Crowds stroll along illuminated Nguyen Hue Boulevard at night, flanked by colorful skyscrapers including Times Square Ho.

Travel guide

Staying well on the road in Vietnam

Vietnam is not a difficult country to stay healthy in. The things that actually trouble travellers are heat, stomachs, mosquitoes and roads. A travel clinic visit before you come covers the rest.

Plan my trip

Before you come

Start with a travel clinic

Last checked 22 September 2026

We review this page every six months and whenever public-health advice for the region changes. We are a travel company, not doctors: this page tells you what to ask about, and your own travel clinic or doctor decides what you need.

Book an appointment with a travel clinic or your own doctor six to eight weeks before you fly. Some vaccines need more than one dose, spaced weeks apart, and others take time to become effective. Take your itinerary with you: the advice for a fortnight of cities and beaches differs from the advice for three weeks in rural villages, or for anyone working with animals or staying a long time.

Bring a written list of any medication you take, its generic name, and enough to last the trip plus a few days, in its original packaging. Carry prescription medicines in your hand luggage, with a letter from your doctor for anything controlled.

Vaccines

The vaccinations people usually ask about

Travel clinics commonly recommend that visitors to Vietnam are up to date with routine vaccines and consider hepatitis A, typhoid and a tetanus booster. Depending on the length of stay, the season and the kind of trip, they may also discuss rabies, Japanese encephalitis and hepatitis B. These are the questions to ask; the answer for you depends on your history and your route.

What to ask about	Why it comes up
Routine vaccines	Recommended for travel anywhere
Hepatitis A and typhoid	Spread through food and water
Tetanus	Cuts and scrapes on the road
Rabies	Dogs are common; care after a bite is not always close at hand in remote areas
Japanese encephalitis	Mosquito-borne, relevant for longer rural stays in some seasons

Malaria risk in the places most travellers visit is low, and it is concentrated in some forested and border areas away from the usual routes. Your clinic will tell you whether your itinerary needs tablets.

Mosquitoes

Mosquitoes and dengue

Dengue fever is present across Vietnam, most of all in the rainy season and in cities. It is carried by a mosquito that bites during the day, not only at dusk. For most travellers it is an unpleasant week of fever and aches; occasionally it is more serious. Ask your clinic about the current position on vaccination rather than relying on anything written here.

Use a repellent with DEET, picaridin or a similar active ingredient, reapplied through the day and after swimming.
Light long sleeves and trousers at dawn and dusk, and in the delta and gardens.
Air-conditioned rooms and screens help. Most hotels have both.
A high fever during or after the trip is a reason to see a doctor and mention where you have been.

Four women in sun hats pose beside a leafy plant at a garden stop in the Mekong Delta.

Riders on scooters pose beneath a bougainvillea-covered shopfront on a quiet Hoi An street.

Gardens and canals are mosquito country: repellent before you step off the boat. · The middle of the day is for shade.

Heat

Heat, sun and water

The south is hot every day of the year, and the centre and north are hot through summer. Heat exhaustion is the commonest reason we change a traveller’s day. Drink water steadily, add rehydration salts on long days, wear a hat, and plan walking for the morning and late afternoon. Our itineraries put museums and lunch in the middle of the day on purpose.

Do not drink tap water; bottled and filtered water is everywhere. Use sunscreen, and bring your preferred brand, as good high-factor sunscreen is available in the cities but expensive. Air quality in Hanoi in the winter months can be poor on still days; if you have asthma or a lung condition, bring your inhaler and check the daily index.

Care

Pharmacies, clinics and hospitals

Pharmacies are everywhere in towns, marked with a green cross, and pharmacists sell many medicines without a prescription that would need one at home. This is convenient for rehydration salts, antiseptic, plasters and antihistamines, and it is a reason for care with anything stronger. Show the pharmacist the generic name of a medicine rather than a brand, and read the packet.

Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi both have international clinics and hospitals with English-speaking doctors, used to treating travellers and dealing with insurers. Da Nang has good options for the centre. Away from the cities, facilities are basic and a serious case means transfer to one of those. If you fall ill on one of our trips, the 24/7 line will find the nearest suitable clinic and send someone with you to translate.

Cyclists and motorbikes navigate a narrow Hanoi alley lined with shops, awnings and a pharmacy sign. — Pharmacies are easy to find; take the generic name of what you need.

Safety

Roads are the real risk

The most serious risk to a visitor in Vietnam is not a disease. It is traffic. Cross roads at a steady pace without stopping or running, wear a helmet on any motorbike, and think hard before renting one yourself. Travel insurance with medical evacuation cover is essential; our insurance guide covers the two clauses to check.

Common questions

Questions travellers ask most

Do I need any vaccination to enter Vietnam?

Not for most travellers. Proof of yellow fever vaccination can be asked of people arriving from countries where yellow fever is present. Everything else is advice, not an entry rule; ask your travel clinic.

Can I buy my regular medicines in Vietnam?

Often, but do not rely on it. Brands and strengths differ. Bring enough for the trip and a few spare days.

What happens if I need a doctor during a tour?

Tell your guide or call our 24/7 line. We take you to an appropriate clinic, translate, and help with insurer paperwork.