What to sort out before you go
Vietnam is a healthy place to travel with a little preparation. Tell us about your trip and we'll prioritise what actually matters — without the fear-mongering some lists trade in, or the false comfort others offer.
This is orientation, not medical advice. Vaccine and medication decisions depend on your health, history, and exact route — confirm everything with a travel clinic or your doctor 6–8 weeks before you travel.
Vaccines & clinic
Some vaccines need multiple doses over weeks. Book early; a clinic tailors this list to your health and exact route.
The baseline regardless of destination. Check your records before any other planning.
Road rash and cuts are the most common motorbike injury. A current tetanus shot matters more here.
Spread through contaminated food and water — the most relevant vaccine for almost any Vietnam trip.
Also food- and water-borne; commonly advised for Southeast Asia, especially outside big hotels.
Worth confirming for everyone.
Worth considering for riders and remote-area travellers: dog and monkey bites happen, and getting to treatment fast can be hard far from cities.
Mosquito-borne illness
Dengue is the real mosquito risk in Vietnam, including cities. The day-biting mosquito means repellent matters in daytime too.
Malaria risk is very low in the main tourist regions and cities. Pills are generally only considered for specific remote rural/forested border areas — ask the clinic about your exact route.
Food & water
Use bottled or filtered water, including for brushing teeth in many areas. A filter bottle pays for itself.
Oral rehydration salts and an anti-diarrhoeal (e.g. loperamide). The busy-stall street food is usually safer than a quiet tourist restaurant.
The uniform cylindrical ice with a hole is factory-made and safe. Be more cautious with crushed ice from a cheap rural cart.
Insurance & documents
Serious cases are often evacuated to Bangkok or Singapore. Confirm the policy covers evacuation, not just treatment.
Most policies void motorbike claims without a valid licence (and sometimes a helmet). This is the single biggest insurance gap travellers hit here.
Save your policy number and the nearest international clinics to your phone before you lose signal in the mountains.
Care on the ground
Ambulance response can be slow; for anything serious in a city a taxi or Grab to an international clinic is often faster.
Family Medical Practice and similar operate in Hanoi, HCMC and Da Nang — Western-standard care, and they coordinate evacuations.
Minor ailments are cheap and easy to treat. Bring your own supply of any essential prescription, with a copy of the prescription.