Korean businesses at the event "Seoul Medical Tourism Roadshow 2025" in Ho Chi Minh City in June 2025 - Photo: HK
According to a recent announcement by the Seoul Tourism Industry Department (Korea), Vietnam is in the top 6 markets with the largest number of medical tourists coming to Seoul after some countries such as China, Japan, Singapore... Most Vietnamese tourists use cosmetic surgery services, dermatological treatment, dental examination...
Double every year
During a recent trip to promote the Vietnamese tourist market in Ho Chi Minh City, Mr. Ham Kyung-jun - director of the tourism sector of the Seoul Tourism Foundation - said that in 2024, the number of international tourists coming to Seoul for medical tourism increased by 93.2% compared to the previous year, reaching nearly 1 million people.
Of these, about 20,000 Vietnamese tourists come to this city for medical examination, treatment and beauty treatments. This number is expected to double many times this year, as more and more Vietnamese are willing to spend on trips lasting from 5 days to 2 weeks in Korea.
The growth comes from the motivation of medical tourism not only stopping at medical examination and treatment but also expanding into a comprehensive experience combining health check-ups, beauty, wellness care programs, along with travel, relaxation and cultural experiences.
In an effort to increase the attraction of international tourists, especially from Vietnam, Seoul city is implementing many specialized support programs for medical tourists.
After a sharp decline due to the pandemic, the number of medical tourists to Seoul has recovered strongly and is almost doubling every year, reaching nearly 1 million by 2024.
Breaking down language and visa barriers
Mr. Ham Kyung-jun said that Seoul City is promoting the selection and construction of a network of representative medical facilities in the field of medical tourism under the name of the "Seoul Medical Tourism Cooperation Organization".
Through this network, the city coordinates the implementation of many support services for international patients such as: providing interpreter coordinators, organizing shuttle services from the airport to the hospital or hotel.
Notably, in the past year, the Seoul Tourism Organization has recruited and trained 110 students for the official medical coordinator program, including Vietnamese.
"Many hospitals now need to arrange Vietnamese-speaking coordinators to better serve patients from Vietnam. We are working to build a trustworthy medical environment for foreign patients through training programs to improve the capacity of this team of coordinators," Mr. Ham emphasized.
In addition, the Seoul Medical Tourism Center - a unit under the Seoul Tourism Organization - is also acting as a focal point to receive feedback and requests for support from international patients coming to or preparing to come to Seoul, in order to support the quick and effective handling of problems arising during the medical examination and treatment process.
A representative from South Korea said these efforts are aimed at overcoming the limitations that are affecting the growth of visitors from Vietnam. In addition to language issues, visa policies are also a barrier for Vietnamese tourists to travel to South Korea for medical tourism.
What can Vietnam medical tourism learn from Korea?
According to Mr. Ham Kyung-jun, Ho Chi Minh City and Vietnam both have the opportunity to develop medical tourism. Besides the issue of skills, service and price, the most important factor to develop medical tourism services is to bring peace of mind to tourists, a service chain that perfectly combines "medical" and "tourism". To do so, the medical tourism promotion agency must be knowledgeable about insurance and medical procedures... and must have a license issued by the management agency to operate.
According to the Korean representative, in a recent meeting with the representative of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, Ho Chi Minh City also expressed its desire to learn how Korea develops medical tourism. In the immediate future, the promotion events will strengthen the cooperation network between Seoul's medical facilities and the medical - tourism industry in Vietnam, thereby building a foundation for sustainable cooperation in medical tourism between the two countries.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/khach-viet-di-han-lam-dep-tang-vot-giu-vung-vi-tri-top-6-20250615171347982.htm
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