Medical staff administer radiation therapy to a patient at a hospital in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Thu Hien / Tuoi Tre
The list, released by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health on Friday, includes hospitals and clinics under the Ministry of Health, the municipal health department, district-level hospitals, and private specialty and aesthetic clinics.
The certified facilities fall into three categories:
- Category 1 includes foreign doctors licensed to practice in Vietnam.
- Category 2 includes Vietnamese healthcare workers recognized for their foreign language proficiency in clinical settings.
- Category 3 covers staff certified to work as medical interpreters.
Among the facilities offering English-language services under Categories 2 and 3 are Tu Du Maternity Hospital, the Hospital of Odonto-Stomatology, Children’s Hospital 2, Binh Dan Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City Eye Hospital, Trung Vuong Hospital, and City Children’s Hospital.
Category 1 facilities include Lotus Clinic, which serves patients in Japanese; Clinic No. 2 of the Ho Chi Minh City Heart Institute, which offers services in English; and Franco-Vietnamese Hospital, which provides care in both English and French.
The multilingual initiative is part of Ho Chi Minh City’s broader push to expand medical tourism.
While officials say language proficiency is critical to attracting and serving international patients, health experts note that heavy workloads remain a challenge for many medical professionals in Vietnam.
The experts add that developing foreign language skills for clinical use requires long-term commitment and personal sacrifice.
