Medical tourism in Vietnam offers inexpensive treatment by top-class specialists, as well as comfortable and inexpensive spa resorts, a variety of water treatments, and traditional oriental medical massages.

Vietnam is considered an immature country in terms of making money from medical tourism. However, the country already has a good reputation. Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi are home to excellent modern private hospitals. Vung Tau, 60km from Ho Chi Minh City, is a large Medicoast resort for medical tourists. If you are tired of the big city, Vung Tau is the perfect place to get healthy. What makes Vietnam attractive to medical tourists is the abundance of excellent resorts and even lower cost of treatment than Thailand and Singapore.

Visa arrangements

Electronic confirmation is required and can be confirmed at the consulate in advance if the following requirements are fulfilled:

• Please complete the online visa confirmation and upload your documents.
• Enter your email address and select an e-check deadline.
• Pay the online confirmation fee and upload the documents.
• Enclose is a PDF file of your passport and two printed photographs (4 x 6 cm).

Visa on arrival: Go to the visa office on arrival. You will need your passport, a print-out of the electronic visa confirmation, a photograph, and a stamp (US$25). Total travel time is about 5-10 minutes.

Documents Required

Documents required for obtaining a visa on arrival:

• A valid passport with (at least) one blank spread and with a validity of at least six months after the end of the trip;
• A blank form with a valid passport;
• 2 new 4 x 6 cm colour photographs
• Copy of the Invitation letter from Vietnam (must be made in advance).

For minor travelers in addition:

• Birth certificate;
• Permit for a child to travel abroad (if traveling with one parent or without parents).

Vietnamese visa costs when applying for a visa on arrival:

• With single entry for 29 days - $25;
• With multiple entries at 29 days - $ 50.

For the visa processing consulate, you need to provide:

• Valid international passport with a blank spread and with a validity of at least six months after departure from the country;
• Questionnaire details;
• 2 new coloured photographs 4 x 6 cm;

For applicants who are minors, the following documents are also required:

• Birth certificate;
• Children's travel permit (if traveling with one parent or without parents).

The consular fee ranges from $25 to $80 (depending on the type of visa).

The time for processing documents, once submitted, is from 3 to 7 days.

The Embassy of Vietnam reserves the right to request additional documents from the applicant, summon the applicant for a personal interview (if necessary) or refuse the visa.

Viet Nam medical system

The Vietnamese healthcare system is a combination of Western medicine and eastern medical traditions. The Vietnamese Government is currently working hard to establish an effective health insurance system to provide low-cost, basic health care to all Vietnamese citizens.

Quality and affordability

So far, Vietnamese and foreigners have to pay for medical services themselves and often go to better-equipped private hospitals. Public hospitals in Vietnam are not what Westerners and Americans are used to. They are poor, lack modern equipment, and the doctors only speak Vietnamese, but some of the best world-class clinics for medical tourists can be found in metropolitan areas.

Private Hospitals

Private hospitals in Vietnam are a special treat.

They are very advantageous compared to public hospitals. Private hospitals in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are staffed by doctors from the USA, South Korea, Japan, and France, as well as Vietnamese specialists trained abroad. They target affluent Vietnamese citizens and medical tourists. They cooperate with major overseas insurance companies and can satisfy the requirements of their demanding patients.

Insurance

Of course, insurance does not guarantee the quality of treatment, it is like a guarantee in case of an emergency. As a rule, insurance companies do not provide a list of affiliated clinics in Vietnam. The advantage of insurance is that if the clinic indicated by the insurance company cannot help, the patient will be transported by ambulance to another hospital or directly to the aircraft ramp free of charge.