Do You Need Travel Insurance for Vietnam? What It Costs and Covers
Yes, you should buy travel insurance for a Vietnam trip. Medical care for foreigners at private international-standard hospitals in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City is not covered by most home-country health plans, a single emergency-room visit or short hospital stay can run into the thousands of dollars, and standard policies typically exclude motorbike and scooter accidents unless you add specific coverage. A basic policy costs roughly $3 to $10 a day depending on the coverage level, which is a small fraction of what a real medical emergency abroad can cost without it.
How Much Does Travel Insurance for Vietnam Cost?
Most travelers pay between $3 and $10 per day of trip length, depending on the plan tier. A medical-only plan (covering emergency treatment and evacuation but not trip cancellation or baggage) runs closer to $3 a day, while a comprehensive plan that also reimburses cancelled flights, lost luggage, and trip interruption runs closer to $9 to $10 a day. For a typical 2-week Vietnam trip, that works out to roughly $45 to $140 total — inexpensive relative to what an uninsured hospital stay or an emergency medical flight home would cost.
| Plan Type | Typical Cost | What It Covers | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medical-Only | ~$3/day | Emergency medical treatment, medical evacuation, 24/7 assistance line | Travelers whose only real risk is a medical emergency and who are not prepaying much in non-refundable costs |
| Comprehensive | ~$9–$10/day | Everything in Medical-Only, plus trip cancellation, trip interruption, and baggage loss/delay | Travelers with prepaid flights, tours, or hotels who want financial protection if the trip is disrupted |
| Adventure Sports Add-On | +$1–$3/day on top of a base plan | Motorbike/scooter riding, scuba diving, trekking above certain altitudes — activities most base plans exclude | Anyone planning to ride a motorbike or scooter, or dive, in Vietnam |
TTC Verdict: Buy at least a medical-only plan for any Vietnam trip, and add the Adventure Sports rider if there is any chance you will ride a motorbike or scooter — including a single guided day tour. The base plan almost certainly will not cover it, and a motorbike accident is the single most common way travelers actually end up needing to file a claim in Vietnam.
Pharmacy Sign, Vung Tau: RG72 / CC BY-SA 4.0
What Should a Vietnam Travel Insurance Policy Actually Cover?
Look for a policy with at least $100,000 in emergency medical coverage and a separate medical evacuation benefit of $250,000 or more — a medevac flight from a smaller city or island (Phu Quoc, Con Dao) to a major hospital in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, or Singapore/Bangkok can genuinely cost that much on its own. Beyond the medical side, a comprehensive plan typically also includes:
- Trip cancellation and interruption — reimburses prepaid, non-refundable costs (flights, tours, hotel deposits) if you have to cancel or cut the trip short for a covered reason.
- Baggage loss, damage, or delay — typically up to around $1,000, useful if an airline loses a checked bag on a multi-city Vietnam itinerary.
- 24-hour emergency assistance — a phone line that can help find an English-speaking doctor, coordinate a hospital transfer, or arrange an evacuation, which matters more in Vietnam’s smaller cities than in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City.
Does Travel Insurance Cover Motorbike and Scooter Accidents in Vietnam?
Usually not, by default. Nearly every standard travel insurance policy excludes injuries from riding a motorbike or scooter unless you specifically add an Adventure Sports (or Hazardous Activities) rider, and even then most insurers also require that you hold a license that is actually valid to ride in Vietnam — a home-country driver’s license alone typically is not enough (see the Safety Note below). Renting a scooter for a single afternoon in Hoi An or Da Lat still counts as “riding a motorbike” for insurance purposes, so the exclusion applies even if it was not the main purpose of the trip.
Is SafetyWing a Good Option for Vietnam?
SafetyWing is a popular choice among long-term travelers and digital nomads for its simple month-to-month pricing and worldwide coverage, and it is a program we plan to feature directly once our own partner account is active. In the meantime, comparison sites like Squaremouth let you compare quotes from multiple insurers side by side for your specific trip dates and add-ons, which is worth doing regardless of which single provider you end up choosing, since prices and included benefits vary more between insurers than most travelers expect.
No. Vietnam does not require proof of travel insurance for tourist entry as of 2026, unlike some destinations. That does not make it optional in practice — it is the only thing standing between you and a five-figure medical bill if something goes wrong, since most home health plans do not cover care received abroad.
Most modern comprehensive and medical-only plans do cover illness-related medical treatment, including COVID-19, the same as any other covered illness — but always confirm this on the specific policy’s benefits page before buying, since coverage details vary by insurer and can change.
Some insurers allow it, but many benefits — particularly trip cancellation and interruption — only apply if you buy the policy before the trip begins. Buying before departure is the safer default, and is required outright by some providers.
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