Urban Vietnam at the microbiome transition: Co-existing enterotypes reflect the global industrialization patterns
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Vietnam’s rapid socioeconomic and dietary transition offers a rare window into how industrialization is reflected in the gut microbiome, yet Vietnamese populations remain underrepresented in global reference datasets. We investigated whether healthy Vietnamese adults in Hanoi harbor microbial community configurations associated with different stages of industrialization. Metagenomic data from stool samples of 183 clinically screened participants in Hanoi were analyzed alongside 629 publicly available metagenomic datasets from populations in low to middle income (LMI) and high income (HI) countries. Species-level taxonomic composition and gene-content-based metabolic pathways were characterized using community clustering and multivariable association analyses. Rather than forming a single population profile, the Vietnamese cohort separated into two enterotypes that mirrored the global industrialization gradient. Enterotype 1 more closely resembled populations from LMICs and showed greater microbial richness and diversity, whereas Enterotype 2 aligned with taxonomic and functional profiles observed in HICs. Both taxonomic and functional potential shows similar trajectories. Diet and lifestyle patterns describe some of the variance between enterotypes, supporting an association between contemporary exposures and microbiome structure without establishing causation. Antibiotic resistance profiles also varied between enterotypes, suggesting that the transition may encompass functions relevant to antimicrobial exposure. Together, these findings position urban Vietnam at a microbiome transition, where community states associated with different levels of industrialization coexist within a single population. This Vietnamese reference cohort expands representation in global metagenomic research and provides a baseline for tracking how rapid socioeconomic change may reshape microbial ecology, metabolic capacity, and antimicrobial resistance.
Authors: Thanh Thien Le, Joshua Tran, Linh Hong Thi Mai, Dao Bich Thi Tran, Dat Quoc Nguyen, Quynh Mai Nguyen, Giang Minh Vu, Minh Ngoc Truong, Manh Khanh Dinh, Hao The Chung, Thanh Hong Nguyen, Chi Du Thi Tran, Huan Duc Pham, Huong Thu Thi Pham, Muoi Xuan Nguyen, Thuy Xuan Nguyen, Hang Dao Viet, May Ngoc Le, Tuan Thanh Nguyen, Jennifer Le, Jack Gilbert, Xuan-Hung Nguyen
Institutions: Vinmec Times City International Hospital, VinUniversity, Vinmec - VinUni Institute of Immunology, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, Basil Hetzel Institute, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Central Adelaide Local Health Network, Adelaide University, The University of Adelaide, National University of Singapore, Oxford University Clinical Research Unit, Vinmec Healthcare System, Hanoi Medical University, Hanoi Medical University Hospital
Language: English
Topic: Gut microbiota and health
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7221357090