Vietnam Healthcare & Travel Insurance
Travel Insurance
Don’t travel without health insurance, even if you’re fit and healthy – accidents do happen.
Find out your insurance plan, declare any existing medical conditions you have to make clear which will cover you. You may require extra cover for adventure activities such as rock climbing. Check their payment plan (e.g.: directly to providers or reimburse you after you pay on the spot). It may decide which medical-expense option you have to pay, as well as documentation, policies required.
Some countries, you can not check in the flights if there is no documents of travel insurance. We suggest you should buy travel insurance that covers internationally.
If you travel through a local agent, they normally supply insurance services of Bao Viet or Bao Minh (state-owned companies), with the highest assessment of US$10,000. Fee is about US$1,5 per day.
Tips: Most of American Express cardholders are automatically covered by travel insurance when using Amex card for purchasing tour packages.
Be careful with travel documents just in case...
You never know when incidents or cancellations happen. Know about your rights and things that insurance companies often ask so that you can claim insurance easily.
Travel insurance can cover many situations including but not limited to airline cancellations, tour/hotels cancellations fees due to Force of Majure, accidents or illness.
General documents below are the ones you should keep carefully until you land back to your home country:
- All of your Boarding passes including both domestic and international ~> very important
- Visa Approval Letter - this will be useful with Visa stamp on your Passport.
- Your tour program with Official confirmation by the service providers
- Tour Invoice as an evidence of your money paid
- Hotel, restaurant receipts etc as an evidence of your stays.
- Confirmation of cancellation with fees issued by the service providers.
- Invoice/receipt of cancel charges as an evidence of your cancellation suffer.
- Deceleration of Losses issued by local Police Department in cases of item or money loss.
- A written confirmation of an authorized doctor to certify your health conditions after an accident or illness.
- Invoice issued by hospitals, clinics in cases that you get an accident or illness.
Healthcare and Hospital in Vietnam
Travelers tend to worry about contracting infectious diseases when in the tropics, but infections are a rare cause of serious illness or death in travelers. Pre-existing medical conditions such as heart disease, and accidental injury (especially traffic accidents), account for most life-threatening problems. Becoming ill in some way, however, is a relatively common thing. Fortunately, most common illnesses can either be prevented with some common-sense behavior or be treated easily with a well-stocked traveler’s medical kit.
Health issues and the quality of medical facilities vary enormously depending on where and how you travel in Vietnam. Many of the major cities are now very well developed, although travel to rural areas can expose you to a variety of health risks and inadequate medical care.
Some international hospitals/clinics in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (American, French and German doctors on staff)
In Hanoi: (tel code: 84-4)
- Hanoi France Hospital (Recommended)
1 Phuong Mai Str.
Tel: 577-1100, emergency: 574-1111 - Family Medical Practice
Unit 109-112, Van Phuc, Blog A1, Kim Ma Str.
Tel: 843-0748 (24hours)) - International SOS
31 Hai Ba Trung Str.
Tel: 934-0666, emergency: 934-0555 - Vietnam-Korea Friendship Hospital
12 Chu Van An Str.
Tel: 843-7231
In Ho Chi Minh City: (tel code: 84-8)
- International SOS
65, Nguyen Du Str.
Tel: 829-8520, emergency: 829-8424 - Saigon International Clinic
8 Alexandre de Rhodes Str., District 1
Tel: 823-8888 - Gia Dinh International Hospital
1 Trang Long Str., Bin Thanh District
Tel: 803-0678 - Franco Vietnamese Hospital
6 Nguyen Luong Bang Str., District 7
Tel: 411-3333
Resources of Health Advice for Travelers
Read the General considerations about International Travel & Health, including these issues:
- Travel-related risks
- Medical consultation before travel
- Medical kit and toilet items
- Travelers with pre-existing medical conditions and special needs
- Insurance for travelers
- Role of travel industry professionals
- Responsibility of the traveler
- Medical examination after travel
(Source: World Health Organization (WHO) http://www.who.int/ith/en/)
Government’s travel-health websites: Australia, Canada, UK, US