Timeline
February 15, 2026 — February 22, 2026
World
Timeline: Tết Nguyên Đán 2026 in Vietnamese Hospitals - 7 Days of Dedication
This timeline chronicles how Vietnamese healthcare workers and patients experienced Tết Nguyên Đán (Lunar New Year) 2026 from February 15-22. While families celebrated nationwide, thousands of medical professionals remained at hospitals providing critical care, while patients faced the challenge of spending the holiday away from home. The story captures both the human sacrifices of healthcare workers and multiple medical emergencies that occurred during the festive period.
16 events · 7 days · 25 source articles
Sun, Feb 15, 2026
Moderate
Hospitals Prepare for Tết with Continuous Care Services
As Tết Nguyên Đán approaches, hospitals across Vietnam prepare to maintain full services throughout the holiday. Hà Tĩnh hospitals face blood donation shortages as demand increases while donor numbers decrease. Medical staff organize duty rosters knowing they will spend the holiday away from their families to serve patients requiring dialysis and other critical treatments.
Mon, Feb 16, 2026
Moderate
Families Face Tết in Hospital Lodgings
Parents like Nguyễn Thị Hà spend sleepless nights in hospital lodgings near Nhi Trung ương, waiting for their critically ill children. Her 18-month-old son remains on ventilator support after seven days of emergency treatment. Across hospitals, patients in temporary housing areas prepare for a Tết away from home, highlighting the emotional toll of illness during the most important Vietnamese holiday.
Mon, Feb 16, 2026
Moderate
Hospitals Create Festive Atmosphere for Patients
Bệnh viện Chợ Rẫy and other hospitals decorate corridors with mai flowers and peach blossoms to bring Tết spirit to patients. Social services departments organize special programs including communal Tết meals for patients who cannot return home. Bệnh viện Tâm thần Nghệ An maintains 24/7 care for 29 psychiatric patients and their families, with 18 staff members working throughout the holiday.
Mon, Feb 16, 2026
Minor
Medical Staff Share Stories of Past Tết Duties
Dr. Trương Thị Yến Nhi from Nhi Đồng 2 Hospital reflects on 10 years of Tết duty shifts, recalling how liver transplant patients spent extended periods in isolation. These stories illustrate the long-standing tradition of medical professionals sacrificing family time to ensure continuous patient care during Vietnam's most important holiday.
Mon, Feb 16, 2026
Moderate
Military and Community Support for Hospital Patients
Colonel Trần Hữu Ích and Đà Nẵng Military Command visit hospitals to distribute nearly 200 gift packages to patients at Bệnh viện Đà Nẵng and Bệnh viện Phụ sản - Nhi. Similar initiatives occur at Bệnh viện Đa khoa tỉnh Quảng Trị, where organizations provide gifts to patients from disadvantaged backgrounds, demonstrating community solidarity during Tết.
Mon, Feb 16, 2026
Major
Abandoned Newborn Reunited with Parents Before Tết
A 15-day-old baby boy at Bệnh viện Nhi Đồng 2, initially believed abandoned after three weeks without family contact during treatment for severe infections and tuberculosis, is unexpectedly reunited with his parents just before Tết. The reunion happens just as the hospital was preparing legal documentation to transfer the child to social services.
Tue, Feb 17, 2026
Moderate
Spiritual Spaces Provide Comfort on Lunar New Year's Day
On the first day of the new year, patients unable to visit temples turn to spiritual areas within hospital grounds. At Bệnh viện Chợ Rẫy, a garden with Buddhist and Christian statues becomes a focal point where patients and families offer incense and prayers for health and recovery, providing crucial emotional support during hospitalization.
Tue, Feb 17, 2026
Major
Doctors Welcome New Year with Newborn Cries
At Bệnh viện Từ Dũ maternity hospital and Trung tâm Y tế Quân dân y Côn Đảo, medical teams work through Tết Eve delivering babies. Dr. Trịnh Min and colleagues celebrate the holiday with the sounds of newborn cries rather than fireworks, as labor and delivery continue without pause. The constant rhythm of childbirth exemplifies how essential medical services cannot stop for holidays.
Wed, Feb 18, 2026
Moderate
Healthcare Workers Quietly Continue Critical Care
Medical staff at hospitals across Hà Tĩnh and other provinces maintain emergency services and routine treatments throughout Tết. Articles emphasize preparations ensuring adequate staffing, medications, and supplies for all emergency cases during the holiday period, highlighting the dedication of healthcare workers who forgo family celebrations.
Thu, Feb 19, 2026
Major
Spike in Heart Attacks and Strokes During Tết
Hospitals report increased cases of acute myocardial infarction and strokes during Tết celebrations. Two 60-year-old patients require emergency cardiac catheterization for blocked coronary arteries. Medical experts attribute the surge to holiday stress, dietary changes, excessive alcohol consumption, and disrupted medication routines among patients with chronic conditions.
Fri, Feb 20, 2026
Moderate
Health Warnings Issued for Post-Tết Recovery
Medical professionals issue guidance for caring for vulnerable populations after Tết, particularly children and elderly. Dr. Nguyễn Thanh Sang from Nhi Đồng 2 warns that disrupted sleep schedules, irregular eating, excessive travel, and overstimulation during Tết can cause physical and psychological overload in young children and seniors.
Fri, Feb 20, 2026
Moderate
Special Tết Meals Bring Tears to Cancer Patients
Bệnh viện Ung Bướu TPHCM partners with FPT Long Châu pharmacy to provide 300 traditional Tết meals for patients and medical staff. The meals include bánh chưng, braised pork with eggs, and other festive dishes. Cancer patients receiving the meals become emotional at the gesture, with the program bringing holiday warmth to those unable to celebrate at home.
Fri, Feb 20, 2026
Minor
International Patients Experience Vietnamese Tết in Hospitals
Foreign tourists from Poland, USA, UK, Australia, Canada, Russia, Germany, and India receive treatment at Bệnh viện Y học cổ truyền Đà Nẵng during Tết. Thomas, a Polish patient being treated for plantar fasciitis, praises the festive decorations and Vietnamese hospitality, noting how the hospital creates a warm, celebratory atmosphere despite being a medical facility.
Sat, Feb 21, 2026
Major
ECMO Saves Three Children with Acute Myocarditis
Bệnh viện Nhi Trung ương successfully treats three critical cases of acute myocarditis in children during Tết using ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation). Cases include an 11-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy from Tuyên Quang admitted on Tết Eve in life-threatening condition. The intensive interventions demonstrate the hospital's capability to handle the most complex pediatric emergencies even during holidays.
Sun, Feb 22, 2026
Major
ICU Teams Battle Death Throughout Tết Holiday
Dr. Phạm Văn Phúc describes life in the ICU at Bệnh Nhiệt đới Trung ương during Tết, where teams worked through the holiday responding to critical emergencies. On Tết Eve at 11:45 PM, they received a young trauma patient in cardiac arrest requiring immediate resuscitation. ICU staff note that success rates are often 50-50, emphasizing that every second counts in the battle between life and death.
Sun, Feb 22, 2026
Major
Medical Staff Can't Remember Which Day of Tết It Is
As the Tết holiday concludes, exhausted medical professionals at emergency departments admit they lost track of the holiday dates amid continuous patient care. Their untouched New Year's Eve meals grew cold as emergency after emergency arrived. The dedication of doctors who couldn't recall 'mùng mấy Tết' (which day of Tết) symbolizes the complete sacrifice of personal celebration to serve patients in crisis.
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