Ho Chi Minh City breaks ground on $17.3mn traditional medicine research center

The center will be built at the Ho Chi Minh City Hospital of Traditional Medicine in Phu Nhuan Ward and financed entirely from the municipal budget, according to the city's civil and industrial construction project management board.

The facility will comprise one basement and seven above-ground floors, with a total floor area of more than 16,000 square meters.

It will serve three main functions: research and pharmaceutical production, specialized medical examination and treatment, and training in traditional medicine.

Research and production areas will include laboratories and drug processing facilities covering drying, extraction, vacuum concentration, tablet pressing, and packaging. 

The project also includes cold storage and pharmaceutical warehouses to store medicinal materials and finished products.

The medical services section will house diagnostic imaging facilities, including CT, MRI, X-ray and ultrasound, along with laboratories and specialized treatment areas such as hyperbaric oxygen therapy, physiotherapy, massage, and acupressure.

Ho Van Han, director of the Ho Chi Minh City Hospital of Traditional Medicine, said the project is intended to meet rising healthcare demand in the city, which now has a population of more than 14 million.

Tran Minh Phuong, a representative of the project's investor, said existing facilities at the institute are outdated and no longer meet operational needs, with many buildings built decades ago and in poor condition.

Officials said the new center is expected to become a major traditional medicine research and application hub for Ho Chi Minh City and surrounding provinces once it comes into operation in 2027.