Health Insurance for Foreigners in Ho Chi Minh City

A foreign employee on a fixed-term labour contract of 12 months or more with an employer in Vietnam must join state health insurance, with three exceptions. The contribution is 4.5% of monthly salary, two-thirds from the employer and one-third from the employee. Private cover must come from a licensed insurer.

By Vincent Nguyen

Medical information. This guide is general information, not a substitute for professional medical advice. In an emergency, call 115 first.

One condition decides whether a foreigner must join Vietnam’s state health insurance: a fixed-term labour contract of 12 months or more with an employer in Vietnam.

Người lao động là công dân nước ngoài làm việc tại Việt Nam khi làm việc theo hợp đồng lao động xác định thời hạn có thời hạn từ đủ 12 tháng trở lên với người sử dụng lao động tại Việt Nam, trừ trường hợp …

A foreign employee working in Vietnam under a fixed-term labour contract of 12 months or more with an employer in Vietnam, except in the cases …

Luật 51/2024/QH15, Điều 12 khoản 1 điểm c

The contract rule has three exceptions:

• an intra-company transferee;
• someone already at retirement age when the contract is signed;
• a case where an international treaty Vietnam is a party to provides otherwise.

Who joins state insurance, and what it costs

For the employee group that includes this contract holder, the monthly contribution is 4.5% of the monthly salary used for compulsory social-insurance contributions. The employer pays two-thirds and the employee pays one-third.

The self-paying group

A person who belongs to a household participating in the household form is in the self-paying group. So is a person who falls outside the cases the law lists for the other groups.

The self-paying household contribution is 4.5% of the base salary for the first member. From 1 July 2026 the base salary is VND 2,530,000, so the first member pays VND 1,366,200 a year. The second, third and fourth members pay 70%, 60% and 50% of the first member’s contribution, and from the fifth member onward 40%.

Students on a state scholarship

A foreigner studying in Vietnam on a scholarship from the Vietnamese State budget is in the state-budget-paid group. The contribution is 4.5% of the base salary, paid through the body that awarded the scholarship.

Tourists and short stays

The law’s listed foreign group is the employee on a fixed-term contract of 12 months or more. It names no state card for tourists or short stays, so private cover is the route for them.

Without a card at the clinic, the fund pays outpatient costs up to VND 379,500 per visit.

What the fund pays

The health-insurance fund pays 100% of examination and treatment costs at a first-contact-tier facility, such as a commune health station. For any other subject it pays 80%. A person in several groups gets the benefits of the group with the highest entitlement.

The fund also pays 100% where one visit costs less than VND 379,500, which is 15% of the base salary. It pays 100% after 5 continuous years of participation, once the yearly co-payment passes VND 15,180,000.

A participant may register a first-contact facility at a first-contact-tier or basic-tier facility. A participant may change it within the first 15 days of each quarter. A participant who goes on their own initiative to another facility, outside the patient-transfer rules, is paid a percentage of the benefit level.

At a basic-tier facility, the fund pays 100% of the benefit level for inpatient care. For outpatient care at a basic-tier facility, it pays from 50% to 100%, depending on the facility’s technical grade. From 1 July 2026 it also pays 50% of the benefit level for outpatient care at some basic and advanced-tier facilities, for diseases outside the Ministry of Health’s list.

At an advanced-tier facility, it pays 40% of the benefit level for inpatient care in the general case. For a confirmed rare or life-threatening disease, or a disease needing surgery or high-level techniques, the benefit is 100% at a basic or advanced tier.

Using state insurance at a private hospital

The Ministry of Health classifies FV as a basic-level healthcare facility. The law sets inpatient care at a basic-tier facility at 100% of the benefit level.

• The registered primary care facility is printed on the Social Health Insurance card.
• Outpatient care at FV needs a referral unless FV is the registered facility, it is an emergency, or the diagnosis is on the circular’s list of conditions.
• No referral is required to apply state insurance for inpatient treatment at FV.
• A person with state insurance can seek emergency care at any facility and still receive full benefits without a referral.

Without a card, contact the local social insurance agency or use the National Public Services Portal, and register FV as the primary care facility. There may be additional costs that state insurance does not cover. For a lost card, provide the social insurance number, the national ID card (CCCD) or a level 2 VNeID account with integrated insurance details.

Private insurance: licence, claims and disputes

A person in Vietnam may buy insurance only from a licensed insurer, foreign non-life branch or micro-insurance body, except cross-border insurance under a treaty Vietnam has joined. Selling insurance without a licence is a prohibited act. The Ministry of Finance must publish the licence contents of each insurer on its web portal within 30 days of issuing the licence.

With no payment deadline in the contract, the insurer must pay within 15 days of receiving a complete valid claim file. An insurer that pays late owes interest for the time it was late. An insurer must explain a refusal to pay a claim in writing.

An insurance dispute goes first to negotiation. If that fails, it goes to mediation, arbitration or court as the contract agrees.

FV Hospital: direct billing

FV has direct billing agreements with over 100 leading domestic and international private insurance providers. The detail differs by insurer on its Direct Billing Partners page.

• For life-insurance holders, direct billing covers inpatient treatment only.
• For Cigna International, outpatient is direct billing for plans with outpatient coverage, and pre-authorisation required for inpatient care.
• For Generali Vietnam, outpatient is patient pays and claims, and a guarantee of payment (GOP) required for inpatient care.

FV’s fixed package prices apply to self-pay patients only, not to patients whose treatment is covered by health insurance. FV accepts Vietnam’s social health insurance for all eligible services, including emergency care, outpatient, inpatient and maternity services.

Vinmec Central Park: cashless billing steps

Cashless billing applies only to insurers that have signed a direct billing agreement with Vinmec. On arrival, the patient presents a passport and an insurance card. The guarantee confirmation takes 15-45 minutes, depending on the insurance provider.

Vinmec’s English page says health insurance benefits are accepted at all hospitals within the Vinmec Healthcare System.

Hoan My Sai Gon: international direct billing

Hoan My Sai Gon runs international direct billing through a network of insurance partners and third-party administrators. Its article of 9 April 2026 names these partners for international hospital fee guarantee:

• Pacific Cross Vietnam;
• Trails of Indochina;
• April Vietnam;
• Assist 24/7;
• SafetyNet Insurance Services (Vietnam);
• Tokio Marine Insurance Vietnam.

Raffles Medical: credit card authorisation

At Raffles, cashless direct billing requires a completed credit card authorisation form, and the patient stays liable for payment until the insurer settles the full amount.

Victoria Healthcare: direct billing and claim support

At Victoria Healthcare, the patient presents a valid card from a partner insurer, and the card owner’s ID card or passport. If the insurer denies part or all of the fees, the patient pays the clinic directly. For insurers the clinic has no agreement with, Victoria offers a Claim Support Service.

Family Medical Practice: direct billing and pay-and-claim help

Family Medical Practice provides cashless direct billing through its global network of partners. It also offers help with pay-and-claim paperwork when needed.

Checklist before you need care

1. Count on the state card only with a fixed-term labour contract of 12 months or more.
2. Find your registered first-contact facility on the card, and change it only in the first 15 days of a quarter.
3. Buy private cover only from a licensed insurer.
4. Use cashless billing only if your insurer has signed a direct billing agreement with the hospital.
5. Bring a passport and the insurance card.
6. Expect to pay yourself if the insurer denies part of the fees.
7. Keep claim papers: the insurer must pay within 15 days of a complete file when the contract sets no deadline.

For the full hospital guide, see hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City for foreigners. For medicines, see pharmacies in Ho Chi Minh City.

Photos and clips uploaded to Google Maps (FV Hospital on Google Maps (opens in a new tab), Vinmec Central Park International Hospital on Google Maps (opens in a new tab), Hoan My Sai Gon Hospital on Google Maps (opens in a new tab), Raffles Medical on Google Maps (opens in a new tab), Family Medical Practice on Google Maps (opens in a new tab)) by Benh vien FV, Linh tu Ha, Trongthuy Nguyen, Google Maps contributor, Tran Thi Thanh Ngoc.

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Not confirmed: The law names no state-card route for tourists or short stays, so private cover from a licensed insurer is the route for them. A private plan is confirmed for direct billing only if the hospital's own partner page names the insurer.

General information checked against the sources listed above, not legal advice for your situation. Rules and office practice change; confirm with the immigration office or a licensed adviser before you act. See how guides are checked.

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