In February 2017, the first human milk bank in Viet Nam opened in the Da Nang Hospital for Women and Children (DNHWC). The Ministry of Health and Alive & Thrive selected to establish these services at the DNHWC because of the hospital’s existing emphasis on breastfeeding. DNHWC is a designated “Center of Excellence” for early essential newborn care (EENC) by the Ministry of Health and WHO. This means that the hospital promotes skin-to-skin contact for babies, and ensures that mothers can begin early initiation of breastfeeding in line with national guidelines regardless of whether they delivered vaginally or via cesarean section.

This document outlines criteria and lessons learned for a hospital to set up a new human milk bank.