What to do in case of emergency in Vietnam

A medical emergency in a country you don't know well is disorienting enough without also having to work out which number to call or which clinic to trust.

This guide from LUMA covers Vietnam's emergency numbers, what to actually do in the moment, and a directory of international-standard clinics and hospitals in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, the two cities most tourists spend time in. Securing Vietnam Travel insurance before you depart on your trip can give you peace of mind when you know you have someone on the ground to assist you.

1. Call 115 for a genuine medical emergency. This is Vietnam's dedicated ambulance and medical emergency line, available nationwide.
2. For police or fire specifically, 113 and 114 remain the standard numbers, though Vietnam is in the process of unifying all three into a single 113 hotline as of 2026, worth being aware of even though the traditional numbers still work in the meantime.
3. If you're near one of the international clinics or hospitals listed below, calling their emergency line directly can get you a faster, more targeted response, especially useful given English-speaking operators aren't always guaranteed on the national emergency lines.
4. For anything beyond routine or moderately serious care, be aware that despite well-equipped private tertiary hospitals in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam's general healthcare standard is considered inconsistent in most locations. Medical evacuation to Bangkok, Singapore, or your home country may be proposed for specific serious conditions.

Ambulance / medical emergency: 115

Police: 113

Fire: 114

It's also a wise option to call the emergency number of a foreign-managed clinic or private hospital directly, listed below.

• Counterfeit medicines are present in Vietnam. Buying medication from a pharmacy attached to a reputable clinic or hospital reduces this risk.
• Urgent outpatient visits are usually handled at a foreign-managed clinic or private hospital rather than a public facility, and international clinics can generally organize medical evacuations to overseas destinations if needed.

Knowing which number to call is only half the picture. The other half is having someone who can help you make sense of the situation once you're on the phone or in a waiting room, whether a local clinic is enough or whether you need somewhere better equipped, and how a serious bill gets handled while you're still dealing with the emergency itself.

That's the gap Medipro, LUMA's in-house medical guidance team, is built for. Rather than leaving you to work through a list like this one alone, Medipro can help you think through what's actually happening and what the right next step is. LUMA coordinates billing directly with the treating facility instead of leaving you to cover it upfront in a system and currency you're not used to.