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Health Insurance for Foreigners in Vietnam: Rules and Plans

If you work for an employer in Vietnam on a fixed-term contract of 12 months or more, you must join state health insurance. The contribution is 4.5% of salary, and your employer pays two-thirds of it. With no Vietnamese employer, buy a private plan that direct-bills your local hospital.

On this page
  1. Find your case
  2. State health insurance
  3. Private plans
  4. Da Nang hospitals with direct billing
  5. Common questions

If you work for an employer in Vietnam on a fixed-term contract of 12 months or more, you must join the state health insurance scheme. You pay 4.5% of your salary into it, and your employer covers two-thirds of that. With no Vietnamese employer, buy a private plan that direct-bills the hospital you plan to use.

Find your case

Your case What to do Cost
Employee of a Vietnamese employer, contract of 12 months or more Join the state scheme, because it is compulsory. The work side is in social insurance for foreigners. 4.5% of salary, with two-thirds paid by the employer.
Remote worker paid from abroad You have no Vietnamese employer, so the compulsory group does not apply. Buy a private plan and check the hospital list below. Pacific Cross CF1 inpatient costs under one and a half million dong a year at ages 31-35.
Retiree Go private: someone already at retirement age when the contract was signed is outside the compulsory group. Bao Viet Intercare takes new buyers up to 69. Pacific Cross CF1 costs almost three million dong a year at ages 61-65.
Short stay, under a year SafetyWing Complete is a 12-month commitment, and you can cancel only in the first 15 days or at renewal. Bao Viet An Gia is a one-year policy that does not renew automatically and needs legal residence in Vietnam. SafetyWing is about $180 a month at ages 18-39.
Family with kids Pacific Cross has child bands from age 0. Bao Viet An Gia and Liberty take children from 15 days old. Pacific Cross CF1 costs a little over one million dong a year at ages 4-5.

State health insurance

The rule is Article 12(1)(c) of the Law on Health Insurance, as amended by Law 51/2024/QH15. It covers a foreign employee on a fixed-term contract of 12 months or more with an employer in Vietnam. Three cases sit outside it: an intra-company transferee, someone already at retirement age when the contract was signed, and a case where a treaty Vietnam has signed says otherwise.

Official Gazette page for the consolidated Law on Health Insurance, showing the first page of the consolidated text and its list of amending laws.
The consolidated Law on Health Insurance in the Official Gazette. Screenshot: congbao.chinhphu.vn. Source: Official Gazette (Công báo) — record page for Văn bản hợp nhất 22/VBHN-VPQH (consolidated Law on Health Insurance) (opens in a new tab), captured 27 September 2026

For a foreign employee the fund pays 80% of covered costs. It pays 100% at a first-contact facility such as a commune health station or a family-medicine practice. Register at one of those or at a basic-tier facility, and you can change it in the first 15 days of each quarter.

If you go to another hospital on your own, the fund pays only part of your benefit level. For inpatient care at an advanced-tier hospital that share is 40%, or 100% if it was a provincial-level hospital before 1 January 2025.

The law’s household route is defined through residence rules written for Vietnamese citizens. It does not say whether a foreigner’s registration counts, so without an employer plan on a private policy.

BHYT for Foreigners in Vietnam What the Law on Health Insurance and Decree 188/2025 state WHO CAN JOIN FOREIGN EMPLOYEE Compulsory participant Fixed-term labour contract of 12 months or more with an employer in Vietnam; intra-company transferees, those at retirement age and treaty cases are left out of this group. OTHER FOREIGNERS (not employed here): household route Open question The household route requires joint residence registration under the law on residence. CONTRIBUTION 4.5% of the monthly salary used for compulsory social insurance WHO PAYS Employer two-thirds, employee one-third WHAT BHYT PAYS OF COVERED COSTS First-contact tier facility 100% Participants in no higher-rate group 80% CHANGING YOUR REGISTERED FACILITY Change window First 15 days of each quarter DanangOi.com · Sources: Law on Health Insurance (as amended by Law 51/2024/QH15), Decree 188/2025/NĐ-CP Verified 27 Sep 2026 · Re-checked every 6 months BHYT for Foreigners in Vietnam What the Law on Health Insurance and Decree 188/2025 state WHO CAN JOIN FOREIGN EMPLOYEE Compulsory participant Fixed-term labour contract of 12 months or more with an employer in Vietnam; intra-company transferees, those at retirement age and treaty cases are left out of this group. OTHER FOREIGNERS (not employed here): household route Open question The household route requires joint residence registration under the law on residence. CONTRIBUTION 4.5% of the monthly salary used for compulsory social insurance WHO PAYS Employer two-thirds, employee one-third WHAT BHYT PAYS OF COVERED COSTS First-contact tier facility 100% Participants in no higher-rate group 80% CHANGING YOUR REGISTERED FACILITY Change window First 15 days of each quarter DanangOi.com · Sources: Law on Health Insurance (as amended by Law 51/2024/QH15), Decree 188/2025/NĐ-CP Verified 27 Sep 2026 · Re-checked every 6 months
A qualifying foreign employee is a compulsory BHYT participant, with the contribution split 4.5% — employer two-thirds, employee one-third. Whether a foreigner not employed here can join through the household route is an open question. BHYT pays 100% of costs at a first-contact tier facility and 80% for other subjects. You can change your registered facility in the first 15 days of each quarter.
Tap to enlarge diagram

Private plans

Plan Cover The catch
Pacific Cross Care First Up to VND 500 million a year, Vietnam only. Direct billing is not guaranteed in every case, and it skips check-ups and vaccinations.
Bao Viet An Gia, via HSBC Up to about VND 450 million a year, treatment in Vietnam. Pre-existing conditions are excluded in the first policy year.
Bao Viet Intercare, via HSBC Up to VND 10.5 billion a year, worldwide on the top plans. You must not leave Vietnam for more than 180 days at a stretch.
Liberty HealthCare Up to VND 24 billion a year on the top plan. Pre-existing conditions are covered only after a one-year waiting period.
SafetyWing Complete Up to about $1.5 million a year. A 12-month commitment, and sign-up closes at 64.

For care outside Vietnam, Pacific Cross Care Cross pays worldwide except the United States, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan and Switzerland. Liberty has a Da Nang branch at 66 Vo Van Tan Street.

Buy only from a licensed insurer, because selling cover without a licence is a prohibited act. Match the insurer’s legal name on your contract to the Ministry of Finance’s published list.

If an insurer refuses a claim, it must give you the reason in writing. With no deadline in the contract, it must pay within 15 days of receiving a complete claim.

Da Nang hospitals with direct billing

Pacific Cross direct-bills at Vinmec Da Nang, Family Healthcare, Hoan My, Tam Tri, Thien Nhan, Family Medical Practice and the public Da Nang Hospital. Thien Nhan covers outpatient and dental care only, Family Medical Practice outpatient care only, and Da Nang Hospital adds an administrative fee.

Hospitals may have joined or left that list, so ask the hospital’s billing desk before you rely on it. Keep another way to pay in case direct billing is unavailable. For a hospital that treats in English, see English-speaking hospitals in Da Nang.

↑ Contents

Not confirmed: Whether a foreigner without an employer can join state health insurance through the household route. Ask the social insurance office. Which of the seven Da Nang hospitals still bills Pacific Cross directly. Ask the hospital billing desk.

Next step

Need prices and availability from clinics, but the phone answers are in Vietnamese? Someone who speaks it can call 3 to 5 places and send you a comparison table. Administrative answers only, not medical advice.

Request enquiry calls

Common questions

Is health insurance mandatory for foreigners working in Vietnam?

Yes, if you work under a fixed-term contract of 12 months or more with an employer in Vietnam. With no Vietnamese employer you fall outside that group.

Who pays the contribution for a foreign employee?

The contribution is 4.5% of salary, and the employer pays two-thirds of it while you pay one-third.

What share of a hospital bill does state insurance pay?

For a foreign employee it pays 80%, and 100% at a first-contact facility.

What if I go to a hospital other than the one I registered?

The fund pays only part of your benefit level. For inpatient care at an advanced-tier hospital that share is 40%.

Can I change my registered first-contact facility?

Yes, in the first 15 days of each quarter.

Can a foreigner buy private health insurance in Vietnam?

Yes. Bao Viet policies sold through HSBC accept foreigners legally residing in Vietnam, and Liberty markets its plan to expats.

How much does private health insurance cost?

Pacific Cross CF1 inpatient costs a little over one million dong a year for an adult aged 19-25. SafetyWing Complete is about $180 a month at ages 18-39, with a 12-month commitment.

Does private cover replace the state scheme?

No. State health insurance stays compulsory for the groups the law names, including a foreign employee on a fixed-term contract of 12 months or more. A private policy is a separate contract.

Which Da Nang hospitals bill an insurer directly?

Direct billing is available at Vinmec Da Nang, Family Healthcare, Hoan My, Tam Tri, Thien Nhan, Family Medical Practice and the public Da Nang Hospital.

Sources and reader comments

Official legal texts (Gazette, government portals):

Show 7 more sources

Company and press pages (not official sources):

Comments (5)

  1. RichP18253

    Expats Health Insurance I am a 62 yo retired male planning on moving to Da Nang in the next few months. I'd like to hear from you regarding your experience obtaining health insurance that includes pre existing conditions coverage in addition to other challenges you've faced living in Vietnam. Thanks in advance!

    1. RichP18253

      Thank you. I'm currently well insured in the US and don't currently require care. However, it will be difficult to access that care if I move to Vietnam or anywhere in SE Asia where I cannot find an affordable policy which will include coverage for pre existing conditions. I have a comfortable retirement but still will not be able to self insure for the big things like heart, stroke, etc... This will leave me basically uninsured. I'm just trying to find a reasonable alternative so I don't have to change my retirement plans. Thanks!

  2. Individual-Series928

    Best Health Insurance Options? Hi everyone, My girlfriend and I (both under 30) will be staying in Da Nang for about 6 months. We might even rent a motorbike, so I’d like to be covered with proper health insurance. I’m wondering: 1. Is it better to get a local Vietnamese health insurance plan? If so, which companies do you recommend? 2. Or is it better to get international health insurance? Any suggestions for providers that have worked well for you? 3. What’s the average cost for decent coverage? Thanks a lot for your advice!

View all 5 comments

  1. phertick85

    Best private health insurance company recommendations. I am a foreigner who lives in Vietnam with my wife. She is Vietnamese, but she doesn't work for a company or anything, so she doesn't have insurance. I used to work for a company that provided insurance, but after we got married, I quit that job to go freelance and move to the highlands. I'm wondering what your opinion would be on the best health insurance to purchase. Is there a best company known for the best coverage out there? I'm aware of what companies offer, but just not sure which one to choose. Thanks!

    1. Saigonauticon

      I have Bao Viet. With only an hour of paperwork per year, and requiring to reach out on my own initiative every time expiry approaches, they accept my money in exchange for health insurance. Costs me about 12tr or so a year. So somewhat more expensive than government coverage, but works at more hospitals and also overseas (all of Asia). I've never had to claim, but I don't have to pay upfront and then file a claim or anything (although there is a deductible that I do have to pay upfront). So they've got a ways to go in customer service, but it seems to basically be OK.

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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