Can foreigners buy health insurance in Vietnam?

Yes. Private health plans are one route, and most foreign employees on a fixed term contract of 12 months or more must also join the state scheme through their employer.

Is health insurance free in Vietnam?

No. The state scheme is paid for by contributions, which for employees is 4.5 percent of salary split between employer and employee, and private plans charge a premium.

Is health insurance mandatory for foreigners in Vietnam?

For many foreign employees, yes. Under the amended Law on Health Insurance, as summarised by Viet Nam Social Security, foreign employees on fixed term labour contracts of 12 months or more must join the state health scheme, with exemptions such as intra company transfers. The Social Insurance Law in force from 1 July 2025 uses the same 12 month rule for social insurance.

What is direct billing?

It is an arrangement, where a policy and a hospital both offer it, in which the hospital sends the bill to your insurer instead of asking you for the full amount. Any excess and anything the policy does not cover stay with you. Without it, how much you pay first and claim back depends on the policy's payment terms.

Does travel insurance cover me if I live in Vietnam?

Check the policy, including the maximum trip length and whether cover ends when you become resident. For people who live in Vietnam, the UK guide for British nationals points to an appropriate health insurance policy rather than travel cover.

Health Insurance Vietnam: A Guide for Expats and Foreigners

Why insurance matters here

UK guidance for British nationals living in Vietnam says the patient must pay all hospital and associated expenses, and that the UK government will not cover them. Insurance is how part of that cost can be met. Its view on standards is that public hospitals here differ from British ones, and it points residents who want a comparable level of care to private hospitals.

The same guidance tells residents to take out an appropriate health insurance policy. For visitors, it says comprehensive travel insurance should include full medical cover, an air ambulance if you need to be flown home, and repatriation, and it notes that medical bills can be expensive. Those are useful points to check in a resident's plan too.

Sources: UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Living in Vietnam (updated 23 September 2025); UK FCDO travel advice for Vietnam, Health.

Option 1: the state scheme (BHYT)

Vietnam's state health insurance is called bảo hiểm y tế, or BHYT. It is huge. In its year end report of 31 December 2025, the most recent full year figure we found, Viet Nam Social Security projected that roughly 95 percent of people in Vietnam, about 97.57 million, would hold cover by the end of that year. The fund had contracts with over 12,300 clinics and hospitals that year.

Foreign employees on a fixed term labour contract of 12 months or more must join, through their employer. A Viet Nam Social Security summary of the 2024 amendment to the Law on Health Insurance lists them in the compulsory group, except intra company transferees and people who have already reached retirement age when they sign. The health part costs 4.5 percent of salary, split 3 percent for the employer and 1.5 percent for the employee. Our guide to social insurance in Vietnam explains who must join and who is exempt.

The state card pays towards care at facilities that hold a contract with Viet Nam Social Security, so ask any clinic or hospital whether it accepts the card before you rely on it.

Sources: Nhan Dan, Nearly 98 million people nationwide covered by health insurance, 31 December 2025; Viet Nam Social Security (Dak Nong office), New points of Law No. 51/2024/QH15 amending the Law on Health Insurance (Vietnamese); Netviet, Vietnam Social Insurance Contribution Rates 2026, 16 June 2026; Vietnam Briefing, Vietnam's 2024 Social Insurance Law: Implications for Businesses, 9 August 2024.

The state scheme in numbers

The size of the state scheme shapes how the whole system works. In 2025, Viet Nam Social Security estimated 195.5 million medical visits paid for through health insurance, a clear rise on 2024. Total proposed payments from the Health Insurance Fund were estimated at around VND 166,447 billion, spent mostly on medicines, hospital beds and medical supplies.

Even so, people still pay a lot themselves. Research backs this up. Between 2005 and 2017, the part of all health spending that people paid from their own pockets climbed from 37 to 45 percent, says a 2020 paper in the journal BioMed Research International, set against a benchmark range from WHO that is far lower.

Sources: Nhan Dan, Nearly 98 million people nationwide covered by health insurance, 31 December 2025; Impact of Health Insurance on Health Care Utilisation and Out of Pocket Health Expenditure in Vietnam, BioMed Research International, 2020.

Option 2: local private plans

In this guide, a local private plan means a health plan sold in Vietnam by an insurer licensed here. When you compare one, check four things: whether it covers care only inside Vietnam or also abroad, the annual limit, the exclusions, and whether it includes evacuation.

Option 3: international plans

In this guide, an international plan means a health plan whose area of cover can include more than one country. If you might move again, or want the option of treatment outside Vietnam, ask how the area of cover is set and how the price changes with it.

Pregnancy and existing conditions

UK travel advice for British travellers says checking cover is particularly important if you have a health condition or are pregnant, and that a policy should cover existing health conditions. Ask any insurer three things in writing: whether your condition is covered, from when, and up to what limit. For pregnancy, ask about waiting periods and whether birth and newborn care are included.

For visitors rather than residents, the UK guide for British nationals living in Vietnam points to comprehensive travel insurance instead. Our travel insurance guide covers that case.

Sources: UK FCDO travel advice for Vietnam, Health; UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Living in Vietnam (updated 23 September 2025).

Direct billing or pay and claim

This detail shapes what happens at the hospital desk. In this guide, direct billing means an arrangement, where both the policy and the hospital offer it, in which the hospital sends the bill to your insurer instead of asking you for the full amount at the desk. You still pay any excess or deductible, any share the policy leaves to you, and anything the policy does not cover. In this guide, pay and claim means you pay at the desk and send the receipts to your insurer later; how much you pay up front depends on the policy's payment terms.

The UK government warns people to read their contract carefully, especially about how much they will have to pay up front before they can claim. So ask any insurer for its list of direct billing hospitals in your city, and check that the hospital you would actually use is on it.

Sources: UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Living in Vietnam (updated 23 September 2025).

Questions to ask before you buy

Ask	Why it matters
Is inpatient care covered, and is outpatient care extra?	Plans can treat hospital stays and doctor visits differently, so check both.
What is the annual limit?	A serious illness or a long hospital stay can use up a low limit quickly.
Are pre existing conditions covered, and after how long?	Plans differ, so ask whether there is a permanent exclusion or a waiting period.
Is evacuation and repatriation included?	UK guidance lists both as things a visitor's travel policy should cover.
Are motorbike accidents covered?	Policies set their own conditions for riding, so read the clause.
Which hospitals bill directly?	It decides how much cash you need on the day.
What is the excess or deductible?	It is the part of each claim you pay yourself.

Our family clinic picks are a starting point for a regular clinic, and it is worth asking any clinic you like which insurers it bills directly.

This guide explains how the options work. It does not recommend any insurer or plan. Read the policy wording and ask the insurer or a licensed broker about your own situation.

Sources: UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Living in Vietnam (updated 23 September 2025).

Keeping your claim on track

UK guidance for British nationals living in Vietnam gives three habits that make claims easier. Always carry your insurer's international emergency number and your policy number. Make sure a friend or relative has a copy of your policy details. And read your contract carefully, especially the amount you may have to pay for care before you can claim it back.

Add a fourth habit: keep every receipt, prescription and discharge note, and photograph them the same day.

Sources: UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Living in Vietnam (updated 23 September 2025).

Common questions

Can foreigners buy health insurance in Vietnam?: Yes. Private health plans are one route, and most foreign employees on a fixed term contract of 12 months or more must also join the state scheme through their employer.
Is health insurance free in Vietnam?: No. The state scheme is paid for by contributions, which for employees is 4.5 percent of salary split between employer and employee, and private plans charge a premium.
Is health insurance mandatory for foreigners in Vietnam?: For many foreign employees, yes. Under the amended Law on Health Insurance, as summarised by Viet Nam Social Security, foreign employees on fixed term labour contracts of 12 months or more must join the state health scheme, with exemptions such as intra company transfers. The Social Insurance Law in force from 1 July 2025 uses the same 12 month rule for social insurance.
What is direct billing?: It is an arrangement, where a policy and a hospital both offer it, in which the hospital sends the bill to your insurer instead of asking you for the full amount. Any excess and anything the policy does not cover stay with you. Without it, how much you pay first and claim back depends on the policy's payment terms.
Does travel insurance cover me if I live in Vietnam?: Check the policy, including the maximum trip length and whether cover ends when you become resident. For people who live in Vietnam, the UK guide for British nationals points to an appropriate health insurance policy rather than travel cover.

Sources

Figures checked against these sources. Our method.