In order to continuously update the latest legal regulations and professional guidelines, the Center for Support and Continuing Education presents the outstanding medical news and healthcare advancements 2026 for early March. This week’s information focuses on cosmetic quality management, food safety testing capacity, and breakthrough achievements in Vietnam’s surgical field.

Nationwide Recall of 291 Cosmetic Products Containing Banned Ingredients

The Drug Administration of Vietnam (Ministry of Health) has officially issued a Decision to revoke cosmetic product proclamation receipts, suspend circulation, and recall 291 cosmetic products nationwide. The core reason for the recall is that these products contain Cyclotetrasiloxane and Octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane, two ingredients recently added by the ASEAN Cosmetic Committee to the annex of substances prohibited for use in cosmetics. This decision aims to comply with the Conclusion of the ASEAN Cosmetic Committee, ensuring maximum safety for consumer health. Violating enterprises are required to urgently recall and destroy the products, report the results to the Drug Administration, and be subject to strict supervision from local Departments of Health.

First Application of Robotic Surgery: A Highlight in Healthcare Advancements 2026

Vietnam’s surgical sector has just recorded a historic milestone by successfully performing the first robotic surgery to treat a rare pathology.

Specifically, at Binh Dan Hospital (Ho Chi Minh City), doctors diagnosed a 56-year-old male patient with intralobar pulmonary sequestration, an extremely rare congenital anomaly accounting for only 0.15% to 6.4% of lung anomalies. Experts decided to intervene on the 23×26 mm lesion using a robotic surgical approach to achieve absolute control over the risk of uncontrollable bleeding, which could result from even the slightest error.

Thanks to this minimally invasive technology, the patient recovered rapidly and was discharged early, just 4 days after the surgery.

Announcement of 27 Food Safety Testing Facilities and Lessons from Poisoning Incidents

To firmly consolidate the foundation for risk detection and tighten post-inspection work, the Vietnam Food Administration has announced an updated list of 27 testing facilities serving the state management of food safety. The importance of this testing system is even more clearly demonstrated through the recent incident where dozens of people were suspected of severe food poisoning after eating at a banh mi shop in Ho Chi Minh City. As of the afternoon of March 2, 2026, 22 cases had required hospitalization for treatment after consuming roast pork banh mi in Hanh Thong ward.

In response to this situation, the Vietnam Food Administration immediately requested the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Food Safety to direct relevant units to urgently investigate, trace the origin of the food, and publicize the results to warn the community of the risks. Having a network of 27 standard testing facilities designated by the Ministry of Health will help quickly analyze clinical specimens and stored food samples, thereby accurately identifying the microbial agents causing the poisoning. This serves as a solid scientific basis to completely resolve the issue, representing significant healthcare advancements in 2026 in disease prevention and public health protection.

Center for Support and Continuing Education