What does Vietnam's medical tourism sector need to achieve its $4 billion target?

To reach the $4 billion mark, experts believe that Vietnam's medical tourism sector needs a professional service ecosystem and a clear national strategy.

There is still great potential for development.

From patients from New York (USA) flying halfway around the world to Vietnam for treatment and giving their experience a "11/10" rating, to fetal cardiac catheterization procedures rarely performed in other countries, and the increasing number of foreigners seeking IVF treatment, specialized examinations, cancer and cardiovascular treatment, or rehabilitation in Vietnam, it's clear that Vietnam is gradually appearing on the regional medical tourism map.

These are no longer isolated cases, but reflect a global trend of patients increasingly willing to travel to other countries to access quality healthcare at more reasonable costs.

The Australian family of the young patient, along with the medical team at Saint Paul General Hospital.

Vietnam is considered to have many favorable conditions for deeper participation in this market. First and foremost is the cost advantage. According to the Ministry of Health , many medical examination and treatment services in Vietnam currently cost less than in many other countries, especially in areas such as dentistry, IVF, cosmetic surgery, and general health check-ups.

The professional capabilities of Vietnam's healthcare system have also changed significantly in recent years. Many advanced techniques such as organ transplantation, complex cardiovascular interventions, specialized cancer treatments, assisted reproductive technologies, and fetal interventions have approached international standards and become routine at major hospitals. This helps Vietnam not only attract customers seeking affordable services but also begin to reach customers requiring specialized treatment.

Furthermore, Vietnam possesses the potential to combine healthcare with wellness and health care. With over 3,000 km of coastline, more than 400 hot springs, diverse climates, a long-standing tradition of medicine, and a rapidly developing resort ecosystem, Vietnam is well-positioned to create treatment packages that combine recovery, therapy, wellness, and extended vacations.

In other words, Vietnam can not only compete in the field of basic medical examination and treatment but also has the potential to develop into a comprehensive health tourism model – a rapidly growing trend worldwide .

However, compared to that potential, Vietnam's current scale is still quite modest. According to international data, Vietnam's medical tourism revenue currently stands at only about $700 million and is projected to reach $4 billion by 2033. Meanwhile, Thailand has developed medical tourism into an industry with revenue of approximately $6 billion per year; Singapore achieves $1.5-2 billion, and Japan around $4 billion.

This large gap shows that Vietnam lacks the ability to transform its individual advantages – from skilled doctors, competitive costs, traditional medicine to resort resources – into complete products and services that are competitive on an international scale.

Building a comprehensive ecosystem for breakthroughs.

Associate Professor Tran Dac Phu analyzed that it is not possible to rely solely on skilled doctors and low prices for medical tourism to reach the target of $4 billion by 2033. To achieve this goal, Vietnam needs a clear national strategy.

Firstly, there needs to be coordination between healthcare and the tourism, aviation, and accommodation sectors. Medical tourism is not simply about patients coming to Vietnam for medical examinations and treatment, but rather a comprehensive experience encompassing initial consultation, transportation, accommodation, treatment, recovery, and sightseeing. Therefore, it is necessary to develop integrated service packages such as visa assistance, airport pick-up and drop-off, appointment scheduling, post-operative accommodation, and convalescence.

Secondly, a seamless operational mechanism needs to be established, including more convenient medical visas, faster admission processes, transparent cross-border payments, and connections with international insurance systems. A hospital with skilled doctors that cannot accept or process global insurance will still lose its competitive advantage over regional rivals.

Building a comprehensive ecosystem to achieve breakthroughs in medical tourism.

Alongside this is the issue of quality standardization. In the international market, trust is not built solely on word-of-mouth or low costs, but on measurable and verifiable standards. Therefore, aiming for JCI or equivalent international standards is not merely a formality, but an almost mandatory condition to convince international patients, especially in the high-paying segment.

According to Associate Professor Dr. Tran Ngoc Son - Chairman of the Pediatric Surgery Specialist Council, Director of the Pediatric Center (Vinmec Smart City General Hospital), Vietnam needs a national branding strategy for medical tourism. Instead of fragmented promotion, Vietnam needs to clearly position itself as a destination for quality, affordable healthcare, combining relaxation and traditional medicine, where patients receive treatment and recovery within a comprehensive care ecosystem.

Another crucial link is the patient experience. International patients don't just evaluate the treatment outcome. They evaluate the entire experience, from how they are welcomed, advised, given explanations of their condition, guided through procedures, to post-operative care.

This requires a stronger internationalization of the healthcare workforce. In addition to foreign languages, doctors and nurses need training in cross-cultural communication, international customer psychology, and service experience management.

Furthermore, experts emphasize the crucial role of digital infrastructure in medical tourism. Electronic health record systems, online consultations, online payments, data storage, and cross-border connectivity must be synchronized. Without digitizing the entire patient journey, Vietnam will struggle to create a seamless experience – an increasingly important factor for international visitors.

Realizing the Medical Tourism Development Project

At the recent National Conference on Medical Tourism for Sustainable Development, jointly organized by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan stated that developing medical tourism is a task assigned to the health sector by the Politburo in the draft Resolution on some breakthrough solutions to strengthen the protection, care and improvement of people's health by 2030, with a vision to 2045.

The Deputy Minister emphasized that Vietnam has the potential to become an attractive destination for medical tourism. To turn this potential into reality, the Ministry of Health, in coordination with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, has been developing a plan for the development of medical tourism and high-quality medical examination and treatment services for the period 2025-2030, aiming for Vietnam to become a regional healthcare hub.

Deputy Minister Tran Van Thuan suggested that the health sector must improve the quality of medical services to international standards, and establish hospitals and medical centers with sufficient capacity to receive and treat international tourists. At the same time, each locality needs to develop unique medical tourism products, linked to its strengths, ranging from elderly care and wellness, traditional medicine therapy, and rehabilitation, to combinations with ecotourism and cultural tourism.

The policy and legal framework needs to be improved, including a medical visa mechanism, encouraging flexible public-private partnerships, and strongly mobilizing the participation of the private sector. A comprehensive and modern promotional strategy, linked to building a national brand for medical tourism, must also be implemented decisively so that Vietnam is widely recognized on the global medical tourism map.

Also at this conference, Deputy Director of the Vietnam National Tourism Administration, Ha Van Sieu, stated that Vietnam needs to continue improving tourism and healthcare services, focusing on developing healthcare service packages that meet international standards; creating healthcare packages linked to tourism, comprehensive medical examination and treatment packages integrated with tourism programs, along with support for tourist visas, airport transfers, accommodation, resorts, cuisine, insurance, and online reimbursement.

Viet Linh

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/du-lich-y-te-viet-nam-can-gi-de-dat-muc-tieu-4-ty-usd-ar1018616.html