Licences and checks: how to vet a dentist in Vietnam

The two licences that matter

Law No. 15/2023/QH15, Vietnam's 2023 medical treatment law, took effect on 1 January 2024 and sets out who may treat patients and where.

Practising licence (for the dentist)

• It belongs to a person.
• Each practitioner may be given only one, and it is valid across the whole country. A dentist who moves from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City keeps the same licence.
• It names the person and the scope of what they may do.
• Check that the name matches the dentist who will treat you, and that the scope covers dentistry.

Operation licence (for the clinic)

• It belongs to the clinic as a business at one address.
• It names the clinic, the address and the person in charge of its professional work.
• If a clinic has several branches, each site needs its own licence.
• Check that the address on the licence matches the place you will visit.

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

Who issues them

The body that issues the licence depends on who runs the clinic.

• For a private clinic, look at the city or province health department.
• In Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, that is the city Department of Health.
• The national body that oversees treatment services is the Medical Services Administration of the Ministry of Health.

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

How to check, step by step

Five steps take you from the clinic's word to the official list.

1. Ask the clinic in writing. Request the full name of your dentist, their practising licence number, and a photo of the clinic's operation licence.
2. Read the licence. Look for the name, the number, the issuing body and the scope. Vietnamese documents use the words "giấy phép hành nghề" for a practising licence and "giấy phép hoạt động" for an operation licence.
3. Find the official list. The law tells the licensing body to publish the list of practitioners on its information system. Search the issuing body's website for its practitioner list, using the dentist's name without accents as well as with them.
4. Match the details. The name, number and issuing body should match what the clinic sent you. If they do not, ask the clinic to explain before you book.
5. Keep a copy. Save the photos and your notes with your travel papers. Your dentist at home may want to see them later.

• Most of these sites are in Vietnamese. A browser translate button can help you find the search box and read the result.
• If you get stuck, ask the clinic to send a screenshot of its own entry, then compare it with the site yourself.

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

Foreign dentists and language

A foreign dentist in Vietnam still needs a Vietnamese practising licence.

• Some clinics have dentists trained or born overseas.
• The working language is Vietnamese by default.
• In some cases the law requires an interpreter. Records are kept in the practitioner's registered language and then put into Vietnamese.
• Ask in what language your plan, consent form and records will be written, and ask for an English copy.

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

What a licence does and does not tell you

A licence shows that the state allows a person or clinic to treat patients, and little more.

• It does not tell you how often a dentist does your kind of work.
• It does not name the brand of implant they use.
• It does not say how a clinic handles a problem after you fly home.
• So treat the licence check as the first gate, not the last. Then ask for a written plan, a written price that names the materials, and a written answer about follow up care.
• Certificates on a wall from courses or groups can be real and still say little. A course certificate is not a licence, so ask what it means and who gave it.

Our guide to choosing a dentist in Vietnam lists the questions to ask, and our page on the first appointment covers the visit itself.

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

How this compares with checks in Australia

In Australia you would check a dentist with the Dental Board of Australia, which works with Ahpra.

• The Board's lookup shows a dental practitioner's registration status in Australia.
• It does not cover a dentist licensed in Vietnam, so the Vietnamese steps above are the ones to use.
• Keep the Australian check for your own dentist at home, who you will see after the trip.

Sources: Dental Board of Australia (an Ahpra national board).

For New Zealand readers

The steps are the same for New Zealanders.

• Check your own travel insurance for cover of planned treatment overseas.
• Plan a visit to your own dentist when you return.