Ho Chi Minh City’s Post-Merger Health Network: Southeast Asia’s Emerging Regional Medical Hub

By Hoai Suong – June 14, 2025

The recent administrative merger of Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, and Ba Ria-Vung Tau into a single metropolitan unit has opened up vast opportunities for healthcare transformation—yet it comes with mounting pressure as the population and healthcare demands surge dramatically.

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health, the newly expanded city now spans 6,772 square kilometers, up from 2,095, with a population exceeding 13.7 million—an increase of nearly 4 million. The number of hospitals has jumped from 134 to 174, integrating 27 from Binh Duong and 13 from Ba Ria-Vung Tau.

This integration is not merely administrative; it is a structural reset that positions Ho Chi Minh City to become the largest regional healthcare hub in Vietnam—and potentially one of the most significant in Southeast Asia.

“With 174 hospitals, this is an unprecedented opportunity to build a high-capacity, high-quality healthcare ecosystem,” said Dr. Tran Quoc Bao, a renowned Asian healthcare expert. “We now have the momentum to advance medical technology, regional connectivity, and professional collaboration in ways that were previously impossible.”

Seamless Access Across Regions
Previously, residents of Binh Duong and Ba Ria-Vung Tau often faced difficulties accessing advanced medical services in Ho Chi Minh City, particularly when navigating health insurance policies that varied by province. Now, under a unified administrative framework, patients can move freely within the same health system without facing policy inconsistencies. This creates a more equitable and efficient healthcare experience, especially for residents in remote areas who previously endured long journeys for specialist care.

“We’re witnessing a paradigm shift,” said Dr. Bao. “Patients in formerly outlying regions can now receive tertiary care in the city without worrying about inter-provincial coverage gaps. It’s a milestone in Vietnam’s push toward universal healthcare.”

Satellite Hospitals: A Strategic Priority
To address the anticipated surge in patient volume—forecasted to rise from 42 million to 51 million outpatient visits and from 2.2 million to over 3.8 million inpatient treatments annually—Ho Chi Minh City&#39;s health authorities are prioritizing the expansion of satellite hospitals in Binh Duong and Ba Ria-Vung Tau.

These facilities are intended to relieve pressure on the city’s overloaded central hospitals while bringing quality care closer to home for patients.

“We must decentralize,” Dr. Bao emphasized. “We can’t expect patients to travel hours for a robotic surgery or an oncology consult. By deploying skilled doctors and advanced equipment to these satellite centers, we bring the future of healthcare to the patient—not the other way around.”

This strategy aligns with broader efforts to transfer cutting-edge technologies, such as robotic surgery and AI diagnostics, from central hospitals to regional institutions. It also sets the stage for cross-sectoral partnerships between public institutions and private healthcare investors.

Infrastructure and Legal Frameworks: The Bottlenecks
Despite its promise, the new health network faces significant hurdles. Many public hospitals in the expanded region are outdated, poorly equipped, and overburdened. While some infrastructure investments have been made, they fall short of what’s needed to support a patient population equivalent to 30% of Vietnam’s outpatient traffic and 23% of its inpatient load.

To manage this, Ho Chi Minh City plans to open secondary campuses—referred to as Facility 2 or 3—for leading hospitals in Binh Duong and Ba Ria-Vung Tau. These would not only increase capacity but also enable medical tourism and specialized treatment centers in more accessible locations.

Private sector involvement is seen as key to this expansion. However, land access and regulatory clarity remain major constraints.

“The government must unlock underutilized public assets, such as vacant administrative buildings, to allow for rapid private investment in healthcare,” Dr. Bao noted. “And without a clear legal framework for public-private satellite hospitals, this vision could remain stuck on the drawing board.”

Policy Recommendations and the Path Ahead
The Vietnamese Ministry of Health is now being urged to fast-track new regulations that support joint ventures and clarify governance structures for integrated healthcare systems. This includes protocols for funding, staffing, insurance billing, and the legal status of satellite facilities.

In the meantime, provincial governments are exploring plans to convert existing provincial hospitals into branch facilities of major Ho Chi Minh City hospitals or to rezone land for new healthcare development.

“This is our golden window,” concluded Dr. Bao. “If we act decisively, we can create a healthcare network that not only serves Vietnam’s growing population but becomes a benchmark for the entire region.”

As Southeast Asia’s urban centers continue to grow and merge, Ho Chi Minh City’s healthcare integration may well be a case study in building smarter, more connected, and more resilient health systems in the post-pandemic world.

Ho Chi Minh City’s Post-Merger Health Network: Southeast Asia’s Emerging Regional Medical Hub

By Hoai Suong – June 14, 2025

The recent administrative merger of Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, and Ba Ria-Vung Tau into a single metropolitan unit has opened up vast opportunities for healthcare transformation—yet it comes with mounting pressure as the population and healthcare demands surge dramatically.

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health, the newly expanded city now spans 6,772 square kilometers, up from 2,095, with a population exceeding 13.7 million—an increase of nearly 4 million. The number of hospitals has jumped from 134 to 174, integrating 27 from Binh Duong and 13 from Ba Ria-Vung Tau.

This integration is not merely administrative; it is a structural reset that positions Ho Chi Minh City to become the largest regional healthcare hub in Vietnam—and potentially one of the most significant in Southeast Asia.

“With 174 hospitals, this is an unprecedented opportunity to build a high-capacity, high-quality healthcare ecosystem,” said Dr. Tran Quoc Bao, a renowned Asian healthcare expert. “We now have the momentum to advance medical technology, regional connectivity, and professional collaboration in ways that were previously impossible.”

Seamless Access Across Regions
Previously, residents of Binh Duong and Ba Ria-Vung Tau often faced difficulties accessing advanced medical services in Ho Chi Minh City, particularly when navigating health insurance policies that varied by province. Now, under a unified administrative framework, patients can move freely within the same health system without facing policy inconsistencies. This creates a more equitable and efficient healthcare experience, especially for residents in remote areas who previously endured long journeys for specialist care.

“We’re witnessing a paradigm shift,” said Dr. Bao. “Patients in formerly outlying regions can now receive tertiary care in the city without worrying about inter-provincial coverage gaps. It’s a milestone in Vietnam’s push toward universal healthcare.”

Satellite Hospitals: A Strategic Priority
To address the anticipated surge in patient volume—forecasted to rise from 42 million to 51 million outpatient visits and from 2.2 million to over 3.8 million inpatient treatments annually—Ho Chi Minh City's health authorities are prioritizing the expansion of satellite hospitals in Binh Duong and Ba Ria-Vung Tau.

These facilities are intended to relieve pressure on the city’s overloaded central hospitals while bringing quality care closer to home for patients.

“We must decentralize,” Dr. Bao emphasized. “We can’t expect patients to travel hours for a robotic surgery or an oncology consult. By deploying skilled doctors and advanced equipment to these satellite centers, we bring the future of healthcare to the patient—not the other way around.”

This strategy aligns with broader efforts to transfer cutting-edge technologies, such as robotic surgery and AI diagnostics, from central hospitals to regional institutions. It also sets the stage for cross-sectoral partnerships between public institutions and private healthcare investors.

Infrastructure and Legal Frameworks: The Bottlenecks
Despite its promise, the new health network faces significant hurdles. Many public hospitals in the expanded region are outdated, poorly equipped, and overburdened. While some infrastructure investments have been made, they fall short of what’s needed to support a patient population equivalent to 30% of Vietnam’s outpatient traffic and 23% of its inpatient load.

To manage this, Ho Chi Minh City plans to open secondary campuses—referred to as Facility 2 or 3—for leading hospitals in Binh Duong and Ba Ria-Vung Tau. These would not only increase capacity but also enable medical tourism and specialized treatment centers in more accessible locations.

Private sector involvement is seen as key to this expansion. However, land access and regulatory clarity remain major constraints.

“The government must unlock underutilized public assets, such as vacant administrative buildings, to allow for rapid private investment in healthcare,” Dr. Bao noted. “And without a clear legal framework for public-private satellite hospitals, this vision could remain stuck on the drawing board.”

Policy Recommendations and the Path Ahead
The Vietnamese Ministry of Health is now being urged to fast-track new regulations that support joint ventures and clarify governance structures for integrated healthcare systems. This includes protocols for funding, staffing, insurance billing, and the legal status of satellite facilities.

In the meantime, provincial governments are exploring plans to convert existing provincial hospitals into branch facilities of major Ho Chi Minh City hospitals or to rezone land for new healthcare development.

“This is our golden window,” concluded Dr. Bao. “If we act decisively, we can create a healthcare network that not only serves Vietnam’s growing population but becomes a benchmark for the entire region.”

As Southeast Asia’s urban centers continue to grow and merge, Ho Chi Minh City’s healthcare integration may well be a case study in building smarter, more connected, and more resilient health systems in the post-pandemic world.