Pregnancy advice - Hanoi - Hanoi forum

Pregnancy advice - Hanoi

4POSTS

9 years ago

Hi,

My girlfriend has just found out she is pregnant.聽 We're living in the old quarter聽 (only just arrived a few weeks ago so a bit green). Can anyone recommend a good English speaking doctor/clinic/hospital where we can get definate confirmation. Obviously a little bit apprehensive as we are so new to Hanoi so any / all help and advice appreciated.

Thanks in advance

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Fred Indonesia Expert

30549POSTS

9 years ago

Hi, welcome and congratulations.
I hope local members can offer good suggestions for you.

1 member reacted to this post

dhjackal New member

4POSTS

9 years ago

Thanks Fred,

Luckily our hotel had a receptionist who has kids and recommended the following hospital just north of the old quarter. The website is ;

Might be useful for others in a similar situation.

We paid 鈧�40 (included a free meal voucher), the staff were professional, friendly and spoke excellent English. We were in and out in 2 hours. I couldn't recommend it enough. Tbh for the money you wouldn't get the level of service, care and treatment back in the UK.

phikachu Serial expat

352POSTS

9 years ago

Errr, the NHS is free...?

Nothing like a trip to a decrepit Vietnamese hospital after an accident to make you truly appreciate the NHS.

BTW, the going rate for a foreigner to be seen by a Dr at a hospital is 200,000 vnd. Locals are manipulated into giving about that in backhanders to jump the queue too. obviously it doesn't include treatment/medicine...most pharmacists would have test kits? There's one in the old quarter but they overcharge foreigners. 20,000 vnd for a plaster! Next day, different lady and it was 30,000.聽

dhjackal New member

4POSTS

9 years ago

Since when has the NHS been "free"?聽 I've paid taxes for 28 years in the UK......that amounts to a lot more than 拢40.

Personally I didn't care what it cost it was what we needed at the time. If you wanted to be helpful why didn't you reply to my original post with some helpful advice rather than a post rant about how I might / was / could have been ripped off?聽 Which by the way is a matter of oppion.......I personnally felt the level of service, respect, care and attention we received was well worth the money we paid.聽 I'm pretty sure under similar circumstances others would agree.

phikachu Serial expat

352POSTS

9 years ago

Ok so technically every UK citizen funds the NHS but what an amazing thing it is to have universal healthcare which provides the same level of service regardless of whether you are rich or poor or if you're willing to give the doctors backhanders.

Seems you went to a private hospital, now you know the going rate for if you ever need to visit a state one.

dhjackal New member

4POSTS

9 years ago

Ok so technically every UK citizen funds the NHS.........NO.......

Technically every working, tax paying citizen of the UK funds the NHS. I don't for one minute dispute the fact it's a great system and the people who work in it are both undervalued and extremely underpaid. The level of service you mentioned however is debatable. Have you ever been to an Accident and Emergency wing on a Friday night in London?

My reply to your post was both thankful and hopefully reassuring / helpful to others who by chance have found themselves in a position where they require medical treatment in Hanoi and are looking for a suitable, albeit paid solution. I'm not sure "backhanders" were involved in anyway and to be honest for the level of service and care we received at 拢40 I don't care. What I wanted to know was that my girlfriend and child were okay, fit and healthy and 拢40 was nothing compared to the piece of mind and care we received.

As for the going rate if I ever went to a state hospital? Are you joking? It'd take a doctor's appointment, refer to hospital, refer to nurse for blood test, 2 (if lucky) week wait for a scan etc etc.........not a chance you'd get that back home for 拢40.

As I said hopefully this thread will help someone who needs similar advice in the future. Maybe you should book a flight back to the UK if you should find yourself in need of medical treatment of advice whilst in Hanoi.

Thaiger Banned

299POSTS

9 years ago

I just go to a local clinic. takes 5 minutes and costs about 50k dong including 2 medicines.

phikachu Serial expat

352POSTS

9 years ago

dhjackal wrote:
Ok so technically every UK citizen funds the NHS.........NO.......

Technically every working, tax paying citizen of the UK funds the NHS. I don't for one minute dispute the fact it's a great system and the people who work in it are both undervalued and extremely underpaid. The level of service you mentioned however is debatable. Have you ever been to an Accident and Emergency wing on a Friday night in London?

My reply to your post was both thankful and hopefully reassuring / helpful to others who by chance have found themselves in a position where they require medical treatment in Hanoi and are looking for a suitable, albeit paid solution. I'm not sure "backhanders" were involved in anyway and to be honest for the level of service and care we received at 拢40 I don't care. What I wanted to know was that my girlfriend and child were okay, fit and healthy and 拢40 was nothing compared to the piece of mind and care we received.

As for the going rate if I ever went to a state hospital? Are you joking? It'd take a doctor's appointment, refer to hospital, refer to nurse for blood test, 2 (if lucky) week wait for a scan etc etc.........not a chance you'd get that back home for 拢40.

As I said hopefully this thread will help someone who needs similar advice in the future. Maybe you should book a flight back to the UK if you should find yourself in need of medical treatment of advice whilst in Hanoi.

Wasn't suggesting you are paying backhanders, I said Vietnamese citizens are expected too if they don't want to be deliberately neglected. Foreigners also have to pay a 200,000 fee just to see someone and rightly so. Its just a pretty sad state of affairs how corrupt the healthcare is in Vietnam but you didn't see that part. If you would compare their state healthcare system with the NHS, then you would realise how damn lucky we are.

I have had treatment before in a state hospital. Was in a motorbike accident in Ha Giang, paid my 200,000 vnd to be seen. Easy enough and didn't have to queue. Felt really sad for the massive queue of clearly poor and miserably ill looking people crammed in every single hall way. Was the same situation at a state run eye hospital.

Local vietnamese really are expected to pay backhanders just to be treated well. So sad seeing this happening and made me realise how awesome our NHS.

If you re-read what i wrote there's actually useful info in there and no comment about suggesting you over or underpaid. I think 拢40 is indeed cheap. Congrats on the kid. If i find myself in that situation in Hanoi, I'll know where to go聽