"With the new vaccine, children will only have to receive one shot instead of three to protect them against five diseases. This will reduce costs, time and human resources," said director of the programme Nguyen Tran Hien.

The haemophilus influenza type B vaccine is the 11th in a series of regular vaccines provided by the programme that will be administered free of charge to children across the country.

In 2008, the Global Alliance for Vaccine and Immunisation spent US$36 million helping Vietnam bring the new vaccine into the programme in 2010-2011.

Hien said that each child would be given three shots, the total required for the vaccine to be effective, and that 4.5 million doses of the vaccine would be administered every year.