The evolution and future of cell therapy in Viet Nam: A 30-year journey from pioneering steps to national strategy (1995-2025)

Over the past three decades, Viet Nam has advanced from performing its first tentative cell-therapy procedure to designating the field as a national strategic technology. This review reconstructs that trajectory, analysing the scientific, clinical, regulatory, and infrastructural milestones that have shaped the Vietnamese experience. The narrative opens with the inaugural successful haematopoietic stem-cell transplantation in 1995, an achievement that galvanised nationwide interest and built local capacity. It then highlights the creation of dedicated research centres—most notably the Laboratory of Stem Cell Research and Application (now the VNUHCM–US Stem Cell Institute) in 2007—which precipitated a surge of preclinical studies on mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) tailored to prevalent domestic diseases. Subsequent clinical translation encompassed the expansion of HSCT programmes and the pioneering use of MSCs to treat knee osteoarthritis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. A further milestone was the development and clinical adoption of Autologous Immune Enhancement Therapy (AIET) for solid tumours, exemplifying advanced translational research. In parallel, the award of international AABB accreditation for cellular-therapy services in 2023 affirmed Viet Nam’s adherence to global quality standards. These scientific gains unfolded within an evolving regulatory environment that culminated in the 2025 designation of cell therapy as a National Strategic Technology. Despite these successes, outstanding challenges include finalising comprehensive regulations, conducting large-scale clinical trials, reducing costs, and ensuring equitable access. Through targeted international collaboration, sustained investment, and continued integration of research, clinical practice, cell banking, and quality-assurance infrastructures, Viet Nam is poised to emerge as a major regional contributor to the global cell-therapy arena. Its 30-year experience thus provides an instructive model of biomedical innovation in a resource-constrained setting.