This national hospital survey, funded by ICARS, assesses the burden of carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacterial (CRGNB) infections and laboratory capacity across Vietnam. Data from 324 hospitals show that only half had microbiological facilities for culture and susceptibility testing, while nearly one-third of reported Gram-negative isolates were carbapenem resistant, most commonly Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Escherichia coli. Carbapenem-resistant infections were linked to higher mortality, longer hospital stays, and greater treatment costs compared with susceptible infections. The study also found limited implementation of infection prevention and control (IPC) measures and fragmented funding, highlighting an urgent need to strengthen laboratory capacity, improve screening, and scale up IPC interventions to address the growing burden of CRGNB in Vietnam.
