Ho Chi Minh City eyes boost to dental tourism
Update: Jun 28, 2017
Dental tourism has been identified as one of Ho Chi Minh City’s five main medical tourism products, according to its Department of Tourism.

Every year Viet Nam gets around 100,000 medical tourists from many countries, including the UK, France, Australia, the US, and Cambodia, Bui Ta Hoang Vu, Director of the department, said.

Dental care, cosmetic surgery, traditional medicine and acupuncture, screening for diseases, and artificial insemination, which are keeping pace with regional standards, are promising medical tourism products, he said.

But dental care in Viet Nam costs only half or a third of the cost in neighbouring countries, he said.

On June 24, the department in coordination with the Department of Health organised the first ever dental tourism fair at the Independence Palace.

“It is a great opportunity to introduce new dental tourism products to domestic and foreign visitors,” Vu said.

Nguyen Duc Minh, Director of the HCM City Hospital of Odonto-Stomatology, said the city has more than 3,000 highly skilled and experienced dentists, or more than 50 per cent of the total number in the country.

With its potential, the city could attract more tourists who combine travel with dental care as well as promote the Vietnamese dental brand to compete with countries like Singapore and Thailand.

The fair also featured an exhibition on dental and travel services and dental technologies.

At the event, the HCM City Odonto-Stomatology Association unveiled a dental tourism club that will bring together Vietnamese and foreign experts in the field.

VNA