Travel insurance for Vietnam: what to check

This page says what to check before you pay. It is not advice for your case, and policies differ. Read the policy wording, not the summary.

Check before you go: we did not find a rule that makes travel insurance a condition of entry for visitors, and we could not confirm that none exists. Look at the entry conditions on the e-visa site for your trip.

You still want it for three reasons:

• Hospital bills. Private hospitals are the usual choice for visitors, and they bill for each visit. A serious injury or illness can cost far more than a policy.
• Getting home. Medical transport home is the largest cost, and many cheap plans leave it out or cap it low.
• Your own bank. Your card or home health plan may not cover you abroad. Ask them in writing.

Buy before you fly. Cover does not reach back to things that already happened.

1. Medical limit. Look at the highest amount it pays for treatment, and whether it pays the hospital directly or you pay first and claim later.
2. Evacuation. Does it cover transport to a hospital and home, and is there a cap.
3. Motorbikes. Policies treat riding in very different ways. Read the next section.
4. Activities. Diving, trekking and canyoning are often excluded or need an extra.
5. Theft and delays. Check the limit per item. Phones and cameras often have a low cap.
6. Excess. The amount you pay before the policy pays.
7. Claims. What proof you need: receipts, a police report, a doctor's note.

Many visitors rent a scooter. This is where claims are most often refused.

• Licence conditions. Several policies pay only if you hold the licence needed to ride in Vietnam. Guides we read say Vietnam recognises an international driving permit under the 1968 Convention, not the 1949 one, and that your home licence must cover motorbikes ^1,2. These are secondary sources: check before you go, with the insurer and your embassy.
• Engine size. Some policies cap the engine size they cover. Others exclude motorbikes completely ¹.
• Helmet. Riding without one can void a claim ¹.
• Ask in writing. Before you buy, ask the insurer which licence documents and engine sizes it accepts.

If the paperwork does not match, plan to not ride, or ride only with a policy that says yes in writing. Our [motorbike guide](/guides/motorbikes) covers the rules for renting.

• Trip length limit. Many standard policies cover a trip of 30 or 60 days. A stay of 90 days needs a long-trip policy or a monthly plan.
• Monthly plans. Nomad policies renew each month and can be started while you are abroad. Check the rules for when you may start one.
• Home country. Some policies cover only trips outside your home country, or cap time spent at home.
• Flights home. Check what happens if you leave Vietnam and come back for a border run.

• Most plans exclude a condition you already have, or ask you to declare it first.
• Declare everything the form asks. A claim can be refused for an answer left out.
• If your condition is stable, some insurers will cover it for an extra fee. Ask before you buy.

• Get a quote for the same days, age and country on each site.
• Put the medical limit, evacuation limit, motorbike rule and excess side by side.
• Ignore the headline price until the cover matches.
• Read the exclusions list. That is where plans differ most.
• Keep the policy number, the claims phone number and a copy of the wording on your phone.

All pages were checked on Oct 20, 2026. Both sources are travel sites and secondary. We read no policy wording, and we make no claim about a single insurer.

1. Vietnam Tourism, "Travel insurance for motorbiking in Vietnam: are you actually covered" (licence, engine size and helmet conditions): vietnamtourism.com
2. Vietnam Tourism, "International driving permit for motorbikes in Vietnam: what your licence really covers" (1968 and 1949 conventions): vietnamtourism.com