Health Insurance for Foreigners in Nha Trang: Rules
A foreign employee on a fixed-term labour contract of 12 months or more with an employer in Vietnam is a mandatory health-insurance participant, 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.
One condition decides whether a foreigner joins Vietnam’s compulsory 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
Health insurance is a compulsory form of insurance applied to the subjects the Law specifies, run by the State and not for profit. 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.
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 employer-paid and state-paid cases the law lists. An employee on unpaid leave or with a suspended labour contract is also self-paying. A person living and working in a charitable or religious organisation is self-paying too.
A household is people who jointly register permanent residence, or jointly register temporary residence, at the same lawful place of residence. The self-paying household contribution is 4.5% of the base salary for the first member. 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.
What the fund pays
What the state health-insurance fund pays in six situations.
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 the cost of a single visit is lower than the level set by the Government. It pays 100% when the patient has taken part continuously for 5 years or more and the yearly co-payment passes a set threshold.
A participant may register a first-contact facility, and 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.
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.
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.
Private plans sold in Vietnam
Annual limits of Pacific Cross Care First and Liberty HealthCare plans.
Four insurers publish plans open to foreigners on their own pages: Pacific Cross, Liberty, APRIL International and SafetyWing. Their pages give limits and rules, not a verdict on which suits a given reader.
Pacific Cross Care First
Pacific Cross’s Care First program has an annual coverage limit up to VND 500 million. The inpatient plans CF1, CF2 and CF3 have maximum benefits of 100 million, 250 million and 500 million per policy year. The coverage area is Vietnam.
Room and board pays VND 600,000, 1,250,000 and 2,500,000 per day on CF1, CF2 and CF3, for a maximum of 60 days a policy year. Doctor visits pay VND 500,000, 1,000,000 and 1,500,000 per visit, up to 30 visits.
Intensive care pays VND 1,200,000, 2,500,000 and 5,000,000 per day, up to 30 days. Emergency expenses pay VND 1,700,000, 3,500,000 and 4,000,000 per visit, up to 5 visits. Ambulance services are covered up to 5 times a policy year.
Care First lists outpatient direct billing among its highlights. Its optional outpatient benefit has maximums of 10 million, 25 million and 50 million per policy year. The premium table covers ages 0 to 65.
For ages 36 to 40, the inpatient premium is VND 1,420 thousand on CF1, 3,258 thousand on CF2 and 6,182 thousand on CF3. A no-claim discount applies: 10% after 1 year, 15% after 2 consecutive years and 20% after 3 or more. The hotline is 1800.577.770.
Liberty HealthCare
Liberty describes its plans as global coverage for individuals, expats and groups, with a direct billing network in Vietnam and overseas. Plan H1 covers up to 2.4 billion VND. Plan H2 covers up to 6.6 billion VND. Plan H3 covers up to 24 billion VND.
The plans have no limit on hospitalization days. Room and board is up to 5.5 million VND per day on H1 and up to 7.15 million VND per day on H2. H3 covers room and board fully.
Liberty covers pre-existing conditions after a 1 year waiting period. It has no waiting period for special diseases. It offers a free annual medical check-up, vaccination and optical care. The quote line is 1800 599 998.
APRIL International MyHEALTH
APRIL says MyHEALTH is available to Vietnam nationals, permanent residents and foreigners. Each module has 3 levels of coverage: Essential, Extensive and Elite. Hospital and surgery annual limits are $100,000 or $500,000, $1,000,000 and $2,000,000.
There are 6 deductible levels: $0, $500, $1,000, $2,500, $5,000 or $10,000. The area of cover options are Worldwide, Worldwide excluding USA, and Europe and ASEAN excluding Singapore. The policy is portable when the member moves. It can be bought as a top-up to an existing plan.
Members get cashless access to hospitals worldwide and to 4,500 medical facilities in Asia.
APRIL lists Vietnam-based, multilingual customer support and 24/7 TeleHEALTH and second medical opinion services. Under full medical underwriting, the applicant declares their full medical history. Under the moratorium method, pre-existing conditions may become eligible after a two-year treatment- and symptom-free period. The information line is +84 28 4458 1459.
SafetyWing Nomad Insurance Complete
SafetyWing Nomad Insurance Complete costs $177.50 per month for ages 18 to 39. People can sign up until age 64, and coverage is renewable indefinitely once enrolled. The annual maximum limit is US$1,500,000.
Members see any licensed provider at any clinic or hospital, private or public, in 175 countries. Complete plans are a 12-month commitment. Mid-year cancellation is not permitted unless a qualifying life event occurs.
The Complete plan does not cover pre-existing conditions. SafetyWing defines one as any illness or injury treated or diagnosed in a person’s life, and any illness or injury with symptoms in the last two years. The application takes up to 10 days, and coverage starts on the 1st or 15th of the month, whichever comes sooner.
Vinmec Nha Trang’s FAQ says patients examined there are covered by health insurance under State regulations. It also says the hospital is linked with nearly 50 private and international insurance partners and supports quick direct billing of hospital fees.
Vinmec’s English insurance page says health insurance benefits are accepted at all hospitals within the Vinmec Healthcare System. Its list includes BIDV Insurance, Pacific Cross Vietnam, Allianz Partners, Asian Assistance (Thailand) and Bao Viet. It also lists International SOS, Petrolimex Insurance, Euro-Center (Thailand), Prestige International, Wellbe Vietnam, Europ Assistance and Remed Assistance.
The page links a Free Guarantee Procedure. The hotline for Vinmec Nha Trang is 0258 3900 168. A Vietnamese page on the hospital site says that hotline helps check individual insurance benefits.
Pacific Cross’s list gives a 24/7 emergency phone for Vinmec Nha Trang, (0258) 390 0188. It also gives the line 1900 23 23 89: press 0 for Vinmec, then 3 for Nha Trang.
The waiting area inside the Vinmec Nha Trang entrance.Vinmec Nha Trang International Hospital 42A Tran Phu, To dan pho Tay Son, Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa 650000, Vietnam · Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)
Khanh Hoa General Hospital — billing and insurers
A ward building at Khanh Hoa General Hospital.
Khanh Hoa General’s Service Centre states it links payment with state health insurance, domestic insurance and international travel insurance. Its price page names these domestic partners: PVI, Pacific Cross, Tokio Marine Vietnam and MSIG Vietnam. It names these overseas travel-insurance partners: Care of Asia, Asian Assistance, First Assist and Family Medical Practice.
Service Centre prices include a basic general check-up for men at VND 1,350,000. A general on-request room costs VND 400,000 per day and night, and a VIP room VND 900,000. The vaccine price list was updated to 22/09/2026.
Tam Tri offers a video guide to visiting with a hospital-fee guarantee card. It states a multilingual interpreter team including English, Chinese and Russian. In an emergency, the patient shows an insurance card, ID or smartphone app, or valid identity papers at the emergency reception. After an emergency admission, the emergency condition is confirmed within 24 hours.
Outpatient visits start at the reception counter on floor 1. Test payment is at the cashier on floor 3 or floor 4. Results are returned at the customer care counter on floor 3.
Conditions in Pacific Cross Vietnam's direct-billing list for Nha Trang.
Pacific Cross Vietnam’s direct-billing list, updated 30 November 2023, names five Nha Trang hospitals. They are 22-12 Hospital, Khanh Hoa General, Sai Gon - Nha Trang General, Tam Tri Nha Trang and Vinmec Nha Trang. It also names Tin Duc General Clinic. The list marks direct billing for inpatient and outpatient care at the hospitals.
The list sets these conditions:
Direct billing does not apply to preventive benefits: medical check-up, vaccinations, appliances and vitamins.
Clients should make reservations for office visits.
Clients should bring the coverage card and a copy of the ID card or passport.
A deposit or credit card can be required under the hospital’s procedures.
The insurer covers normal, usual and customary charges for all treatments.
Hospital notes in the same list: 22-12 Hospital asks the patient to pay the initial expense in advance and sign a payment commitment before the guarantee of payment arrives.
Khanh Hoa General asks patients to wait 1 to 2 hours after discharge for final confirmation. Sai Gon - Nha Trang takes a deposit of VND 500,000 before the patient meets a doctor. Tam Tri runs its guarantee-of-payment service through the International Clinic (Insurance Department) on the 3rd floor.
Not confirmed: Self-paying state cover for a foreigner without a work contract, such as a retiree or long-stay visitor, is not confirmed. Pacific Cross's direct-billing list for Nha Trang dates from 30 November 2023, so confirm with your insurer that a hospital still bills it directly. Tam Tri's own list of insurers is not published on its site.
Common questions
Do foreigners have to join Vietnamese health insurance?
A foreign employee on a fixed-term labour contract of 12 months or more with an employer in Vietnam is a mandatory participant, with three exceptions.
Who pays the contribution?
The employer pays two-thirds and the employee one-third of 4.5% of the monthly salary used for compulsory social insurance.
How much does the insurance fund pay?
It pays 100% of costs at a first-contact-tier facility. For any other subject it pays 80%.
Can I buy insurance from any company?
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.
How fast must a private insurer pay a claim?
With no payment deadline in the contract, within 15 days of receiving a complete valid claim file.
Does Vinmec Nha Trang accept health insurance?
Its FAQ says patients are covered by health insurance under State regulations, and says it is linked with nearly 50 private and international insurance partners for direct billing.
Which insurers does Vinmec list?
Vinmec's page lists accepted insurance including BIDV Insurance, Pacific Cross Vietnam, Bao Viet and International SOS.
Does a direct-billing list cover check-ups and vaccinations?
Pacific Cross's list says direct billing does not apply to preventive benefits such as medical check-up and vaccinations.
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.
