Good service, high-spending customers.
Over the weekend, a large number of domestic and international tourists visit medical facilities, spas, etc., for health and beauty treatments, with a focus on minimally invasive procedures.
Ms. Nguyen Minh Tuyet, residing in Hanoi , who had the opportunity to experience the services at Huong Sen Traditional Medicine Clinic (Huong Sen Healthcare, Nguyen Thien Thuat Street, Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City), shared: “The staff are professional and dedicated; customers truly feel relaxed and experience less muscle pain, especially in the neck and shoulders, when using the massage and acupressure therapy services… After the treatment, customers can enjoy a buffet with many health-boosting dishes.”
Mr. Pham Van Tung, Manager of Huong Sen Healthcare, said that the company is coordinating with tourism businesses to welcome domestic and international tourists to visit Ho Chi Minh City, where they can stop to relax and experience soaking in traditional Red Dao herbal baths, and enjoying herbal steam baths to relieve colds, after a series of fun activities in Ho Chi Minh City.
Besides healthcare services and traditional medicine treatments, dental care services are also of great interest to many Vietnamese expatriates and international visitors, thanks to the highly skilled doctors and competitive prices compared to other countries.
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Young tourists experience the "I'm a Doctor" tour organized by Penguin Travel. |
Mr. Le Quoc Binh, a Vietnamese-American returning to Ho Chi Minh City, said that dental work in the US is very expensive, so many people decide to return to Vietnam to enjoy extended vacations while also getting dental work done at a more affordable price. He confidently showed off his bright, even teeth, which cost less than 100 million VND at a large clinic in District 1 (Ho Chi Minh City), whereas the same procedure in the US would cost up to 300 million VND.
Dr. Le Trung Chanh, Director of the Central Dental and Maxillofacial Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, said that Vietnamese dentistry is competitive in terms of cost and quality compared to other countries. Most new technologies are already available in Vietnam at very competitive prices.
For example, a dental bridge in Australia costs around 4,500 AUD, while in Vietnam it's only 500-800 AUD. The cost of dental crowns in Vietnam is only about one-third of that in the US and Australia. In reality, new technologies are applied uniformly across countries, so competition mainly boils down to technical expertise (sophistication, aesthetics, etc.) and quality of service.
Currently, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism has connected with more than 50 entities, including hospitals, medical facilities, spas, travel agencies, and accommodation establishments, to jointly develop 30 medical tourism products to introduce to locals and tourists.
Enhance promotion and networking.
As one of the hospitals attracting many foreign patients, the University Medical Center of Ho Chi Minh City receives approximately 15,000 outpatient visits and over 1,000 inpatient treatments for foreigners each year. These treatments focus on aesthetics, skin care, cardiology, gastroenterology, hepatobiliary and pancreatic diseases, neurology, respiratory diseases, and more.
According to Master Tran Van Hung, Head of the Social Work Department at the University Medical Center of Ho Chi Minh City, the hospital continuously updates its medical techniques to keep pace with advanced global healthcare, and its team of doctors and medical staff plays a crucial role in many domestic and international healthcare organizations. Furthermore, to continue attracting foreign patients, the hospital also has a policy of assigning highly skilled doctors with excellent foreign language abilities to provide consultations at the International Clinic.
According to Dr. Mai Duc Huy, Deputy Director of Saigon General Hospital (District 1, Ho Chi Minh City), the hospital receives approximately 1,000 foreign patients from various countries each year.
“The hospital has advantages in terms of geographical location, modern infrastructure, and a team of young, professional doctors with good foreign language communication skills. However, the hospital is limited in terms of widely promoting its services to tourists. Therefore, we have requested approval to establish a quality management and customer care department,” said Dr. Mai Duc Huy.
From the perspective of a specialized agency, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism stated that it will continue to refine medical tourism product packages to suit the needs of both domestic and international markets; and promote product advertising videos throughout Ho Chi Minh City.
Based on the 2018 Medical Tourism Handbook, the Department of Tourism has updated and adjusted the information to include more languages, including English, Thai, Cambodian, Lao, and Chinese, to make it easier for international tourists to access the information. Previously, the Department of Tourism also conducted visits and surveys of medical tourism product models in Thailand; and promoted tourism in Cambodia…
At the upcoming Ho Chi Minh City International Tourism Fair in September, the Department of Health will also organize a booth to widely introduce the city's medical tourism products. The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health stated that a prominent advantage of Ho Chi Minh City is its numerous reputable and high-quality healthcare centers and services, combined with large shopping malls, giving visitors more opportunities to experience high-end services such as relaxation, shopping, and dining. Therefore, the Department of Health has identified the development of medical tourism as a way to improve service quality and modernize the medical examination and treatment process for residents and tourists.
* Ms. BUI THI NGOC HIEU , Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism:
Developing over 30 medical tourism products.
This year, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, in coordination with the Department of Health and tourism businesses, has developed more than 30 medical tourism products, including healthcare services at reputable and high-quality hospitals, high-end service experiences, dining, shopping, relaxation combined with visits to famous historical sites and destinations in Ho Chi Minh City.
Among these, three medical services are of particular interest to visitors: general health check-ups; disease screening; and specialized medical procedures, including traditional medicine... with highly qualified doctors and medical staff, and reasonable medical costs. Ho Chi Minh City currently has 131 public hospitals, private hospitals, and hospitals under ministries and sectors capable of receiving patients and tourists in need of medical treatment and healthcare.
* Dr. LE TRUNG CHANH , Director of the Central Dental and Maxillofacial Hospital of Ho Chi Minh City:
We need an agency to manage and connect services.
The Central Dental and Maxillofacial Hospital of Ho Chi Minh City applies many modern technologies, digital techniques, artificial intelligence, etc., in the field of dentistry, which has shortened treatment time and reduced the number of appointments in many areas.
Therefore, tourists will have a better, more convenient, and more satisfying experience when combining tourism and medical care. The hospital has also improved its examination and treatment procedures specifically for foreign visitors and offers separate service packages with specific prices, making it easier for travel agencies to market tours for medical tourism products. In particular, it has developed treatment procedures that fit the leisure travel itineraries of tourists.
However, the hospital still faces some difficulties and obstacles. Specifically, there is no agency or association to effectively manage the connection between healthcare facilities providing medical services and tourism product providers to develop a service package encompassing both healthcare and tourism.
Furthermore, the hospital has not yet met international standards such as JCI or ISO. Although the hospital's prices are competitive, international patients often rely on quality standards when choosing a service provider. In addition, the communication and promotional network targeting international patients to introduce medical services is not yet effective.
* Ms. PHAN YEN LY , tourism product design expert:
Minimally invasive product extraction
Travel businesses are considering and evaluating product packages that suit market trends, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic. Observations show that customers are increasingly interested in minimally invasive health and wellness products such as massage therapy, acupressure, and dental treatments.
Currently, the number of international tourists returning to Ho Chi Minh City is not high, even though this is a potential customer group with good spending power. Domestic tourists, on the other hand, can visit and use services directly without going through travel agencies, and this is one of the obstacles hindering implementation, involving the interests of both parties.
For most hospitals, whether you visit directly or refer someone, the price of medical services remains the same. Therefore, balancing the interests of all parties is an unsolved problem, directly impacting the development of medical tourism products in Ho Chi Minh City.
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