decision to donate organs to save others' lives.
If previously only 5 central-level hospitals including Viet Duc Friendship Hospital, Central Military Hospital 108, Military Hospital 103, Hue Central Hospital and Cho Ray Hospital could perform organ transplantation techniques, now the Ministry of Health has licensed 34 hospitals to implement this technique.
Spreading the organ donation movement for community life
On May 20, at Hanoi Medical University, the Ministry of Health organized the Program "Donate of Organs and Tissues Day May 20 - Giving is Forever" to spread the humanistic message about donating organs and tissues to save people, and at the same time express gratitude for the noble gestures of donors and donor families across the country.
The World Health Organization has chosen August 13 every year as World Organ Donation Day. Many countries such as the United States, Spain, China, South Korea... have also established annual organ donation days to raise community awareness. Implementing the direction of the Government and recognizing the noble gestures of organ donors, the Ministry of Health decided to take May 20 every year as "Vietnam Organ and Tissue Donation Day".
May 20th Organ and Tissue Donation Day" is organized with the aim of propagating, educating and raising community awareness about organ and tissue donation activities after death; helping people understand correctly and fully the humanitarian meaning of organ and tissue donation; gradually eliminating spiritual barriers, customs and social prejudices - the reasons why the organ donation rate in Vietnam is still low.
This is also an opportunity to honor the "silent heroes" who donated tissues and organs and spread the spirit of sharing and compassion throughout society. At the same time, the program aims to express gratitude to the team of doctors, coordinators, volunteers and organizations that have contributed to the development of tissue and organ donation and transplantation activities in Vietnam.
Through the establishment of the Day of Responding to Organ and Tissue Donation on May 20, the Ministry of Health hopes to create more motivation to improve the legal system, promote policies to support organ and tissue donation and transplantation activities, improve the efficiency of management, coordination, supervision and professional training in this field. At the same time, this day will also become a communication highlight for management agencies, social organizations and the health system to simultaneously deploy activities to mobilize donation registration among the people.
The establishment of "Donate of Tissues and Organs Day May 20th" shows the deep concern of the Party and State for this special humanitarian healthcare field. Currently, the Ministry of Health is continuing to build and complete the Draft Law amending and supplementing the Law on Donation, Extraction, Transplantation of Human Organs and Parts and Donation, Extraction of Corpses to expand donation sources, improve management efficiency and approach international practices.
