Travel insurance for Vietnam

Vietnam's public hospitals handle the bulk of the country at very low cost but are not where nomads end up by choice. Hospitals like Bach Mai in Hanoi or Cho Ray in Ho Chi Minh City are clinically capable for serious conditions but overcrowded, predominantly Vietnamese-speaking, and the patient experience is rough by Western standards. Most nomads only see the public system in genuine emergencies or for very specific specialists.

Private care is concentrated in two cities. In Ho Chi Minh City, FV Hospital (a French-Vietnamese joint venture) is the standard expat default, with Vinmec Central Park and Columbia Asia Saigon as alternatives. In Hanoi, Vinmec Times City and the Hanoi French Hospital (Hôpital Français de Hanoi) play the same role. Da Nang has Family Medical Practice and Vinmec Da Nang but sits a tier below: for anything serious, expect a transfer.

English-speaking care exists, but you have to plan for it. FV and the Hanoi French Hospital have functional English; international patient departments at Vinmec hospitals can usually arrange it. Smaller clinics and most public hospitals cannot. Family Medical Practice runs expat-focused clinics in all three major cities and is a common first stop for routine issues. Pricing is close to a Western GP, but you see an English-speaking doctor quickly.

In practice, nomads handle care in three layers: GP-level visits at Family Medical Practice or a similar expat clinic, hospital-level treatment at FV or Vinmec, and a hard look at evacuation coverage for anything outside the two big cities. If you are in Da Lat, Hoi An, or Phu Quoc and something serious happens, the realistic move is medical evacuation to Bangkok or Singapore.

Medication availability is inconsistent. Some prescriptions common in Europe or North America are not stocked, and some are sold under different brand names with no exact equivalent. Mental health infrastructure for English speakers is thin; most nomads use telehealth from their home country.