Around 63% of women make up Vietnam’s health workforce, yet women hold fewer than 30% of senior leadership positions. This consultation was an opportunity to discuss the structural and cultural barriers contributing to this disparity and to explore opportunities to create more equitable pathways into leadership.
Advancing Women in Healthcare Leadership (AWHL) Initiative Chief Investigator, Professor Helena Teede and Asia AWHL Lead Thuy Vy Nguyen provided expertise in a consultation workshop with government, academia, health services, universities and international organisations, an important step towards the co-design of a sustainable, locally-led leadership initiative for women working across Vietnam’s health sector.
Professor Helena Teede highlighted that advancing women into leadership is essential for improving health outcomes.
“More women in leadership in healthcare contributes to better outcomes for communities, better outcomes for women and better outcomes for children. The most important thing we can do to achieve greater gender balance is not just to focus on one woman at a time, but to ensure government policy is implemented through organisations in ways that create equal opportunities for women to succeed in healthcare. Within those organisations, women also need to be trained and supported to establish their careers and realise their leadership potential,” she said.
Prof Teede said that Monash University has many partnerships across Asia and MCHRI has partnered with Fred Hollows previously training women healthcare leaders in South East Asia.
“We look forward to continuing to work alongside not-for-profit organisations, Hanoi Medical University, other universities and the Ministry of Health to strengthen policy implementation. By supporting organisations that employ and train women, we can help create more equitable career pathways and ultimately improve health outcomes across Vietnam.”
The consultation reflected the shared commitment of The Fred Hollows Foundation Vietnam and Hanoi Medical University to exploring a sustainable, locally led approach. MCHRI contributed an implementation science and co-design lens, drawing on evidence from the Advancing Women in Healthcare Leadership (AWHL) initiative to support discussions on adapting, implementing and sustaining leadership initiatives within local contexts.
The consultation also built on relationships established through the DFAT-supported Australia Awards Fellowship Women in Health Leadership Program, co-designed and delivered by Monash University and The Fred Hollows Foundation in 2024. Among the participants was alumna Tran Hoai Vi, who reflected that the Fellowship strengthened her confidence and credibility as a leader, enabling her to contribute more effectively within her organisation and the broader health sector.
Associate Professor Dr Ho Thi Kim Thanh, Vice Rector of Hanoi Medical University, opened the workshop by highlighting the significant gap between women’s participation in Vietnam’s health workforce and their representation in leadership.
“The biggest barrier for women in healthcare, according to studies, is that while the female workforce is very large, the number of women holding leadership roles is not high. For example, in some areas of healthcare, women make up 90% of the workforce, but only 3.5% to 10% hold leadership positions. The biggest obstacles can be attributed to four or five key reasons.”
She explained these barriers include disproportionate domestic and caregiving responsibilities, persistent gender expectations, workplace environments that disadvantage women, and policy and institutional barriers that can make leadership pathways less equitable.
Mr Le Quang Tran Tinh, Chief Representative of The Fred Hollows Foundation in Vietnam, explained that strengthening women’s leadership is fundamental to improving equitable access to eye care for women and children.
“According to the 2015 National Blindness Prevention Survey, the rate of blindness among women is almost double that of men… This is a three-year pilot program, but we have a much longer-term vision. We hope to see more women entering healthcare professions and graduating with the leadership skills needed to strengthen Vietnam’s eye care system and improve the quality and accessibility of services for women and children.”
For Asia AWHL Lead Thuy Vy Nguyen, the workshop reinforced the importance of ensuring leadership initiatives are developed in partnership with the people and organisations they are intended to support.
“It was exciting to see Hanoi Medical University and The Fred Hollows Foundation Vietnam leading this important initiative. My PhD explores how culture shapes women’s leadership across the Greater Mekong region, and the literature shows that women’s leadership identities and choices are influenced by deeply embedded cultural and institutional forces. Across the region, these include enduring patriarchal legacies, religion and ideology that reinforce gender hierarchies, collectivism and familial duty, hierarchical power structures, and differing ethnic and institutional contexts. This workshop highlighted why co-design is so important. By working alongside the people and organisations who understand Vietnam’s context best, leadership initiatives can respond to these underlying influences in ways that are locally relevant, meaningful and sustainable. It is truly a privilege to be part of the journey.”
MCHRI extends its sincere thanks to The Fred Hollows Foundation Vietnam team for their collaboration and support in enabling Monash’s involvement, and to Hanoi Medical University for generously hosting the workshop and bringing together stakeholders from across government, academia and the health sector. We are especially grateful to Nicole Murphy from The Fred Hollows Foundation’s Global team, whose dedication and thoughtful coordination were instrumental in bringing the consultation together. We also thank all workshop participants for their valuable contributions.
Further information:
• YouTube: https://youtu.be/jS8A5NAcPm0?si=yLaG1SSYrdPsFb-C
• Vietnamese article: https://suckhoedoisong.vn/phu-nu-trong-nganh-y-te-can-them-co-hoi-de-phat-huy-vai-tro-lanh-dao-169260721083424785.htm
• More on Advancing Women in Healthcare Leadership at www.womeninhealthleadership.org
Monash Centre for Health Research and Implementation (MCHRI)
T: +613 8572 2667, info.mchri@monash.edu
