In Vietnam, in the last few years, there were a lot of children with hand, foot and mouth disease but there are few studies on this disease. Objectives: To describe the clinical and laboratory characteristics of hand, foot and mouth disease. Methods: Descriptive study was conducted from March to November 2011 on 200 children with hand, foot and mouth disease treated in Can Tho Children's hospital. The physical examination, laboratory tests were performed according to the plan. Results: the rate of male children patients was 53 percent, female 47 percent. Most of them (90.5 percent) were under 3 years
the most common (50 percent) was from 12 months to 24 months. There were very rare patients older than 72 months. The most common symptoms were fever over 38.50C (62.5 percent), skin lesion associated mouth membrane lesion 54.5 percent, simple mouth membrane lesion 44.5 percent, central nervous symptoms 55.5 percent, cold sweat 45.5 percent. The patients with respiratory distress were only 1 percent. WBC increased over 15 G/L in 35.5 percent, anemia in 33 percent, platelets decreased in 3 percent of the patients. The IgM antibodies anti EV71 were positive in 39 percent, those anti CVA16 were positive in 30.5 percent patients.