15

Yes that was me.

16

I'm in Nha Trang. I just went today for a cleaning, knowing I also had something to repair... After the cleaning ($15/300,000 VND - it is $10/200,000 VND for the local) I was told everything was okay... I then pointed at one tooth in the inside and asked was was the problem... Oh! She said... It is a decay... Yes, it is very cheap down here...!

17

Hey Alegre, did you ask for a check-up or just a cleaning? And why shouldn't you pay 50% more, how much did your plane ticket cost? Locals cannot afford a plane ticket to your country, and many would be denied a visa. And then they're stuck with the awful diagnostic care that you are complaining about.

Next time get your teeth cleaned at home.

18

If you are in Canada, I suggest going to Costa Rica, they have a very established medical/dental tourism industry and its very popular with North Americans.

Its only a 6 hour flight and not 15 million motos to dodge...

19

SoloHobo, thanks for the tip. I am going to be in Vietnam from Late Nov. to end of Feb., which is why I was asking about getting work done there. As it turns out, the timing doesn't work for getting an implant anyway, so I will look into the Costa Rica option for when I return. Cheers!

20

Bangkok is also a great place for dental/medical, even better than CR. Good luck...I hate dentist.

21

some of the more modern Nha Trang dentists are getting gready (and very rich). It's a good idea to shop around and also chat with local expats. You'll save big dollars!

22

Mooslie, I agree. One dentist in the tourist area quoted me a huge amount for teeth that didn't even need fixed. My village dentist did a perfect job at the right price.

23

Update after my first visit for checkup and cleaning…

I went back two days after for the repair of my decay: same hospital, same department, same chair, but this time, a dentist (the previous checkup and cleaning – the two goes together, Mookie – had been performed by a dental technician – I presume). After checking around my mouth for several minutes, she finally asked me (a nearby person translated) where was my decay…! I looked at her and I didn’t know if I was to answer or cried. She had glasses, a big light and a mirror…! And my mouth is not that big… Maybe she was looking at my eyes all that time… Hum!

It took an hour (after finding the decay) to fix my tooth. A good job. No complain. She gave me a paper to bring to the cashier on the first floor near the exit (Funny system where someone can go home without paying). The invoice says that I was to pay 15$/300000 VND. I couldn’t understand all the Vietnamese talking of the teller. Someone from the dental department had to come down and explained that – as a foreigner – the teller said, I had to pay $25/500000 VND. I had no problem with that, considering the time it took, what I would have paid back home – yes Mookie – and I was totally satisfied. I gave the 500000 VND… And… for whatever the reason, I was returned 200000…! I understood (I think) it was because I had already paid 300000 just two days before for the cleaning. If I had done it all together it was 500000. Whatever…

So, especially for you, Mookie, neither my previous reply nor this one are to complain about the cost of medical treatment in Vietnam. I’m not that stupid. And “my home” is Vietnam since more than two years. I can understand a bit of wisecracks on this forum, but I think your previous reply was a bit arrogant. No offense intended. And if someone cannot afford a plane ticket, he/she stay home – as you ingenuously said. And if they (the Vietnamese) are “stuck with an awful diagnostic” it is because of their own doctors. Read this other one:

A few days later: I returned again to the same hospital, this time for a minor ear infection. The “specialist” I was sent to was busy with a newspaper and a cell phone. Without even looking at me, he showed me a chair to sit and wait… He then took a flashlight with the hand not busy with the cell phone, look for a second or two at my ear, and said something to his assistant… She found someone outside to translate to me: “+The doctor said that you need to be hospitalized…+” No joke! She said also that I now need to pay $15/300000… No joke! This time I left the hospital without paying a single darned dong. How’s this for one more example of discrimination against foreigners…? At a close-by clinic, an ear specialist fixed my problem (45 minutes) for $10/200000 VND. I’m not the one who fixes the prices.

What I’m trying to say: after more than two years in Vietnam, yes, medical is cheap… So are the doctors IN GENERAL… Because it is possible to find good ones. There are. But nine out of ten however cannot speak English. And all of them, in private clinics especially, sell directly all the medication you need… and don’t need. They are well known to be “drug dealers”!

In the aftermath of the sad and painful Boat-People era of 1975 (following the fall of Saigon) Vietnamese immigrants with any medical diploma, regardless of his/her years of experience in Vietnam, where forbidden to practice medicine in USA and Canada. They needed first to go back to university.

In conclusion: If someone wants to travel to Asia with some medical treatment in mind, think of other more popular countries like the Philippines or Thailand.

Enjoy Vietnam!

24

@#23 Norm you got it!
@#24 Ralph My (near Yersin) now has a modern clinic but she is going way over the top with prices-chasing foreigners. I had a repair done by her assistant and it fell out after two months. I then had it redone by a really skilled guy in a modest surgery on the edge of the tourist area and it's been OK (and he did it a year and a half ago). My is expensive and her technicians unskilled-it's just a business for her now. Saigon Dental has opened up over the road from her but I don't know about their service.
@#25 Alegre-good to see someone having the guts to stand up to Moo kie.
moos lie

25

Yes that certainly took a lot of guts.

26

...a lot! As president of GOFC mr moo has a lot of influence!