AbstractAllele and haplotype frequencies of the human leukocyte antigens (HLA) were studied in the Kinh Vietnamese population. We analyzed 170 unrelated healthy individuals. DNA‐based HLA typing was performed using a microsphere‐based array genotyping platform with sequence‐specific oligonucleotide probes to distinguish HLA‐A, ‐B, ‐C, ‐DRB1 and ‐DQB1 alleles. A total of 21 HLA‐A, 37 HLA‐B, 18 HLA‐C, 25 HLA‐DRB1, and 14 HLA‐DQB1 alleles were identified. HLA‐A*1101, A*2402, A*3303, B*1502, B*4601, Cw*0102, Cw*0702, Cw*0801, DRB1*1202, DQB1*0301, DQB1*0303, and DQB1*0501 were found with frequencies higher than 10%. Two representative haplotypes bearing two to five HLA loci were A*1101‐B*1502 and A*3303‐B*5801 for HLA‐A‐B; Cw*0801‐B*1502 and Cw*0102‐B*4601 for HLA‐C‐B; B*1502‐DRB1*1202 and B*4601‐DRB1*0901 for HLA‐B‐DRB1; DRB1*1202‐DQB1*0301 and DRB1*0901‐DQB1*0303 for HLA‐DRB1‐DQB1; A*1101‐Cw*0801‐B*1502 and A*3303‐Cw*0302‐B*5801 for HLA‐A‐C‐B; A*1101‐B*1502‐DRB1*1202 and A*2901‐B*0705‐DRB1*1001 for HLA‐A‐B‐DRB1, A*1101‐Cw*0801‐B*1502‐DRB1*1202‐DQB1*0301 and A*2901‐Cw*1505‐B*0705‐DRB1*1001‐DQB1*0501 for HLA‐A‐C‐B‐DRB1‐DQB1. Allele distribution and haplotype analysis demonstrated that the Vietnamese population shares HLA patterns with southern Chinese, Thai, Javanese and Micronesians, while it also retains unique characteristics.