Potential from the medical "gold mine"
Medical tourism and health & wellness tourism are opening up great potential thanks to the combination of high quality treatment, reasonable costs and a team of highly specialized doctors.
According to Ms. Vo Ngoc Diep, Head of the Department of Tourism Accommodation Management ( Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism), each year Vietnam welcomes about 300,000 international outpatients and 57,000 inpatients, of which Ho Chi Minh City accounts for about 40%.
Dr. Tang Chi Thuong, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health, also commented: "More and more international tourists come to Vietnam for medical examination and treatment thanks to good quality, reasonable costs and highly skilled doctors."
In fact, the cost of treatment in Vietnam is 30-70% lower than in developed countries. Key areas such as cardiovascular, organ transplantation, assisted reproduction (IVF), cosmetic dentistry or plastic surgery have all achieved impressive results. In addition, the advantage of traditional medicine also helps attract international tourists, creating a comprehensive health care model.
According to Prof. Dr. Tran Van Thuan, Deputy Minister of Health, the global medical tourism market will reach 100 billion USD in 2024. Vietnam has currently achieved about 700 million USD in revenue and is forecast to reach nearly 4 billion USD by 2033. To promote this sector, at the ITE HCMC 2025 High-Level Tourism Forum, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ministry of Health signed a Memorandum of Understanding on developing medical tourism.
Regional linkage action, synchronous development
In order to realize this potential, on October 29 and 30, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism organized a delegation to survey health care models and services in the Binh Duong and Ba Ria - Vung Tau (old) areas.
At the Ho Chi Minh City Traditional Medicine Hospital, a leading unit with an international standard drug production system, the delegation learned about the typical treatment services. Meritorious physician, Doctor CKII Do Tan Khoa, Director of the Hospital, emphasized the need for linkage between the hospital and tourism businesses.
“We should build a 'soft hospital' model to expand treatment space through links with resorts, helping tourists receive care in a more natural and comfortable environment,” Dr. Khoa suggested.
In Binh Duong, the delegation visited Hanh Phuc International General Hospital (Binh Hoa Ward). This pioneering hospital applying Singaporean standards stands out with its “hospital-hotel” model and reproductive and obstetrics support services. Dr. Nguyen Tuan, General Director of the hospital, shared his desire to accompany the tourism industry to become a reliable destination for international tourists and overseas Vietnamese.
In Ba Ria - Vung Tau, the delegation surveyed the Minera Hot Springs Binh Chau resort, a typical model for health tourism. This place combines recovery therapies such as hot mineral baths, onsen soaks, mud baths and meditation in a natural forest space.
Ms. Vo Ngoc Diep said that despite the great potential, the connection between hospitals and travel businesses is still loose, services are not synchronized, making tourists not interested in package medical tours.
To solve this problem, Ho Chi Minh City is implementing the Medical Tourism Development Project for the period 2025 - 2030. The Department of Health is coordinating with the Department of Tourism and related units to soon put into operation a medical tourism hotline and an international information portal, where tourists can look up, book appointments and pay online.
This strategy is attracting the entire public hospital sector. If in the past medical tourism was mainly associated with private cosmetic centers, now the Ho Chi Minh City Dermatology Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital, Tu Du Hospital... are also expanding international services, standardizing reception procedures.
According to the Ho Chi Minh City Health System Development Strategy to 2030, the city aims to become a leading health care center in the ASEAN region.
In the immediate future, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism will coordinate with hospitals, resorts and travel agencies to design comprehensive medical tourism packages. These products will be introduced to domestic, international and overseas Vietnamese visitors, especially during the Lunar New Year and the year-end tourist season.
Source: https://bvhttdl.gov.vn/tp-ho-chi-minh-khai-thac-mo-vang-du-lich-y-te-lien-ket-vung-xay-san-pham-cao-cap-20251031144106738.htm
Comment (0)