Health and Safety in Vietnam

Health risks in the country include Hepatitis A and E, typhoid, dengue, cholera, bird flu, rabies, bilharzias, diarrhea, Japanese encephalitis, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. In 2004 there has been an outbreak of bird flu that causes so many lives in the country. Visitors are notified to practice caution when eating poultry dishes especially raw or uncooked poultry products. Avoiding contacts with live poultry is necessary too. Water is drinkable but visitors prefer to drink bottled water. There are health care with English-speaking doctors in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Pharmacies are enough in the country but make sure to check the expiry date. It is better to have a health insurance before going on Vietnam.

Violent crime in Vietnam is uncommon. Pick-pocketing is dominant in the streets of the cities especially in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) and Nha Trang. Drive-by thieves on motorbikes are also common in there. So if you want to wander around the cities, it is suggested that you should remove anything that can catch some extra attentions like jewelries and nice bags. Watch also for those taxi-girls that hug and ask men for some good time and then they will disappear along with your wallet or wrist watch. Be aware also on those motorbike-rentals because they have a duplicate key on your rented bike. A third person may follow you and steal the bike after you locked it some place. After reporting to the owner that the bike was stolen you would pay for a new bike or forfeit any documents that you left in them like passport, visa, or deposit. Don’t think of touching some old relics of war because they still are dangerous.