Vietnam 90 Days
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Healthcare in Vietnam for visitors

Private clinics and hospitals in the big cities are good value, and some have English-speaking staff. The costly risk is a hospital stay or a flight home with no cover. This guide names the clinics foreigners use, gives rough costs and covers pharmacies and medicine.

Checked 20 Oct 2026

We are not doctors. This is not medical advice. Prices come from clinic listings and travel guides, so they are rough. Ask for a price before treatment.

Prices are rough and come from clinic and guide listings. Ask for a price before treatment.

Emergencies

  • Numbers. Police is 113, fire is 114 and an ambulance is 115 1. English may not be spoken, so keep your hotel's address written in Vietnamese.
  • Where to go. For a real emergency, go to a hospital. Public hospitals take emergencies, but a guide notes their English is limited 2.
  • Evacuation. The U.S. Embassy has warned that care in Vietnam can fall below US standards and that even routine conditions may need evacuation to a regional centre. This is as reported in search results, so read the embassy's current page 1.

Clinics and hospitals foreigners use

A 2026 guide lists these private hospitals and clinics. A listing is not a recommendation, and we have not visited them 2.

CityNames listed
HanoiHanoi French Hospital, Vinmec Times City, Family Medical Practice, International SOS, Hong Ngoc General Hospital
Ho Chi Minh CityFV Hospital, Vinmec Central Park, City International Hospital, Family Medical Practice, International SOS, Columbia Asia Gia Dinh
Da NangFamily Medical Practice, Hoan My Da Nang, Vinmec Da Nang

The same guide names Bach Mai (Hanoi), Cho Ray (Ho Chi Minh City) and Da Nang General Hospital as public hospitals for emergencies, with limited English 2.

Rough costs

These are listing prices for private hospitals in 2026. Check before you go: the sources disagree, and prices change.

ServiceRough range
General consultation800,000 to 2,000,000 dong
Specialist consultation1,500,000 to 3,000,000 dong
Emergency room visit2,000,000 to 5,000,000 dong
Overnight private room3,000,000 to 8,000,000 dong

The ranges come from one guide 2. A second source puts a consultation at an expat-oriented clinic higher, at about 50 to 80 US dollars, and one clinic's listed price at 1.5 million dong 3. Use the ranges only to tell whether a quote is far out of line.

  • Expect to pay first. Private hospitals generally ask for payment, or a card deposit, before treatment 2.
  • Direct billing. Some international hospitals bill major insurers directly. Ask the hospital and your insurer before you go 2.
  • Keep receipts and reports. Your insurer will want them.

Pharmacies

  • Use a chain or a hospital pharmacy. Long Chau, Pharmacity and An Khang are the national chains that guides name. Independent shops carry a higher risk of fake or badly stored medicine 24.
  • Antibiotics need a prescription. A guide says Vietnam's amended Pharmaceutical Law, in effect from 1 July 2025, requires one, but enforcement is uneven, and many small shops still sell them without 4. See a doctor before you take antibiotics.
  • Hours. Some chain branches near big hospitals stay open late or all night. Hours change, so check a map or ask your hotel 4.

Bringing your own medicine

  • Carry prescription medicine in its original packaging, with a copy of the prescription and a doctor's letter naming the condition, the generic name and the dose 4.
  • Bring brand-specific or device medicines, such as inhalers, insulin or an adrenaline pen. They are hard to match locally 4.
  • Some medicines are controlled. A guide names amphetamine-based ADHD drugs, opioid painkillers, codeine mixes and some sedatives, and says travellers have had them taken at the border 45.
  • Quantity limits. One summary says Decree 163/2025 allows no-permit personal import of up to 7 days for narcotic medicines, 10 days for psychotropic ones and 30 days for others 5. Check before you go: other sites give different figures, and we could not read the decree. Ask the Vietnamese embassy or consulate for a controlled medicine.

Before you fly

  1. Ask your doctor or a travel clinic what to prepare.
  2. Buy cover that includes hospital stays and medical evacuation, and read the exclusions.
  3. Save your insurer's phone number and keep a copy of your policy on your phone.
  4. Phone your insurer early. Many want a call before major treatment.

Before you fly

Check what your passport needs in the visa check. Hospital stays are what cover is for, so see travel insurance.

Questions and answers

Do I need insurance to see a doctor?

No, but a private hospital will ask you to pay or leave a deposit first 2. Insurance is for a big bill, not a cold.

Can I use a foreign prescription at a Vietnamese pharmacy?

Not reliably. Overseas prescriptions are not guaranteed to be accepted 5. See a local doctor for a local prescription.

Are Vietnamese pharmacies safe?

Chains and hospital pharmacies are safer than independent shops, which carry more risk of fake medicine 24.

Sources

All pages were read or seen in search on Oct 20, 2026. Prices are from clinic listings in travel guides, not from the clinics.

  1. U.S. Embassy Vietnam, "Medical assistance" (emergency numbers, care standards; seen in search, page would not load): vn.usembassy.gov
  2. Vietnam Tourism, "Hospitals and clinics in Vietnam: a tourist's guide", updated Oct 11, 2026 (clinic names, costs, upfront payment, pharmacies): vietnamtourism.com
  3. Search summaries of Pacific Prime, Vietnam Spot and Day Trips Vietnam healthcare guides (consultation prices; seen in search): pacificprime.com
  4. Day Trips Vietnam, "Vietnam pharmacies 2026: OTC medicines and what to bring", Jul 15, 2026: daytripsvietnam.com
  5. Search summaries of Expat Focus, Day Trips Vietnam and Vietnam Visa Easy on bringing medicine (Decree 163/2025 limits; seen in search): vietnamvisaeasy.com