Who keeps your file
The hospital or clinic that treated you makes the medical record and keeps it. Article 69 of the law says every facility must make and update a record for each inpatient, day-treatment and outpatient. The record can be on paper or in electronic form, and both have the same legal weight. The facility must store it and keep it confidential under the law, including the law on archives.
So you do not hold the original. You hold a right to see it, copy it and ask for a summary. That is the point of the sections below.
Source: Law on Medical Examination and Treatment No. 15/2023/QH15 (English translation, LuatVietnam).
Your right to read, copy and get a summary
Once your treatment is finished, the stored record falls under clause 4 of Article 69. Point d of that clause says the patient may read, view, copy and take notes of the record. The patient must also be given a summary of the record if he or she asks for it in writing.
The key words are "in writing". Plan to put your request on paper, not only to ask at the front desk. The Minister of Health issues the official forms for records and for the summary, so a summary is a set form, not a casual note from your doctor.
The law passed on 9 January 2023 and took effect on 1 January 2024. Earlier rules applied before that date, so a guide written years ago may describe a different system.
Source: Law on Medical Examination and Treatment No. 15/2023/QH15 (English translation, LuatVietnam).
Who can ask on your behalf
Many expats move away after treatment, so a friend or relative may have to collect the file. The law has a short answer. Article 8 lets a patient have one representative at a time. An adult patient can choose that person, and the person must have full civil capacity.
Article 69 then splits the rights. A representative who is an authorized or legal representative under the Civil Code, or who acts for a legal person, shares your right to read and copy the file and to receive a summary. A person you simply choose yourself is named only for the summary. If someone else will collect for you, ask the hospital in advance which paperwork it wants to see.
Other groups can reach a stored record too, but for their own jobs. These include courts, health inspectors, investigators, your lawyer and social insurance agencies. Researchers and students need the hospital's consent. None of that gives them a route around your privacy, and Article 10 gives patients the right to confidentiality of what is in their records.
Source: Law on Medical Examination and Treatment No. 15/2023/QH15 (English translation, LuatVietnam).
What to prepare before you leave
Article 69 does not list documents or fees, and it does not set a deadline for the hospital to answer. Each facility sets its own steps, so call or visit first and ask what it needs. These are sensible things to have ready:
- Your passport, and a copy, so staff can match you to the file.
- Any discharge papers, receipts or visit slips, which help staff find the right dates.
- A written request that says what you want: the full record, a summary, or both.
- A written authorization, if another person will collect the file for you.
Ask which departments hold your file if you were seen in several. Ask how the hospital will give you the copy, on paper or in electronic form, and how long it will take. Do this while you are still in Vietnam, because it is easier to fix a missing page in person.
Source: Law on Medical Examination and Treatment No. 15/2023/QH15 (English translation, LuatVietnam).
Language and what you can do with the copy
Article 21 says the language used in medical examination and treatment must be Vietnamese, with listed exceptions for foreign practitioners, such as when the patient is a foreigner. That means the paper in your hands may be written in Vietnamese even if your doctor spoke English with you. Plan for a translation if your home doctor or insurer needs one, and ask your hospital whether the summary can be given in another language.
Article 69 also puts a duty on anyone who uses record information. They must keep it secret and use it only for the purpose stated in their request. When you share your own copy with a new doctor or an insurer, share only what they need.
This guide explains what the law says. It is not legal or medical advice. If a hospital refuses your written request, ask it to state the reason in writing, and speak to a lawyer in Vietnam.
Source: Law on Medical Examination and Treatment No. 15/2023/QH15 (English translation, LuatVietnam).