Medical tourism: Golden opportunity for Vietnam

Vietnam has long been known as a safe and friendly tourist destination, possessing many scenic spots, rich culture and cuisine, attracting international tourists.

Foreigners working in Vietnam get COVID-19 vaccine

Not only stopping at resort tourism, Vietnam is moving towards a potential field - medical tourism, combining health care with cultural and tourism experiences.

It is time for Vietnam to "enter the medical tourism game". The Ministry of Health is currently seeking comments on a draft project to develop high-quality medical examination and treatment services, promote medical tourism, and attract foreigners and Vietnamese people with the ability to pay for the period 2025-2030.

The project, which is being built for the first time, is expected to open up new opportunities, helping Vietnam's medical tourism catch up with development trends and gradually integrate deeply with the international community.

Once approved, the project will be the basis for synchronous implementation of these solutions, aiming to form international standard medical centers at key tourist destinations, thereby contributing to enhancing the position of Vietnam's healthcare and promoting effective and sustainable medical tourism development.

Deputy Minister of Health DO XUAN TUYEN

Potential for medical tourism development

According to the Ministry of Health, Vietnam is an attractive tourist destination with many natural and cultural heritages recognized by the world. Talking to Tuoi Tre, Mr. Ha Anh Duc - Director of the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management (Ministry of Health) - said that Vietnam possesses many advantages to develop medical tourism.

"Friendly people, stable political and social environment along with unique natural landscapes have created a strong attraction for international tourists. In recent times, the number of tourists to Vietnam, including medical tourists, has grown significantly. However, compared to other countries in the region, Vietnam is still in a modest position," Mr. Duc commented.

According to Mr. Duc, Thailand currently earns about $6 billion in revenue each year from medical tourism. Singapore, with an area equivalent to Phu Quoc Island, brings in between $1.5 and $2 billion. Japan also earns about $4 billion.

Meanwhile, according to incomplete statistics, Vietnam only earns a few hundred million USD per year, a figure that shows a large gap compared to neighboring countries. In the dental field alone, according to preliminary statistics, dental facilities in Ho Chi Minh City earn about 3,500 billion VND per year, equivalent to nearly 150 million USD.

Mr. Duc said that if other potential fields such as aesthetics, infertility treatment (IVF), ophthalmology or diagnostic imaging are exploited well, Vietnam can completely increase its revenue to billions of USD per year.

According to the leader of the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management, Vietnam's outstanding competitive advantage is reasonable service costs. The cost of medical examination and treatment in the country is only about one-third of that in Thailand and much lower than in the US or Europe.

"For example, the cost of dental implants in Vietnam is only one-fifth of that in the US. Not only is the price competitive, the service time in Vietnam is also quick, and the technical quality has been mastered by many hospitals. Especially in areas such as cosmetic surgery, infertility treatment, cardiovascular, ophthalmology or orthopedic trauma.

Besides, Vietnam also has an abundant source of customers from more than 5.3 million Vietnamese people abroad, a group of customers who regularly return to their homeland for both tourism and medical treatment," Mr. Duc stated.

Foreigners receive medical examination and treatment at Viet Duc Hospital - Photo: CDC - BVCC

Costs are much lower than other countries

Deputy Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen also said that in terms of costs, medical services in Vietnam are only about 30-50% compared to countries like Singapore or Thailand, while the quality has approached international standards, creating a competitive advantage to attract patients from developed countries and the Vietnamese community abroad.

In particular, Vietnam has strengths in rehabilitation services, traditional medicine, physical therapy combined with rich medicinal resources. This is a comprehensive health care trend with its own identity that many countries in the region do not have.

In parallel, Vietnam's strength in resort tourism is an important plus point. With a long coastline, diverse climate, beautiful landscapes, rich culture and cuisine, Vietnam can build "resort tourism combined with health care" packages that few countries have similar diversity. In fact, many high-end resorts and 5-star hotels in Vietnam have reserved space to develop a synchronous health care utility system," Mr. Tuyen stated.

In addition, Vietnam is not only a cheap medical destination but also a destination of quality, specialized techniques and humane care. Hundreds of thousands of international patients - from Laos, Cambodia, Korea, Japan, France to Australia - have been coming to Vietnam for IVF treatment, cancer, heart surgery, rehabilitation and many other high-tech treatments.

Every year, more than 300,000 foreigners come for medical examination and treatment, which is clear evidence of the growing attraction of Vietnamese healthcare in the region and the world.

Vietnam will become a leading health care center

Recently, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism also signed a memorandum of understanding to promote inter-sectoral coordination in developing medical tourism, aiming to make Vietnam a leading healthcare center in the region.

What to do to promote Vietnam medical tourism?

In addition to its strengths, Mr. Ha Anh Duc also said that Vietnam's medical tourism industry is still facing many barriers. Among them, service quality is uneven and does not meet international standards. Currently, only Ho Chi Minh City Hematology and Blood Transfusion Hospital is a public hospital that meets JCI standards - the world's leading medical quality standards with more than 1,300 criteria.

Some private hospitals have achieved international quality certifications, but the number is still very limited. This makes the Vietnamese healthcare system not competitive enough in the global market. In addition, issues related to medical visa procedures, payment mechanisms, dispute resolution or insurance policies are not really favorable, causing difficulties for tourists.

To officially bring Vietnam into the "medical tourism playground", competing with countries around the world and in the region, Mr. Xuan Tuyen said that the medical tourism project being built by the ministry will have a roadmap and direction for the development of medical tourism in Vietnam.

Project to select key localities and medical facilities, considering and prioritizing major tourist centers such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Khanh Hoa, Quang Ninh...; selecting hospitals with strengths in expertise, facilities, and services to participate in the roadmap to achieve international standards (JCI or equivalent).

Aiming to improve the quality of expertise and services such as investing in upgrading facilities and equipment; establishing separate examination and treatment areas for international guests and people with high-end needs; Strengthening foreign language training, communication skills, and international cultural behavior for medical staff.

Developing medical - tourism - resort product packages such as building high-tech packages (organ transplant, oncology, cardiovascular, orthopedics, cosmetic...), traditional medicine packages combined with resort, comprehensive health care packages; linking with tourism businesses, hotels, airlines to deploy full-package services. Especially international cooperation and brand promotion, expanding training cooperation, technology transfer and international health insurance links.

WILLOW

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/du-lich-y-te-co-hoi-vang-cho-viet-nam-20250928222800843.htm