HCM City taps potential for medical tourism

Source: hanoimoi.com.vn

The southern metropolis has focused on high-quality dental and cosmetic treatment, traditional medicine and medical check-ups, among others. 

Statistics reveal that last year, Vietnam welcomed 300,000 foreigners coming for medical check-ups and 57,000 for inpatient treatment, earning the country more than 2 billion USD.

HCM City attracts this group of foreign visitors thanks to its application of traditional and modern medicine in cosmetic treatment, as well as its strength in dental and fertility treatment.

Being aware of foreign tourists’ increasing demand for medical services in the city, travel companies such as Saigontourist and Fiditour have coordinated with local hospitals to organise medical tours.

According to Nguyen Duc Minh, Director of the HCM City Odonto Maxillo Facial Hospital, the number of foreign and overseas Vietnamese patients in the hospital increases about 10 percent each year. The hospital offers low-cost but quality services like those in other countries.

Also, the Tu Du Hospital is well-known for its in-vitro fertilization with each case costing only about 100 million VND (4,300 USD) as compared to 400-700 million VND charged by hospitals in other regional countries.

Some major hospitals in the city have also opened international departments, luring crowds of foreigners.

In 2018, the HCM City Medical Tourism Guide with basic information about travel and health care in the city was released in both Vietnamese and English.

In September 2019, the municipal Health Department launched a mobile application enabling locals and tourists to search for information about health facilities in the city.

Apart from promotion activities, HCM City has improved the quality of medical services and accommodations at health centres as well as foreign language skills of local doctors, while cooperating with partners in this sphere.