# Healthcare in Vietnam for Expats: Vinmec, FV, Raffles Compared > Compare Vinmec, FV Hospital, and Raffles for expat healthcare in Vietnam. Fees, insurance rules, JCI accreditation, and what to expect in 2026. **URL:** https://migaku.com/blog/language-fun/healthcare-in-vietnam-for-expats-vinmec-fv-raffles-compared **Last Updated:** 2026-05-22 **Tags:** resources, culture, comparison --- Vietnam's private hospital sector has matured to the point where most expats in Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi can get internationally accredited care without flying to Bangkok or Singapore. The three names you will hear most often are Vinmec (a Vietnamese chain with Cleveland Clinic ties), FV Hospital (Franco-Vietnamese, now Singapore-owned), and Raffles Medical (the regional Singaporean group with clinics in both cities). This guide breaks down how they compare on accreditation, cost, insurance compatibility, and practical access. *Last updated: May 22, 2026* ## The Vietnamese healthcare landscape in 2026 Vietnam has roughly 1,531 hospitals nationwide, of which about 86% are public and 14% private (2023 reporting). Public facilities are inexpensive but typically overcrowded, with long waits, limited English, and shared wards. Most expats default to private international hospitals for anything beyond routine care, and use travel or international insurance to absorb the cost difference. The national emergency ambulance number is 115. Response times in central districts of Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi are reasonable, but in practice many expats call their preferred private hospital's own ambulance line directly, because the dispatcher may speak English and the ambulance will route to a hospital where your insurance is accepted. A major regulatory shift took effect on July 1, 2025: under the 2024 Law on Social Insurance (Law No. 41/2024/QH15) and Decree 158/2025/ND-CP, foreign workers holding a fixed-term Vietnamese labor contract of 12 months or longer must enroll in compulsory social and health insurance. This is in addition to any private cover you carry. We cover the contribution math further down. ## Vinmec: the Vietnamese champion Vinmec Healthcare System runs nine hospitals across Vietnam and is the only private health network in the country structured as not-for-profit. Two of its hospitals carry JCI accreditation, and Vinmec Central Park in Ho Chi Minh City became a Cleveland Clinic Connected member in May 2024, giving it formal second-opinion and clinical-protocol channels into the Cleveland Clinic network in the US. Key practical points: - Locations expats use most: Vinmec Central Park (HCMC, near Binh Thanh, about 25 minutes from Tan Son Nhat International Airport) and Vinmec Times City (Hanoi, around 40 minutes from Noi Bai). - Languages: Interpretation available in English, Arabic, Korean, Chinese, and Russian. - Health-check packages (2025 pricing): - Standard check (under 40): VND 6,800,000 - Advanced check (over 40): VND 10,000,000 - Premium: VND 30,000,000 - Elite: VND 50,000,000 - Tariff updates: Vinmec Central Park rolled out a new service price list effective October 14, 2025. Confirm current rates directly with the hospital before any planned procedure. Vinmec tends to be the first choice for families with children (strong pediatrics and maternity), patients who want a clean, hotel-style environment, and anyone who values the Cleveland Clinic referral pathway for complex cases. ## FV Hospital: the Franco-Vietnamese standard FV Hospital (Franco-Vietnamese Hospital) sits at 6 Nguyen Luong Bang, Phu My Hung, District 7, Ho Chi Minh City, on a five-hectare campus with 220 inpatient beds, nine operating rooms, and more than 30 medical specialties. The main switchboard is +84 28 3511 3333. Patient Services runs on extensions 7700 and 1353, Monday to Friday 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM and Saturday 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM. FV was the first JCI-accredited hospital in southern Vietnam, accredited on March 5, 2016, and at its 2025 reaccreditation it scored over 98% compliance across more than 1,200 JCI criteria. In January 2024, FV was acquired by Singapore's Thomson Medical Group for up to USD 381.4 million (around SGD 517.1 million), the largest healthcare transaction in Vietnamese history. Ownership change has not disrupted operations, but it has accelerated investment. What changed recently: - Vietnamese social health insurance (BHYT): FV began accepting BHYT for outpatient and emergency services from July 1, 2025, and expanded acceptance to all services from January 1, 2026. This is significant if you are on a long-term work contract and now paying into the system. - Installment plans: Since January 2025, FV offers installment payment for medical fees, including 100% coverage of conversion fees for 3-month plans. - Direct billing with insurers: FV provides direct billing with more than 30 international insurers, including Cigna, Bupa, Aetna, AXA, Pacific Cross, Allianz, International SOS, Generali, AIA, and Manulife. FV is often the expat default in Ho Chi Minh City for surgery, oncology, and emergency care, partly because of the depth of specialties on a single campus and partly because the staff has decades of experience working with French- and English-speaking patients. ## Raffles Medical: the Singaporean option Raffles Medical Group operates outpatient clinics in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi rather than full inpatient hospitals. They are the right choice for primary care, vaccinations, pediatrics, women's health, occupational health, and chronic-condition follow-up if you want a Singapore-style clinic experience and direct integration with Raffles Hospital in Singapore for complex referrals. For inpatient surgery or emergency admission, Raffles will typically refer you onward (to FV, Vinmec, or to Singapore depending on the case and your insurance). Many corporate expat packages list Raffles as the front-line provider and a Vietnamese hospital as the inpatient partner. ## Side-by-side comparison | Feature | Vinmec (Central Park / Times City) | FV Hospital (HCMC) | Raffles Medical (HCMC / Hanoi) | |---|---|---|---| | Type | Inpatient hospital network, 9 sites | Single large inpatient hospital, 220 beds | Outpatient clinics | | Accreditation | JCI (2 hospitals), Cleveland Clinic Connected | JCI since 2016, 98%+ at 2025 reaccreditation | Singapore-standard clinic protocols | | Best for | Maternity, pediatrics, premium check-ups, Cleveland Clinic referrals | Surgery, oncology, emergency, multi-specialty inpatient | Primary care, vaccinations, family medicine, referrals to Singapore | | Languages | English, Arabic, Korean, Chinese, Russian | English, French, Vietnamese | English, Vietnamese | | Vietnamese BHYT accepted | Varies by site | Yes, all services from Jan 1, 2026 | Limited, clinic-level | | Direct billing with intl. insurers | Yes, major insurers | 30+ insurers including Cigna, Bupa, Aetna, AXA, Allianz | Yes, major insurers | ## What care actually costs Price transparency in Vietnam has improved but is still uneven. Use these brackets as planning numbers and confirm with the hospital before any non-emergency treatment. - Private hospital inpatient room, per night: VND 6,000,000 to VND 20,000,000 (roughly GBP 165 to GBP 551), depending on hospital, room class, and city. - GP consultation at an international clinic: typically VND 800,000 to VND 2,000,000. - Vinmec standard health-check package (under 40): VND 6,800,000. - International health insurance premiums for individual expats: approximately GBP 915 to GBP 2,287+ per year, with wide variation by age, deductible, and whether the US is included in geographic cover. Note that 2026 room rates for FV Hospital (single, shared, VIP) and the full Vinmec October 2025 tariff sheet are not consistently published online. Call Patient Services for a written quote before scheduling anything elective. ## Vietnam's compulsory insurance rules for foreign workers This is the rule change most expats underestimate. If you sign a Vietnamese labor contract of 12 months or longer, you and your employer are now required to contribute to the national system. - Combined contribution: 30% of monthly salary (9.5% from the employee, 20.5% from the employer), covering Social Insurance, Health Insurance, and Work Injury Insurance. - Salary cap: contributions are capped at 20 times the statutory reference level. From July 1, 2025 the reference level is VND 2,340,000 per month, so the contribution base is capped at VND 46,800,000 per month. - Exemptions: intra-company transferees, workers who have reached Vietnamese retirement age at contract signing (61 years 3 months for men, 56 years 8 months for women in 2025), and individuals covered by qualifying bilateral treaties. - Lump-sum exit payout: when you leave Vietnam, a one-time social-insurance payout is processed within 7 working days of a complete application. Practical consequence: BHYT (the health insurance component) gives you cheap access to public hospitals and, increasingly, to participating private hospitals such as FV. It does not replace international cover if you want private rooms, English-speaking specialists, or direct billing. Most expats end up carrying both. For broader context on how expats elsewhere stack mandatory state cover with private top-up, see [how expats navigate healthcare systems](https://migaku.com/blog/language-fun/how-spains-public-healthcare-works-for-expats-and-long-stay-residents) and [expat health insurance considerations](https://migaku.com/blog/language-fun/mutuelle-in-france-why-expats-need-top-up-health-insurance). The same logic of "state floor plus private top-up" applies in Vietnam from July 2025 onward. ## Choosing between Vinmec, FV, and Raffles A practical decision tree: - You live in District 7, District 2, or Phu My Hung in HCMC: FV Hospital is your closest serious inpatient option. Register as a patient even if you do not need care yet, so your file exists in an emergency. - You live in Binh Thanh or central HCMC: Vinmec Central Park is convenient. For routine GP care, a Raffles clinic visit is faster. - You live in Hanoi: Vinmec Times City is the main inpatient choice. Raffles Hanoi handles primary care. - You have young children: Vinmec's pediatrics and maternity reputation is the strongest among the three. - You expect complex surgery or oncology: FV Hospital, given the JCI track record and the depth of specialties on one campus. - You want a Singapore referral pathway: Raffles, with onward transfer to Raffles Hospital Singapore. - You are on a 12-month+ Vietnamese contract: budget for the 9.5% employee social-insurance contribution, and check whether your preferred hospital accepts BHYT alongside your private plan. For a comparison of how a similar three-tier system (public, semi-private, fully private) works in another expat-heavy country, see [healthcare options for foreigners in Asia](https://migaku.com/blog/language-fun/healthcare-in-mexico-for-foreigners-imss-imss-bienestar-and-private-compared). ## FAQs Do I need international health insurance if I have BHYT? If you only use BHYT, you get access to public hospitals and to participating private hospitals such as FV from January 1, 2026, but at standard service levels. For private rooms, English-speaking specialists, or evacuation cover, you still need international or local private insurance. Can I pay cash at FV or Vinmec? Yes, both accept cash and card. FV introduced installment plans in January 2025 covering 100% of conversion fees on 3-month plans. Get a written estimate before admission for elective procedures. Which hospitals do direct billing with my insurer? FV directly bills more than 30 insurers, including Cigna, Bupa, Aetna, AXA, Pacific Cross, Allianz, International SOS, Generali, AIA, and Manulife. Vinmec works with most major international insurers as well. Always confirm with both your insurer and the hospital's admissions team before treatment. What number do I call in an emergency? 115 for the national ambulance service. In practice, save the direct ambulance line of your preferred hospital (FV: +84 28 3511 3333) in your phone, because routing matters. Is the care quality really comparable to Singapore or Bangkok? For most routine and mid-complexity cases, yes. FV's 2025 JCI score of over 98% across 1,200+ criteria, and Vinmec Central Park's Cleveland Clinic Connected status, put both within the international private-hospital tier. For highly specialized procedures (advanced cardiac surgery, rare oncology protocols), expats and insurers still sometimes evacuate to Singapore or Bangkok. What happens to my social insurance contributions when I leave Vietnam? Foreign workers can claim a one-time lump-sum payout, processed within 7 working days of a complete application submitted to Vietnam Social Security. If you are settling in Vietnam for the long haul, picking up enough Vietnamese to handle a pharmacy visit, an ambulance call, or a follow-up appointment makes the whole healthcare experience smoother. [Try Migaku](https://migaku.com/signup) if you want to learn Vietnamese from real shows, news, and conversations rather than textbook drills.