OBJECTIVE: Vietnam is among the countries most affected by antimicrobial resistance in the Asia-Pacific. While multidrug-resistant Enterobacterales have been extensively studied, genomic data on multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Vietnam remains scarce. To address this, we characterized 20 carbapenem-resistant P. aeruginosa (CRPA) isolates from rectal colonization of ICU patients. METHODS: Screening for CRPA was conducted using a selective chromogenic medium (mSuperCARBA). Species identification was achieved through MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, while antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using the Vitek®2 system and broth microdilution. Whole-genome sequencing was performed using the Illumina NextSeq platform. RESULTS: Twenty CRPA isolates were collected from rectal swabs of 691 patients admitted to the ICUs of the 108 Military Central Hospital in Hanoi, Vietnam, between 1 July 2023 and 31 October 2023. The predominant multilocus sequence type was ST308, accounting for 50% (10/20) of the isolates. Notably, 70% (14/20) of the CRPA isolates harboured genes encoding metallo-
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