Vietnam will implement a model combining healthcare - tourism

This is the content of the draft Project on developing high-quality medical examination and treatment services, promoting medical tourism, attracting foreigners and Vietnamese people with the ability to pay in the period 2025-2030. The draft is being put out for comments by the Ministry of Health .

This project aims to comprehensively improve the service quality of leading hospitals, specialized hospitals and other qualified hospitals; towards achieving national and international quality standards. From there, gradually meet and attract foreigners to seek medical examination and treatment in Vietnam; at the same time, reduce the number of Vietnamese people going abroad for medical examination and treatment.

Many countries have been successful with the medical tourism model such as Thailand, China, Singapore, Korea, Malaysia...

Việt Nam sẽ triển khai mô hình kết hợp y tế - du lịch - nghỉ dưỡng - 1 — Cancer patients undergo liver resection using modern robots at K Hospital (Photo: BV).

About 40,000 high-income Vietnamese go abroad for treatment each year.

According to the Ministry of Health, in Vietnam, the medical examination and treatment system has gone through 70 years of development and achieved many great achievements, so the construction and implementation of this project has advantages, which is a premise for the successful implementation of the project.

The Vietnamese medical team has mastered many complex techniques at world- class level such as robotic surgery, endoscopy, organ transplants, cancer treatment... Some techniques such as endoscopic heart surgery and thyroid tumor surgery have been learned from foreign countries.

Besides the advantages, the hospital system in Vietnam is still facing some difficulties and challenges that need to be addressed.

Regarding hospital quality, although the quality of medical examination and treatment has had many positive changes, currently only a very small number of public hospitals have achieved international quality certification.

Independent quality assessment and publication of results at the national level have not been implemented, causing limitations in the recognition of foreign insurance companies for medical examination and treatment services in Vietnam.

Meanwhile, the financial mechanism is still inadequate, not calculating correctly and fully the components of medical service costs, leading to a situation where revenue is not enough to cover expenses at many public hospitals. The payment for foreign medical experts does not have a flexible mechanism suitable for high income levels.

At the same time, the types of health insurance and commercial insurance in Vietnam are still limited, not meeting the medical examination and treatment needs of foreigners and high-income Vietnamese people.

This situation causes about 40,000 high-income Vietnamese to go abroad for treatment each year. This not only causes foreign currency loss, but also affects the reputation of the domestic hospital system.

In addition, although it has been renovated and upgraded in many places, the infrastructure, space and facilities in many hospitals are still not uniform and do not meet the requirements of foreigners and patients with high spending ability.

Some advanced specialties are overloaded, affecting the ability to develop services on demand.

Building medical tourism service packages with key specialties

The project aims that by 2030, at least 15 hospitals nationwide (including both public and private) will meet international quality standards (JCI or equivalent), including at least 5 public hospitals.

100% of medical examination and treatment facilities participating in the pilot have an international marketing and communications department, providing information in at least 3 languages (Vietnamese, English, Chinese or Korean).

At the same time, build and put into operation medical tourism service packages, including high-tech medical examination and treatment service packages (oncology, cardiovascular, orthopedics...); traditional medicine service packages combined with convalescence; comprehensive health care (screening, rehabilitation...).

The project will be implemented nationwide, prioritizing provinces and cities with favorable conditions for tourism development and high-quality healthcare systems. By 2030, at least 5 key localities (such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Quang Ninh, Khanh Hoa) will implement a medical tourism model integrating hospitals, hotels, resorts, and travel agencies.

The project is divided into 2 phases:

- Phase 1 (2025-2027): Piloting at a number of hospitals and localities with favorable conditions; developing the first 10-15 service packages combining healthcare - tourism - resort; implementing communication, promotion, and human resource training.

- Phase 2 (2027-2030): Expand the model nationwide; unify the process of receiving, caring, paying, and promoting services for foreigners; strengthen international insurance links...

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/viet-nam-se-trien-khai-mo-hinh-ket-hop-y-te-du-lich-nghi-duong-20250910220857494.htm