NUS Medicine and VAMBRA Sign Partnership for Digital Health Collaboration

Singapore and Vietnam unite to accelerate healthcare innovation across Southeast Asia

The NUS Medicine Digital Advanced Technology Accelerator (DATA) and the Vietnam Association of Medical & Biological Research & Application (VAMBRA) have formalised a strategic partnership to transform how digital health startups scale across borders. This Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) addresses a critical gap: helping early-stage healthcare technology companies overcome the barriers that prevent regional expansion.

What the Partnership Delivers

The collaboration creates four key pathways for startup growth:

• Market Access
  Healthcare technology startups gain structured entry into both Singapore and Vietnamese markets, with support navigating regulatory environments and local healthcare systems.

• Clinical Validation
  Startups can test and validate their digital health solutions within Vietnamese healthcare facilities, providing essential real-world evidence for product development.

• Cross-Border Expansion
  Tailored assistance helps companies scale operations between the two countries, addressing the unique challenges of Southeast Asian market expansion.

• Knowledge Exchange
  Regular startup exchange programmes foster collaboration and knowledge-sharing between Singapore and Vietnamese healthcare innovation ecosystems.

First Success: MangaChat Expands to Vietnam

The partnership’s inaugural project brings MangaChat—an AI-powered mental health and social-emotional learning platform from DATA’s 2025 cohort—to Vietnamese children, educators, and healthcare providers. This expansion emerged from the NUS Medicine International Council meeting, where VAMBRA leadership identified MangaChat’s potential to address Vietnam’s growing mental health needs.

Building Southeast Asia’s Digital Health Corridor

This MOU represents the first phase of DATA’s vision to create clear expansion pathways for healthcare startups across Southeast Asia, enabling innovations developed in Singapore to reach broader regional markets and impact more lives.