Dentist Vietnam: how to choose a dentist as a visitor

How dentistry is run in Vietnam

Dentists in Vietnam work under the Law on Medical Examination and Treatment, in force since 1 January 2024.

• It replaced the 2009 law.
• A practising licence belongs to the person. Each dentist holds one licence, and it is valid across the whole country.
• An operation licence belongs to the clinic. Most private clinics get it from the health department of their province or city.
• An official list. The body that issues practising licences must post the list of licensed practitioners on its information system. So a name can be checked against a list, not just a certificate on a wall.
• Hospital dental centres run by a ministry are licensed by that ministry instead.
• Labs. Some clinics make crowns and veneers in their own lab and some send the work out. Ask which one applies to you, and who answers for the work.

Sources: Law No. 15/2023/QH15, Vietnam's 2023 medical treatment law, as translated by LuatVietnam; Medical Services Administration, Ministry of Health (kcb.vn).

What to check before you book

Do these checks from Australia, by email or chat.

1. The dentist's full name and licence number. Ask who will do your work, not just who runs the clinic.
2. The clinic's operation licence. Ask for a photo of it and note the issuing department.
3. A written treatment plan. It should list each tooth, each step and the number of visits.
4. A written price. It should name the brand of implant or crown, the lab, and the warranty, if any.
5. What happens if something needs fixing. Ask what the clinic does if you are already back in Australia.
6. Records. Ask if you will get copies of your x rays, scans and notes to take home.

Our page on licence checks explains how to read a Vietnamese licence and where the official lists sit.

Sources: Law No. 15/2023/QH15, Vietnam's 2023 medical treatment law, as translated by LuatVietnam.

Prices for common treatments

Dental Link publishes starting prices in US dollars for clinics it has vetted.

• They are a floor, not a quote. Your price depends on your mouth, the materials and the number of teeth.
• Check the Australian dollar amount on the day you pay.
• Dental Link says it has checked the implant and All-on-4 figures against its own clinics. The crown and veneer figures are starting prices it has not yet checked against those price lists.
• For All-on-4, get a written quote that shows the implant price and the fixed teeth price apart.
• Flights, rooms and time off work sit on top of any dental bill, so add those before you compare with a quote from home.

Sources: Dental Link starting prices, read on its dentist in Vietnam page on 11 November 2026.

What the same work costs at home in Australia

Australian prices are older and broader than the Vietnam starting prices above.

• A crown in Australia: A$1,600 to A$2,040, for a porcelain or ceramic and metal crown, says Finder.
• A check up with a scale and clean: A$230 to A$320, says Finder.
• Finder's figures come from the Australian Dental Association's 2018 fee survey, and Finder notes the page may no longer be current.
• healthdirect says dental care can be expensive and you may need to pay for it yourself.

We do not convert these between currencies. Ask an Australian dentist for a written quote of your own to compare.

Sources: Finder, how much does dental really cost (2018 Australian Dental Association fee survey data, posted March 2020); healthdirect, dental care.

From Sydney, Melbourne and Perth: nonstop flights to Ho Chi Minh City

Vietnam Airlines' Australian page lists nonstop flights to Vietnam from three Australian cities.

• Schedules change, so confirm the route with the airline before you book.
• This site does not quote fares or flight times.

Sources: Vietnam Airlines, flights to Vietnam (Australian page), read 11 November 2026.

How far ahead of Vietnam are Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide?

Vietnam runs on UTC plus 7 all year, so every Australian capital below is ahead of it.

Daylight saving, in the states that use it, starts on the first Sunday of October and ends on the first Sunday of April. The offset changes on those dates, so check the date of your call.

• Queensland and Western Australia do not use daylight saving, so Brisbane and Perth stay the same all year.
• Use it to plan calls: a clinic's 9 am in Ho Chi Minh City is noon in Sydney outside daylight saving.

Sources: NSW Communities and Justice, definitions of time; Wikipedia, time in Vietnam.

Picking a city: Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi, from Sydney or Melbourne

Ho Chi Minh City sits in the south and Hanoi, the capital, sits in the north.

• They are the two cities where Dental Link matches visitors with clinics.
• From Sydney and Melbourne, Vietnam Airlines lists nonstop flights to both cities. From Perth it lists Ho Chi Minh City only.
• Pick the city that suits your trip, then the clinic that suits your case.
• Some visitors split a trip: assessment and first stage on one visit, final teeth on a second.
• Ask the clinic how many visits your plan needs and how far apart they must be. Only your treating dentist can answer that for your mouth.

Sources: Dental Link's dentist in Vietnam page (dentallinkvn.com), read on 11 November 2026; Vietnam Airlines, flights to Vietnam (Australian page), read 11 November 2026.

Australian bodies to know before you go

A few Australian bodies speak to dental work overseas, and one of them says plainly to have it at home.

• Australian Dental Association. Its policy on elective overseas treatment says Australian residents should only seek elective dental treatment in Australia, so Australian standards are met.
• The same policy lists its concerns: follow up visits are hard to keep, language barriers can affect consent, records may not reach your dentist at home, and travel insurance or health funds may not cover it.
• It also says Australian residents should get advice from an Australian dentist before they consider or start overseas treatment.
• Dental Board of Australia and Ahpra. The Board works to make sure Australia's dental practitioners are trained, qualified and safe to practise. Its lookup checks a dentist registered in Australia, not one in Vietnam.
• Smartraveller. Its overall level for Vietnam is "exercise normal safety precautions". It says the standard of medical facilities and care varies and is generally below Australian standards.
• healthdirect. The government health line for general health questions at home.

Sources: Australian Dental Association, Policy Statement 2.2.6 on elective overseas dental treatment, reviewed November 2023; Dental Board of Australia (an Ahpra national board); Smartraveller, Vietnam travel advice, read 11 November 2026; healthdirect, dental care.

Medicare, extras cover and your health fund

Plan to pay the clinic yourself, then ask your fund what, if anything, it will pay back.

• Finder says Medicare does not cover most adult dental care, and that most adults without a concession card pay themselves or use extras cover.
• Finder says most extras policies cover general dental, but some exclude procedures, have low limits, or have waiting periods.
• We found no source saying Medicare pays for dental work in Vietnam.
• Ask your fund in writing whether it pays for work done overseas, and check your own policy.
• Check your travel insurance too, since cover for planned treatment overseas varies by policy.

Sources: Finder, does Medicare cover dental, updated 29 September 2026; Finder, how much does dental really cost (2018 Australian Dental Association fee survey data, posted March 2020); Australian Dental Association, Policy Statement 2.2.6 on elective overseas dental treatment, reviewed November 2023.

Questions to ask the dentist

Write the answers down, so two clinics can be compared line by line.

• How many of this treatment do you do in a normal month?
• What brand of implant, crown or veneer will you use, and can I see the packaging or card?
• Which lab makes my crowns, and is it in the clinic or outside?
• In writing, what does the warranty include, and how many years does it run?
• If I have a problem at home, who do I contact, and how fast do you reply?
• Will you give me my scans and notes in English?

If two clinics give very different plans for the same teeth, ask each one to explain why. You can also ask for a second written opinion before large work.

How paying works

You pay the clinic directly, never a middle person.

• Clinics that see visitors commonly accept Visa and Mastercard, bank transfer and cash.
• Ask about card fees and the currency of the bill before you start.
• Keep an itemised receipt for each visit.
• Under the 2023 law you can ask for a full explanation of what you are paying for.

Sources: MedicalTourismCo, dental work in Vietnam; Law No. 15/2023/QH15, Vietnam's 2023 medical treatment law, as translated by LuatVietnam.

Care after you fly home

Your dentist in Australia or New Zealand can only work from what you bring home.

• Keep every record: the plan, the x rays, the scans, the brand cards and the receipts.
• The law gives patients the right to read, view and copy their medical records, so ask for copies before your last visit.
• Check your travel insurance and your health fund before you leave, since cover for planned treatment overseas varies by policy.
• Read the latest Smartraveller advice for Vietnam before you book.

Sources: Law No. 15/2023/QH15, Vietnam's 2023 medical treatment law, as translated by LuatVietnam; Smartraveller, Vietnam travel advice, read 11 November 2026.

Warning signs

Any one of these is a reason to pause and ask more questions.

• The clinic will not tell you who your dentist is until you arrive.
• The price is only given by phone and never in writing.
• You are pushed to pay a large amount before anyone has looked at your teeth.
• No one can name the brand of implant or crown.
• The clinic will not give you copies of your records.

If you would like help with a shortlist, Dental Link says on its site that it sends you two written quotes from clinics it has vetted. Its site is dentallinkvn.com.

Sources: Dental Link's dentist in Vietnam page (dentallinkvn.com), read on 11 November 2026.

Before you book, read our page on your first appointment, so you know what the day looks like.