A foreign medical degree does not automatically give a doctor the right to treat patients in Vietnam. Foreign doctors who want to practise clinically normally need to satisfy Vietnamese medical licensing requirements as well as immigration and employment rules.
The main framework is the Law on Medical Examination and Treatment No. 15/2023/QH15, which has applied since January 1, 2024, together with Decree 96/2023/ND-CP and subsequent procedural changes introduced in 2026.
There is an important timing issue for doctors applying in 2026: Vietnam is still in a transitional period for the new national competency-assessment system. Doctors applying for a practice license through December 31, 2026 benefit from transitional rules that differ from those applying from January 1, 2027.
Can foreign doctors work in Vietnam?
Yes. Foreign-qualified doctors can work in Vietnam, including at private hospitals, international clinics and other licensed healthcare facilities, provided they meet the applicable medical practice and employment requirements.
In most ordinary employment situations, there are two separate legal questions:
- Are you authorised to practise medicine in Vietnam?
- Are you authorised to work in Vietnam as a foreign worker?
A medical practice license does not automatically replace a work permit, and a work permit does not give someone permission to practise medicine without the required healthcare authorisation.
The main requirement is a Vietnamese medical practice license
Doctors providing medical examination or treatment in Vietnam generally need a valid Vietnamese license to practise medicine.
Under the current Law on Medical Examination and Treatment, a practice license records information including:
- The practitioner's name.
- Passport and nationality for foreign practitioners.
- Professional title.
- Scope of practice.
- License validity period.
A Vietnamese practice license is valid nationwide and currently has a five-year validity period.
It must therefore be renewed rather than being considered a lifetime medical licence.
Your foreign medical license may be recognised in Vietnam
Vietnam has a formal process for recognising practice licenses issued by competent authorities in other countries.
Under Article 29 of the Law on Medical Examination and Treatment, a foreign practice license can be considered for recognition when conditions are satisfied, including that:
- The foreign license remains valid when recognition is requested.
- It was issued by an appropriate foreign licensing authority.
- The professional title is equivalent to a professional title recognised under Vietnamese healthcare law.
- The licensing authority or recognition arrangement satisfies the Vietnamese recognition framework.
Recognition is not automatic simply because the doctor is licensed in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, France or another country.
Vietnamese authorities must recognise the relevant foreign license under the statutory process.
Where do you apply for recognition of a foreign medical license?
The recognition process is handled through the competent Vietnamese health authority under the current administrative framework.
The basic application includes:
- An application requesting recognition.
- A valid copy of the foreign medical practice license.
The authorities may verify the applicant's overseas education or the foreign licensing body.
Vietnam simplified health-sector administrative procedures in 2026. Current procedures generally provide a 20-working-day processing period for recognition once the relevant conditions and documentation are satisfied, with a separate 20-working-day period after verification results when overseas verification is required.
A foreign licensing authority that has not previously been assessed for recognition can require an additional assessment stage.
Recognition of a foreign license can make the licensing route easier
A recognised foreign medical practice license can be particularly valuable because Vietnam's licensing framework expressly allows recognised overseas licenses to be used as part of the Vietnamese practice-license application.
This can avoid treating an experienced foreign doctor exactly like someone entering medical practice for the first time with no existing professional authorisation.
Doctors considering employment in Vietnam should therefore determine early whether their existing national or state medical license can be recognised under the Vietnamese system.
Do foreign medical degrees need to be recognised?
Foreign qualifications must be suitable for the professional title and scope of practice requested in Vietnam.
The licensing dossier can rely on an appropriate professional qualification or, where applicable, a foreign practice license that has already been recognised.
A doctor applying for a specialist scope may also need evidence of the relevant postgraduate specialty qualification.
This means that being a licensed doctor does not automatically allow someone to advertise or practise every specialty.
For example, a foreign doctor intending to work as a dermatologist, cardiologist, surgeon or obstetrician may need to demonstrate specialist qualifications appropriate to that scope of practice.
There is a special competency-test rule in 2026
This is one of the most important details for anyone researching the requirements now.
Vietnam's 2023 Law introduced a national competency assessment as part of the new licensing system.
However, the law contains transitional provisions.
Doctors applying for a medical practice license from January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2026 are not required to undergo the new competency assessment.
That does not mean there are no licensing requirements in 2026. Applicants still need to satisfy the other applicable qualification, health, language, documentation and professional requirements.
What changes from January 1, 2027?
The competency-assessment system becomes much more important from January 1, 2027 for new doctor licensing applications under the new framework.
Applicants who do not qualify through another recognised route, such as recognition of an eligible foreign practice license, may need to satisfy the national competency-assessment requirements applicable to their professional title.
Vietnam also simplified the administrative process for new practice licenses from January 2027, with Resolution 21/2026/NQ-CP providing for a 20-working-day processing period after a complete application is received, subject to additional time when foreign documents require verification.
Foreign doctors planning a move around the end of 2026 should therefore pay particular attention to which licensing regime applies on the date of application.
Do foreign doctors have to speak Vietnamese?
Vietnamese is the default language used in medical examination and treatment under Vietnamese law, but foreign doctors are allowed to practise using another language in specified circumstances.
The rules are more nuanced than simply saying every foreign doctor must be fluent in Vietnamese.
Foreign practitioners can use a language other than Vietnamese in circumstances including when:
- The patient and doctor share the same language.
- The patient can use the language the doctor has registered for medical practice.
- The patient is a foreigner and the statutory language conditions are satisfied.
- The doctor is participating in certain humanitarian healthcare or professional technical-transfer activities.
Additional interpretation requirements can apply depending on the patient and circumstances.
You may need a qualified medical interpreter
A foreign doctor who is not proficient in Vietnamese may practise through the language and interpreter framework established by Vietnamese law.
Under Decree 96/2023/ND-CP, the licensing documentation for a foreign practitioner who is not proficient in Vietnamese can include:
- Evidence that the interpreter satisfies the required language qualifications.
- The interpreter's employment contract with the healthcare facility where the foreign doctor will work.
The interpreter is not simply an informal friend or employee who happens to speak both languages. The regulatory framework sets criteria for recognising interpreter competence in healthcare.
This is particularly important when a doctor treats Vietnamese patients who do not share the doctor's registered language.
How is language proficiency demonstrated?
Decree 96 provides several routes for demonstrating proficiency in Vietnamese or another registered language used for healthcare.
A practitioner may be tested and recognised by an eligible training institution.
In some circumstances, a separate proficiency examination is not required if the doctor has relevant evidence such as:
- A healthcare qualification completed in the language being registered.
- At least 12 months of healthcare-sector training delivered in that language.
- A university degree in the language concerned.
Specific documentary and timing conditions apply, so the doctor's actual education history needs to be checked rather than assuming that ordinary conversational fluency is sufficient.
Medical records still need a Vietnamese version
Even when a foreign doctor is allowed to use another language with a patient, Vietnamese documentation requirements remain important.
Under the language rules, healthcare information recorded in the foreign practitioner's registered language must also be translated into Vietnamese where required.
Decree 96 also states that treatment and medication prescriptions issued by a foreign practitioner using another registered language must be translated into Vietnamese, with the relevant interpreter requirements applying.
This is one reason international clinics employing foreign doctors often maintain formal interpreter and bilingual documentation systems.
What documents are commonly required for the medical license?
The exact dossier depends on the route being used, but Decree 96 identifies documentation that can include:
- Application form.
- Professional medical qualification or recognised foreign practice license.
- Specialist qualification if applying for specialist scope.
- Medical fitness documentation or qualifying work-permit documentation where applicable.
- Vietnamese language proficiency certificate or interpreter documentation for a foreign doctor who is not proficient in Vietnamese.
- Curriculum vitae in the required format.
- Evidence of required supervised practice where applicable.
- Recent passport photographs.
Documents issued overseas may require verification or other formal processing before Vietnamese authorities can rely on them.
Applicants should confirm the exact documentary requirements with the licensing authority or their employing hospital before arranging translations and certification.
Doctors also normally need to be medically fit to practise
Medical fitness is a separate licensing requirement.
The Law on Medical Examination and Treatment requires practitioners to satisfy the applicable health standards for professional practice.
The licensing dossier under Decree 96 can therefore require an eligible medical examination report, although the documentation route can vary depending on the applicant's work-permit situation and how information is shared through Vietnamese administrative systems.
A medical qualification alone is not sufficient if the practitioner does not satisfy the statutory fitness requirement.
A work permit is a separate process
Foreign doctors employed in Vietnam also need to consider the country's foreign-worker rules.
The current framework is Decree 219/2025/ND-CP, which has governed foreign workers since August 2025.
Depending on the employment arrangement, a foreign doctor may need a Vietnamese work permit unless an exemption applies.
The work-permit process is normally handled with significant involvement from the Vietnamese employer rather than being something a doctor completes entirely independently.
What is normally required for a Vietnamese work permit?
Current work-permit documentation can include:
- Employer application and explanation of the need for foreign labour.
- Medical examination report.
- Valid passport.
- Criminal record certificate or equivalent confirmation.
- Passport photographs.
- Evidence supporting the foreign worker's professional position and qualifications.
Foreign criminal-record documentation generally needs to be recent. Under Decree 219/2025, the relevant criminal-record document is generally required to have been issued within six months before the application.
Medical reports issued abroad are accepted only in specified circumstances, including applicable international recognition arrangements.
Foreign doctors may fall within the expert category for work-permit purposes
Under Decree 219/2025, one route for a foreign worker to qualify as an expert generally requires:
- A university degree or equivalent.
- At least two years of relevant work experience appropriate to the position in Vietnam.
There are reduced experience requirements for certain priority sectors, but they should not automatically be assumed to apply to every foreign doctor.
The labour-law classification and the medical licensing process remain separate. A doctor may satisfy the immigration definition of an expert and still be unable to treat patients until the healthcare licensing requirements are completed.
Do foreign doctors need a criminal record check?
A criminal-record document is particularly relevant to the foreign-worker process and may also become relevant to professional eligibility because Vietnamese law excludes certain people from medical practice.
Decree 219/2025 generally requires a criminal record certificate or equivalent document confirming that the foreign worker is not currently serving a sentence, does not have an applicable unspent conviction and is not undergoing criminal prosecution.
For foreign-issued documents, applicants should prepare this early because obtaining, authenticating and translating criminal records can take longer than expected.
Can an international hospital sponsor a foreign doctor?
Yes. In practice, international hospitals and private healthcare groups are among the most realistic employers for overseas doctors because they may already have experience handling:
- Work permits.
- Medical licensing applications.
- Credential verification.
- Interpreter arrangements.
- Immigration documentation.
- Registration of the doctor's scope of practice.
Hospitals serving large expatriate populations may also have a genuine clinical need for doctors who speak English, French, Korean, Japanese, Chinese or other languages.
Vietnam Clinic's directories of hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City, hospitals in Hanoi and hospitals in Da Nang provide an overview of the country's major healthcare markets.
You cannot simply arrive in Vietnam and start seeing patients
A foreign doctor should not treat patients commercially while waiting for licensing paperwork simply because they already hold a medical license overseas.
Vietnamese law requires practitioners to satisfy the conditions for medical practice before providing regulated medical examination and treatment.
This applies whether the patient is Vietnamese or another foreigner.
Having an international reputation, foreign board certification or years of clinical experience does not itself replace Vietnamese authorisation.
Working only with foreign patients does not eliminate the licensing requirement
The language rules make it easier for foreign doctors to treat patients who speak the same language, but this should not be confused with an exemption from medical licensing.
A doctor working in an expat clinic and treating only English-speaking foreigners still needs to comply with the applicable Vietnamese practice requirements.
The language used with the patient and the legal authority to practise medicine are two separate issues.
Can foreign doctors open their own clinic in Vietnam?
Potentially, but this is substantially more complex than obtaining an individual medical practice license.
Opening a clinic introduces another layer of regulation involving the healthcare facility itself.
Depending on the structure and services, this can involve:
- Foreign investment rules.
- Enterprise registration.
- Healthcare facility operating license.
- Premises requirements.
- Medical equipment.
- Staffing requirements.
- A person responsible for professional activities.
- Approval of the facility's technical scope.
A foreign doctor's individual practice license does not automatically create a licensed medical clinic.
Anyone considering this route should treat personal medical licensing and clinic licensing as two separate projects.
A doctor's scope of practice matters
Vietnamese practice licenses identify the practitioner's professional title and scope of practice.
This means a doctor should not assume that receiving a Vietnamese license gives unrestricted permission to perform any procedure they have performed elsewhere.
The authorised scope can depend on:
- Medical qualification.
- Specialty training.
- Recognised postgraduate qualifications.
- Professional experience.
- Facility where the doctor works.
- Technical services approved for that healthcare facility.
The doctor and the clinic both need the appropriate authority for the procedure being provided.
Specialist doctors should prepare postgraduate credentials
If you want to practise within a defined specialty, prepare evidence supporting that specialty before applying.
Examples include physicians working in:
- Dermatology.
- Cardiology.
- Orthopedics.
- Plastic surgery.
- Obstetrics and gynecology.
- Psychiatry.
- Oncology.
- Ophthalmology.
Decree 96 specifically provides for additional specialist qualifications when a doctor requests a specialist scope beyond basic professional documentation.
A job title offered by an employer cannot expand the doctor's legal scope beyond what Vietnamese authorities recognise.
What about cosmetic and aesthetic doctors?
The same principle applies strongly to aesthetic medicine.
A foreign doctor cannot assume that a general medical license allows unrestricted provision of:
- Botox.
- Dermal fillers.
- Cosmetic surgery.
- Invasive laser procedures.
- Other medical aesthetic interventions.
Both the practitioner's scope and the healthcare establishment's authorised technical scope need to support the treatment being performed.
This matters in Vietnam's rapidly growing private beauty and cosmetic medicine sector, where the distinction between ordinary beauty services and licensed medical aesthetics is legally important.
Can foreign doctors practise telemedicine from Vietnam?
Telemedicine should not be treated as an automatic loophole around professional licensing.
The relevant questions include:
- Where the patient is located.
- Whether the doctor is providing medical examination or treatment under Vietnamese law.
- Which healthcare facility is providing the service.
- The doctor's Vietnamese scope of practice.
- The laws of the patient's jurisdiction.
A foreign doctor physically based in Vietnam should obtain specialist legal guidance before operating an independent cross-border telemedicine practice rather than assuming that an overseas license covers all online consultations.
Are visiting foreign specialists treated differently?
Vietnamese law contains specific rules for certain temporary activities, including humanitarian medical programs and professional or technical transfers conducted under cooperation arrangements between Vietnamese and foreign healthcare facilities.
These situations should not be confused with ordinary employment at a Vietnamese clinic.
A surgeon flying into Vietnam for a formally organised technical-transfer program may operate under a different procedural framework from a foreign doctor moving permanently to Ho Chi Minh City to see private patients every week.
The hospital organising the visit should confirm the appropriate legal route before clinical work begins.
How long does a Vietnamese medical practice license last?
The current practice license is valid for five years.
Practitioners are also subject to continuing professional requirements, including continuing medical knowledge updates appropriate to their scope of practice.
Foreign doctors planning a long-term career in Vietnam should therefore think beyond initial licensing and maintain the documentation needed for renewal.
Where is the license valid?
A medical practice license issued under the current law is valid throughout Vietnam.
However, the doctor must still properly register their practice at the healthcare facility where they work and remain within the scope recorded on the license.
A nationally valid personal license does not mean a doctor can independently practise from any location without the healthcare facility satisfying its own licensing requirements.
Which authority issues the medical license?
Licensing responsibility depends on the healthcare setting and the competent authority.
Under the Law on Medical Examination and Treatment, the Ministry of Health handles practitioners working in healthcare establishments under its management, while provincial health authorities deal with many other practitioners within their territorial competence. Separate arrangements apply to healthcare facilities managed by the Ministry of National Defence and Ministry of Public Security.
The employing hospital or clinic should normally be able to identify the competent licensing authority for the doctor's specific position.
How long should the process take?
Processing time depends on whether documents need verification and whether recognition of a foreign license must occur first.
Vietnam introduced administrative simplifications in 2026 that generally reduce key practice-license and foreign-license-recognition procedures to 20 working days after receipt of a complete eligible dossier, with additional time where foreign documents need verification.
This should not be interpreted as meaning a foreign doctor can complete the entire relocation process in 20 days.
Before the formal application can be considered complete, the doctor may need to arrange:
- Credential documentation.
- Foreign license recognition.
- Language evidence.
- Interpreter arrangements.
- Health examination.
- Work permit documentation.
- Employer paperwork.
Preparing those components can take considerably longer than the statutory administrative processing period.
A practical checklist for a foreign doctor moving to Vietnam
A sensible sequence is:
- Obtain a firm offer from a properly licensed Vietnamese healthcare facility.
- Define the exact professional title and specialty you will practise.
- Check whether your existing foreign medical license can be formally recognised.
- Prepare your medical degree and specialist qualifications.
- Confirm whether any Vietnamese practice or competency requirement applies to your case.
- Determine the language you will register for clinical practice.
- Arrange Vietnamese proficiency evidence or an eligible interpreter where required.
- Complete medical fitness requirements.
- Prepare work-permit and criminal-record documentation.
- Apply for the Vietnamese medical practice license through the competent authority.
- Complete registration of your practice at the employing healthcare facility.
- Do not see patients independently until the required authorisations are in place.
For doctors unfamiliar with the country's medical system, How Vietnam's Healthcare System Works provides useful background on public hospitals, private healthcare and access to care.
The requirements in 2026 are different from the requirements in 2027
This is worth emphasising because older articles about practising medicine in Vietnam can already be misleading.
As of August 2026:
- The 2023 Law on Medical Examination and Treatment is in force.
- Decree 96/2023/ND-CP provides the main implementing framework.
- Foreign medical licenses can be considered for formal recognition.
- Practice licenses are valid for five years.
- Foreign practitioners must satisfy the applicable language or interpreter requirements.
- Work-permit rules are governed by Decree 219/2025/ND-CP.
- Doctors applying through December 31, 2026 are still covered by the transitional exemption from the new competency assessment.
- The new competency-assessment framework becomes relevant for doctor licensing from January 1, 2027, subject to routes such as recognised foreign licenses and other statutory exceptions.
Foreign doctors should therefore avoid relying on guides written under Vietnam's previous 2009 medical examination and treatment law without checking the current framework.
Frequently Asked Questions
The answers below cover common questions about requirements for foreign doctors in Vietnam. Medical licensing, labour and immigration rules can change, and the correct route depends on qualifications, specialty, employer and existing foreign licenses, so doctors should confirm their individual dossier with the relevant Vietnamese authority or employing healthcare facility.
Can a foreign doctor work in Vietnam?
Yes. Foreign doctors can work in Vietnam if they satisfy the applicable medical licensing, professional, language and foreign-worker requirements. An overseas medical license does not by itself authorise clinical practice in Vietnam.
Do foreign doctors need a Vietnamese medical license?
Foreign doctors providing medical examination and treatment generally need a Vietnamese license to practise medicine unless they fall within a specific statutory exception.
Can a foreign medical license be recognised in Vietnam?
Yes. Vietnam has a formal procedure for recognising eligible practice licenses issued by competent foreign authorities. The license must satisfy conditions under the Law on Medical Examination and Treatment and the implementing regulations.
Do foreign doctors have to speak Vietnamese?
Not in every clinical situation. Vietnamese is the default healthcare language, but foreign practitioners may use another registered language in specified circumstances. A qualified interpreter and Vietnamese translation of clinical documentation can be required when the doctor is not proficient in Vietnamese.
Do foreign doctors need a work permit in Vietnam?
A foreign doctor employed in Vietnam normally needs to comply with the foreign-worker rules under Decree 219/2025/ND-CP unless an applicable work-permit exemption applies. This is separate from the medical practice-license requirement.
Do foreign doctors need to take an exam in Vietnam?
Doctors applying for a practice license from January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2026 are exempt from the new competency assessment under transitional provisions. From January 1, 2027, the competency-assessment framework becomes relevant for new doctor licensing, subject to recognised foreign licenses and other applicable exceptions.
How long is a medical practice license valid in Vietnam?
Under the current Law on Medical Examination and Treatment, a Vietnamese medical practice license is valid for five years and is valid nationwide.
Can a foreign doctor open a private clinic in Vietnam?
Potentially, but an individual medical practice license is not enough. The clinic itself must satisfy Vietnamese investment, enterprise and healthcare-facility licensing requirements, including premises, staffing and authorised technical scope.
Conclusion
Foreign doctors can legally work in Vietnam, but an overseas medical degree or license is not enough by itself.
The key requirements normally involve obtaining a Vietnamese medical practice license, demonstrating suitable professional qualifications or recognition of an eligible foreign license, meeting language or interpreter requirements, satisfying medical fitness standards and obtaining the necessary foreign-worker authorisation unless an exemption applies.
The timing is particularly important in 2026. Doctors applying through December 31, 2026 are exempt from Vietnam's new competency assessment under the transitional provisions, while the licensing framework changes from January 1, 2027.
Foreign specialists should also confirm that both their individual scope of practice and the hospital or clinic's authorised technical scope cover the services they intend to provide. The safest route is normally to coordinate licensing with a Vietnamese hospital or clinic experienced in employing overseas physicians before beginning clinical work.
Sources
Writer
Tan Nguyen
Medical writer for Vietnam Clinic. MD, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City.
