Travel Insurance for Vietnam

The answer is a very loud YES!

Though not mandatory by the law, insurance is a must for Vietnam, as the cost of major medical treatment is prohibitive. A travel insurance policy to cover theft, loss and medical problems is the best bet.

Some insurance policies specifically exclude such ‘dangerous activities’ as riding motorbikes, diving and even trekking. Check that your policy covers an emergency evacuation in the event of serious injury.

If you're driving a vehicle, you need a Vietnamese insurance policy.

Traveling without an insurance plan is never a good idea, especially when you are traversing unfamiliar territory with rules and regulations that are different to what you know at home. Not only does an insurance plan help protect you against uncertain financial and health risks, but they also provide you with a peace of mind as you travel.

Accidents do happen and we cannot always prevent them, but if you are covered by insurance, you will not have to pay the full cost of a loss, which can come in mounting bills. And when it comes to peace of mind, this will not be just for you, but also for your loved ones back home.

You can check out some more information before reading further:

1. Necessary vaccinations before traveling to Vietnam
2. Vietnam safety and precautions
3. Vietnam essential packing list for tourist
4. Useful addresses in Vietnam

Below are some risks that you may encounter during your Vietnam trip

Travel scams

Scamming travelers is almost a national sport - be prepared for these common scams.

Hectic Traffic

Vietnamese traffic is legendary and city traffic is among the craziest in the world. Here are our travel tips for getting around Vietnam.

Tropical Diseases/Seasonal Illness

Due to tropical weather, poor healthcare system and poverty, it is not surprising to find a number of infectious diseases in Southeast Asia. This situation is now improving, however, be careful of malaria and dengue fever when you plan to travel to some rural areas on a Vietnam adventure tours. 

Malaria can be found in the central highlands and some provinces in the south such as Bac Lieu and Ca Mau. There is no vaccine for this disease, thus, you should avoid getting bitten by mosquitoes. Mosquitoes usually live in humid, bushy, and dark places, so wear long pants in the evening and use mosquito spray during the daytime. 

Try not to open the window when you sleep in your hotel or homestay in rural areas. Check if your guesthouse has a mosquito net or meshing on windows.

Thermal Shock

There are several exposures related to the weather in Vietnam. As an elongated country, the temperature changes significantly from the north to the south.

Therefore, sunburn and sunstroke will affect your health unless you wear sunscreen and other sun-protection items such as hats, sunglasses, and long-sleeve shirts. Do not participate in any outdoor activity at a sweltering noon. 

Carry a bottle of water with you to avoid dehydration. Take yourselves time to rest if you travel to different regions in our country.

• The North possesses hot and humid summers (May – August) and cold winters (December – February) when the temperature may drop to 10 degrees Celsius. There may be snow in some northernmost points. Make sure you pack warm clothes if you plan an exploration in Northern Vietnam during winters.
• Central Vietnam is affected by storms between September and November, so make sure you plan your trip to this region during the period between January and August.
• The South experiences hot weather throughout the year and high rainfall from May to August.

Food allergy & safety

Vietnam is a threat to tourists with food allergies since many foods contain peanut and gluten. If you are allergic to a specific kind of foods (peanut, seafood, etc.), research the food in every destination. Inform your travel agent, tour guide, and restaurant so that we can arrange appropriate dishes for you. 

Pack some medicines and carry your clinical record in case of emergency. There are many Western restaurants in major tourist destinations in Vietnam; and you can find fast food, pizza, and steakhouse on the way.

For those who travel to Vietnam in spring, pollen allergy is also a problem. The symptoms are sneezing, watery eyes, and runny nose. Moreover, to avoid allergic reactions, skip a Hanoi tour during autumn (October – November) since the milk flowers (hoa sua) may irritate your nose.

Another food-related risk is the safety standard.

Remember it is not safe to drink tap water in Vietnam. Buy bottled water or boil water using electric kettles at your hotels. Avoid using ice in case the water is not clean.

It will be a big regret if coming to Vietnam without sampling local specialties. Street food in Vietnam is such a bet; you should use your instinct to find restaurants with a large number of customers and acceptable hygiene standards.

Take some anti-diarrhea medicines with you. Look for some restaurants and skip every skeptical street stall or vendor.

Pollution

Due to the hectic traffic, air pollution is a pressing issue in some major cities in Vietnam such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. If you have respiratory issues, purchase a medical mask while traveling around the cities during rush hour.

In case you want to stay away from metropolitan areas and seek for the bucolic countryside and natural landscapes, we have Mai Chau biking tours and Halong Bay Cruise for you.

Bites and Sting

You may be bitten by bed bugs, fleas, lice or scabies on dirty beds. If you stay in a local homestay, do not hesitate to tell the owner to change new bedclothes. Contact us for prestigious accommodations in Vietnam.

When visiting a rural area, avoid rabies caused by both wild and domestic animals. Don’t let your children play with dogs or cats. Stay away from the monkeys in Cat Ba Island on your Halong Bay day tour. Leeches are common in rice paddles, and you may find them on your farming tours to Vietnam’s countryside. 

The best way to get rid of them is burning them with matches. Wear boots when trekking to jungles to avoid being bitten by poisonous snakes.

If you plan some activities such as swimming, snorkeling, and diving on a beach holiday in Vietnam, jellyfish, stingrays, scorpionfish, stonefish, and sea snakes are not your pleasant friends. Get out of the water immediately and ask the locals for vinegar to stop the stinging. Sharks do not like shallow and crowded beaches, so the probability that you see sharks in Vietnam is low.

1. Look beyond the costs

Cost should not be your only consideration when buying travel insurance. As a general rule, you should only consider policies that include $2 million for medical expenses, $1 million for personal liability, $3,000 for cancellation, $1,500 for baggage and $250 for cash.

Note that the level of excess you opt for – the part of the claim that you must meet before the insurer pays out – will affect your premium. Not all insurers allow you to adjust the excess, but the more you are prepared to pay, the lower your premium will be.

2. Consider annual cover vs single-trip

There are two main types of travel insurance – single-trip, which only covers one getaway, or annual multi-trip, which covers you for every trip you make over the course of a year.

A single-trip policy is best for people who will only go on one holiday in a 12-month period, and can cost as little as a few pounds. Annual policies can be a cheaper option if you know you’ll be going away several times in a year.

3. Family finances

If you are travelling with your partner and children, consider opting for family travel insurance – and check with your insurer to see if it will cover your children if they travel without you – on a school trip, for example.

Annual policies can be a cheaper option for multiple trips

4. Check what countries are covered

It is vital you check which countries – including travel within your home country – are covered by your policy, as not all will be included.
If you are looking at an annual multi-trip policy, be aware that insurers tend to offer European cover or worldwide cover, with the latter attracting a higher premium in most cases.

5. Get specialist cover if required

Many standard travel insurance policies won’t include high-risk activities, such as scuba diving or skiing. So it might be worth taking out a specialist single-trip policy to cover a particular holiday.

If you are older or have a pre-existing medical condition, then you may also struggle to get travel insurance, as you are viewed as high risk. Specialist insurers – including Age UK and Saga – offer travel cover regardless of your age.

It’s vital that you are upfront and honest about any pre-existing medical complaints, even minor ones, as non-disclosure could result in your claim being rejected.

6. Maximum trip duration

If you opt for annual multi-trip travel insurance, check how many days come under your ‘maximum trip duration’. Most insurers will cover individual trips of up to around 31 days. If you are planning on being away for longer, speak to insurers directly or opt for specialist cover.

7. Driving overseas

If you plan on driving abroad, make sure you’re covered by your car insurance – some insurers do this as standard while others require you to pay extra.

8. Airline failure

Recent years have seen the collapse of a number of airlines and travel companies, so check the small print to see if you’re covered in this event. If you’re not protected as standard, you could add this extra cover for a fee.

9. Do you need cover for bags?

Before automatically including baggage cover in your travel insurance, check whether you are already covered under your home contents insurance.

10. Get cover when you book your trip

Buy your travel insurance as soon as you book your getaway. That way, if your holiday is cancelled or delayed before you head off, you can claim for it. Also check the policy document’s small print to ensure you’re covered for the total amount you paid.
Another consideration might be redundancy cover if you are concerned about losing your job.

You can see below the top topics that people are discussing about Vietnam travel insurance.

From trip cancellation to adventurous motorbiking across the country, travel insurance can be picked individually and tailored to your needs. They also come as a package that would cover just about everything. Here are the main things that travel insurance should cover for your trip to Vietnam.

Health/Medical Insurance

The first thing to know about healthcare in Vietnam is that it falls on either end of the spectrum: very cheap and basic with substandard quality, poor equipment, overcrowding and inattentive staff; or international standards with up-to-date equipment and staff trained overseas, and of course mounting bills. 

When mishap occurs and your body is in tremendous pain from an accident or illness, you will want to be taken care of the best way possible and thinking about that impending bill would add to your mental stress. 

That is when a travel health insurance plan comes in handy: it ensures that you have the best medical care possible all the while insuring you against a plummet in your savings.

Health insurance is imperative even if you believe yourself to have above average health. In Vietnam, just like any other Southeast Asian nation, roads are chaotic, and food safety in certain places is questionable. The weather is also ever changing, seeing as Vietnam is a long stretch of a country spanning multiple climate zones. 

Emergency medical situations

In some instances, visitors need to be evacuated to Bangkok or Singapore in order to get treatment. If you don’t have insurance cover, the cost of medical evacuation is huge and, if you need to get there, the consequences of not having the money could be dire.

Trip cancellation, interruption and delay

Trip cancellation is when you do not go on your trip at all, trip interruption is when you begin a journey but have to cut it short, and trip delay means postponing your plan. Having an insurance covering alteration as such to your pre-paid, non-refundable air tickets, hotels… is essential for those travel emergencies you cannot predict. 

It can either be you, your travel companion or family member back home suddenly falling ill that cancels or interrupts your trip. But it can be simply due to bad weather causing a flight to be delayed and thus resulting in a missed connection flight, which then affect your reservation for the hotel and so on... These fees might add up to a considerable amount without insurance.

Even with a trip cancellation insurance, it is not all straightforward. You should show your insurance company you made a good faith effort to continue your trip. We also strongly suggest that you keep any evidence when making a claim for unexpected incidents. 

Factors such as pre-existing medical conditions, connecting flights less than 3 hours apart may not ensure that you will get your money back. What you should do to avoid this is to document your efforts as detailed as possible, such as the reason your flight was canceled, the time you spoke to airline representatives and the quote of their response.

Adventurous activities

If you crave for that sense of adventure, Vietnam offers an array of attractive activities: hiking, scuba diving, cruising, etc. A specific category of insurance is needed to cover you and your travel companions in such cases. And even if you choose to stay in the city, you will not want to miss the most authentic way to experience Vietnamese life : getting on the back of a motorbike.

Would you like to have an adventurous bike trip?

Road maintenance and driving standards can be a big change to you, especially if you are coming from Europe or the States. Traffic accidents do unfortunately occur frequently, especially since motorbikes and scooters account for 95% of registered vehicles. 

If you want to engage in those adventurous motorbike tours, medical insurance will simply do you good. If you want to be fully covered while riding motorbikes in Vietnam, you need the following policies:

• Medical insurance: where emergency medical expenses, the cost of evacuation and repatriation is no longer on your shoulder should accidents occur.
• Third party liability insurance: where it covers damages or loss you accidentally incur to a third party.
• A valid motorcycle license: Unless you engage in some light riding, driving a motorcycle whose engine power is higher than 50 cc, requires you to have a Vietnamese license. You can obtain one only if you have a visa that allows a stay of longer than 30 days. The insurance can refuse to cover you if you do not hold the required license.

Moreover, no travel insurance company is obliged to cover you if you ignore usual safety precautions, such as not wearing helmet, being under influence of drugs and alcohols or violating local road rules.

Loss and theft

While Vietnam is relatively safe for travelers, petty crimes such as bag snatching, phone grabbing or pickpockets do occur to the occasional misfortunate traveler. Travelers have the advantage of taking a further step in safeguarding against such loss once one purchases an insurance.

It is advisable that you keep the receipt of your belongings and ask for a police report should your things get lost or stolen. Most insurance packages require official reports for claiming stolen or lost property.

Comprehensive package plan

You can save your sweats by purchasing all the above-mentioned insurance plans as a package, also called a comprehensive plan. This is a great idea, especially when you are new to this whole confusing insurance thing. These packages can vary per plan, though, so always make sure to study the fine print nevertheless.

In general, a travel insurance plan will never cover you in 2 main cases:

Pre-existing medical conditions

Generally, pre-existing medical conditions are not covered. If you have a pre-existing condition, you must first get a quote to determine whether or not the condition will be covered.

While getting a quote, you need to disclose pre-existing medical conditions including recurring illnesses or injuries, on-going or lifelong conditions, previous surgeries and any conditions you are currently suffering from.

This information will then be used to determine if you need to pay any extra premium, a higher amount of money you pay towards a claim, or a medical related exclusion.

For policies where pre-existing conditions are not covered, you are covered for all the usual situations as long as they are unrelated to the medical condition you had or were aware of before you bought it.

They do not cover stupid

World Nomads puts this best by saying, “deliberately putting your life in danger is not covered.” This means things like picking fights with locals, racing your rental car, and even picking up a sexually transmitted disease.

If you fancy risking your neck, it is likely you will be doing it on your own dime.

Another stupid thing that you may encounter but never get covered is getting accidents when drunk. Yes, it is damming true even if your insurance plan covers these activities such as driving, scuba diving, or cliff jumping. But in case you are drunk, the coverage is NONE.

So we recommend you keep yourself in track and have the common sense of doing the right things, or you will regret for that.

You can purchase travel insurance every time you go on a trip, or you can opt for an annual multi-trip travel insurance, which usually covers any number of trips within a certain period, usually a year. If you are a regular traveler, or you are planning a long-haul adventure, an annual insurance may work out cheaper.

It can also be the case that levels of cover, particularly for medical expenses, baggage and cancellation tend to be more generous on an annual policy. If you are a frequent traveler, it takes the hassle out of organizing insurance for every trip you take.

First, reflect on your vision for the trip, decide on activities you think having insurance would be a good idea for. Or if you are unsure, opt for comprehensive plan.

Always read your policy documents carefully so you understand your coverage. You can easily search for insurances online, study the quote and fine print, and especially pay attention to:

• What is included and excluded in the policy
• How to contact your insurer when you are overseas
• What paperwork or information you need to take with you
• The monetary limits for claims on individual items and as a whole
• The proof you might need to make a claim
• 24/7 hotline assistance with free call number from overseas. Accidents do not have regular office hours, so your insurance should not either.

To help you in your query you can compare insurances online through dedicated websites, but in any case, double check the contract policy and coverage on the insurance provider website itself before making the purchase and contact them in case you are unsure about specific points.

Below are some main insurance comparative websites: 

• Squaremouth: This site helps you to compare 107 travel insurance policies from 22 providers with more than 45,000 reviews.
• Insure My Trip: This is an extremely useful online insurance marketplace : Most major travel insurance companies are listed, and you can compare them and their policies side by side. You can also filter searches based on important factors such as customer feedback and more.
• Gobear: This is an online review community. Before you make any purchase online, you can go to this site to see what other people have to say about the company or service. Then you will have the information you need to make the best purchase.

Now that you know travel insurance is a good investment before any trip, you will be wondering which companies provide good plans.

Though some banks also offer travel insurance, the most common way that many people often buy insurance is through websites of renowned companies. They always offer many different plans for different budget levels and travel styles/dates.

So you can easily choose the one most suitable to you. Some good reputable insurance companies which we recommend are: IM Global, AIA, World Nomad, AXA, …

By the way, try not to opt for the cheapest travel insurance option. Many of them do not offer what you will need. Always compare and make sure you study the plan well!

The purchasing process is different from each company, but generally, it will go through these 7 steps:

1. Access the site of the insurance company

You will need to make up your mind about which company has a good and sustainable plan for your trip. Then follow through to their website.

2. Choose your trip coverage

The 2 types of trip coverages are:

• Single coverage: This is a coverage for a single trip. It is perfect for occasional travelers
• Annual coverage: This is a whole year plan. It is suitable for those who go travel frequently, either for business or personal purposes.

3. Fill in the form

The system will ask you for some demographic information such as name, age, gender, ID number, some important dates (requested coverage effective date, departure date, return date and so on), contact information (address, phone number, email).

4. Choose your plan

Before or after you submit the form, the system will process the information. They will then send you a quotation according to their calculations. Now is the time to choose a suitable plan for your budget.

5. Review your information

It is important to check the information you provided on the form. Make sure that everything is correct.

6. Choose your payment

Fill out your payment information – payment type, card holder’s information and billing address. Do not forget to sign your name if requested.

7. Complete the purchase

After submitting the payment form, you should receive a confirmation email. Check your inbox and follow the instructions then.

Although you can buy the insurance whenever you can (even one day before your departure), we suggest you to purchase it at least a week in advance. Because due to the policy of each company, your insurance can either be verified immediately after your payment or the verification process might require 2 – 5 days.

Sometimes, it is even essential to obtain an insurance plan before you apply for a visa for certain countries. Of course, not all passports require acquiring visa in advance, but it is best to check online.

Visit our “Vietnam visa guide” to learn more.

What else?

Copy your insurance plan and give it to one or two trusted people back home who can provide the information in case you lose yours or are unable to provide it, for instance your bag got lost or unfortunately you become unconscious after an accident.

It is also advisable to keep your insurer and emergency contact details somewhere they can be easily found, such as your wallet.

Make sure you have a list of stuff you are taking on your holiday, including any receipts if possible. Also, in most cases, you will need to advance the payment of your medical care.

It is therefore strongly advised that you keep every supporting document such as your hospital bills, flight ticket invoice, police reports for loss and theft... That will make any claims considerably easier.

Is Vietnam safe to travel?

All in all, Vietnam is an extremely safe country to travel in. Millions of people each year visit this country – and increasingly not only intrepid backpackers! Couples on a long holiday, retirees, families; all sorts of people are coming to Vietnam.

• The police keep a pretty tight grip on social order and there are rarely reports of muggings, robberies or sexual assaults.
• Scams and hassles do exist, particularly in Hanoi, HCMC and Nha Trang (and to a lesser degree in Hoi An).
• Be extra careful if you’re travelling on two wheels on Vietnam’s anarchic roads; traffic accident rates are woeful and driving standards are pretty appalling.

Q. Should I get travel insurance for Vietnam?

Insurance is a must for Vietnam, as the cost of major medical treatment is prohibitive. A travel insurance policy to cover theft, loss and medical problems is the best bet.

Some insurance policies specifically exclude such ‘dangerous activities’ as riding motorbikes, diving and even trekking. Check that your policy covers an emergency evacuation in the event of serious injury.

If you're driving a vehicle, you need a Vietnamese insurance policy.

Q. Is travel insurance mandatory in Vietnam?

No, not at all. But as stated above, insurance is the good investment for you to rely on.

Q. Is there health insurance in Vietnam?

Yes, the healthcare system in Vietnam combines aspects of Eastern and Western medicine. The Vietnamese government is currently working to develop a universal healthcare plan which will cover all residents with basic medical care.

Q. Which travel insurance is best?

This will depend on what activities are you going to do in Vietnam, and what you expect to be covered. Check “How to pick the right travel insurance plan?”, and "10 tips to buy a good travel insurance" above

What to pack for Vietnam?

Check out the full packing list for Vietnam HERE

Do I need a visa to visit Vietnam?

The answer is “YES, you do”. But with the current improvement, it is now much easier to get your Vietnam visa done. Here is how you can apply for Vietnam Visa