How much does health insurance cost for an expat in Vietnam?

Vietnam runs two systems side by side too: BHYT, the compulsory public scheme, and a private hospital network built around FV Hospital, Vinmec, Family Medical Practice, and Raffles Medical in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. From 1 January 2026, BHYT members can also be treated at FV at standard BHYT rates, but that access sits inside the public fee schedule, not the international-standard billing a private plan actually pays for. Most expats end up carrying both: BHYT through payroll if they're on a Vietnamese labor contract, and a private international plan for the hospital, the doctor, and the evacuation option BHYT was never built to fund.

What health insurance actually costs in Vietnam

Real plans quoted today for four common households, split by three coverage tiers: Basic hospitalisation-only, Mid-tier with outpatient added, and Premium comprehensive cover.

Live pricing pulled from the EHG quote engine: British nationality, Worldwide Excl. US, low deductible. Your own quote will vary by nationality, deductible, and benefits chosen, so use the tool below for a number matched to you.

Prices are annual premiums in USD, Worldwide Excluding US cover, low deductible. Actual pricing depends on age, insurer, benefits selected, and underwriting, so use the tool below for numbers matched to your own household.

What moves the price

• Age, premiums climb steadily after 45, and again after 60.
• Coverage level, outpatient, dental, and maternity add more to the premium than any other single choice.
• Area of cover, dropping the US from your area of cover is usually the single biggest saving available.
• Deductible, a higher deductible lowers the premium, but raises what you pay before a claim starts paying out.

The same tiers broken down by age band, for a single applicant:

Live pricing pulled from the EHG quote engine: British nationality, Worldwide Excl. US, low deductible. Your own quote will vary by nationality, deductible, and benefits chosen, so use the tool below for a number matched to you.

Getting treated in Vietnam

FV Hospital in District 7 and Vinmec Central Park in Binh Thanh are Ho Chi Minh City's two JCI-accredited options for expats, both used to billing international insurers directly. Hanoi's equivalent is Vinmec Times City, with Family Medical Practice and Raffles Medical covering GP visits and specialist referrals in both cities. Outside HCMC and Hanoi, private care thins out fast: Da Nang has a Family Medical Practice clinic, but anything beyond routine care usually means a transfer to one of the two big cities, or further, to Bangkok or Singapore. For a stroke, a cancer diagnosis, or complex trauma, that transfer runs US$25,000 to US$45,000, a bill BHYT and most local Vietnamese policies were never designed to pay.

Visa and residency notes

Vietnam doesn't attach a minimum insurance requirement to its visa or Temporary Residence Card process the way Thailand's O-A visa does; the TRC application asks for a Vietnam-issued health check, not proof of cover. What it does require: if you're working under a Vietnamese labor contract of 12 months or longer, the 2024 Law on Social Insurance obliges your employer to enrol you in the compulsory scheme, sickness, maternity, and retirement funds included, with contributions split between you and them. That's a payroll deduction, not a hospital plan, and it doesn't touch FV, Vinmec, or an evacuation flight.

Two gaps people miss

• Pre-existing conditions, most insurers cover a new diagnosis from day one, but anything you already had before applying is usually excluded, loaded, or reviewed after a waiting period. Disclose it upfront rather than finding out at claim time.
• BHYT isn't a private plan, the 2026 rule letting BHYT members walk into FV at standard rates covers the building, not the billing. You're still inside the public fee schedule, with no medevac and no guarantee of an English-speaking specialist on the day you need one.

Bottom line

The cheapest plan on paper is rarely the right one if it drops outpatient cover you'll actually use, or caps evacuation below what a real transfer to Bangkok or Singapore costs. Compare tiers on the tables above, then run your own ages through the tool below for live pricing matched to your household.