Vietnam’s healthcare sector is creating numerous attractive job opportunities for medical practitioners, especially for foreign doctors seeking to work in Vietnam. Accordingly, to practice medicine in Vietnam, foreign doctors must not only meet professional qualifications and licensing requirements but also comply with language requirements during their work.
In this article, BLawyers Vietnam presents 03 important notes regarding language requirements for foreign doctors working in Vietnam.
1. General language requirements for foreign doctors practicing medical examination and treatment in Vietnam (hereinafter collectively referred to as “Foreign Practitioners”)
As mentioned in BLawyers Vietnam’s article on “02 important notes for investors conducting M&A in the healthcare sector”, the language used in medical examination and treatment is one of the key conditions that Foreign Practitioners must meet when practicing healthcare in Vietnam. Specifically:
Foreign Practitioners can use a language other than Vietnamese for medical examination and treatment for patients if they fall under one of the following cases:
- The patient shares the same native language as the practitioner; or the patient is capable of using the common language the practitioner has registered for use;
- The patient is a foreigner and does not fall under case 1.a above; and
- Humanitarian medical examination and treatment is provided on a periodic basis; or technical and professional transfer in medical examination and treatment occurs under cooperation agreements between Vietnamese medical facilities and foreign healthcare institutions.
Please note that:
- For cases 1.b and 1.c above, an interpreter must be present; and
- The recording of medical examination and treatment information must be done in the registered language of the foreign practitioner and simultaneously translated into Vietnamese. Specifically, treatment prescriptions and medication orders must be written in the language the Foreign Practitioner has registered for use during medical examination and treatment and must be translated into Vietnamese, with the interpreter’s signature on the prescription.
2. Standards for interpreters assisting Foreign Practitioners
As outlined in Item 1, Foreign Practitioners falling under one of the following two cases must have an interpreter, including:
- The patient is a foreigner who does not share the same native language as the Foreign Practitioner and is unable to use the common language that the practitioner has registered;
- Humanitarian medical examination and treatment provided on a periodic basis; or technical and professional transfer in medical examination and treatment under cooperation agreements between Vietnamese medical facilities and foreign healthcare institutions.
Accordingly, the interpreter assisting the Foreign Practitioner must meet the following standards:
- Possessing the ability to use a language suitable for communication between the Foreign Practitioner and the patient; and
- Holding a medical examination and treatment practice license, in cases where the Foreign Practitioner enters Vietnam to provide humanitarian medical examination and treatment on a periodic basis or to transfer technical expertise in medical examination and treatment under cooperation agreements between Vietnamese medical facilities and foreign healthcare institutions.
Note:
- To assess whether the interpreter has the ability to use a language suitable for communication between the Foreign Practitioner and the patient, they must participate in a proficiency examination for recognition as a qualified interpreter in medical examination and treatment at a valid educational institution, except for cases exempt from testing under the law; and
- An interpreter may only provide interpretation services for one Foreign Practitioner at a time while the practitioner is conducting medical examination and treatment for a patient.
3. Criteria for recognizing Foreign Practitioners as proficient in using a foreign language for medical examination and treatment
In cases where a Foreign Practitioner registers to use a language other than their native language or Vietnamese for medical examination and treatment in Vietnam, the practitioner must undergo a proficiency examination conducted by an educational institution to be recognized as proficient in the registered language for medical examination and treatment. Accordingly, the educational institution organizing this examination, as well as the examination for interpreters mentioned in Item 2, must meet the following three conditions:
- Being a Vietnamese higher education institution offering training in the health sector;
- Having a faculty or department specializing in the language being tested and recognized; and
- Having a question bank for the examination.
Currently, the Center for Training Healthcare Human Resources According to Social Needs under the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Ho Chi Minh City is one of the pioneering units in organizing examinations and recognizing proficiency in English, French, and Chinese.
Foreign Practitioners may be recognized as proficient in using another language for medical examination and treatment without undergoing testing if they meet one of the following criteria:
- Hold a diploma of intermediate level or higher in a medical specialty issued by a legitimate training institution in Vietnam or abroad, where the language used during training is the language the practitioner has registered to use for medical examination and treatment;
- Have a certificate of completion of a medical specialty training course lasting at least 12 months, where the language used during training is the language the practitioner has registered to use for medical examination and treatment; or
- Hold a university degree in the language the practitioner has registered to use for medical examination and treatment, issued by a legitimate training institution in Vietnam or abroad.
Note: In cases where Foreign Practitioners use Vietnamese for medical examination and treatment in Vietnam, the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Ho Chi Minh City also organizes examinations to assess and recognize their proficiency in Vietnamese.
The above is not official advice from BLawyers Vietnam. If you have any questions or suggestions about the above, please contact us at info@blawyersvn.com. BLawyers Vietnam would love to hear from you.
Date: 01 April 2025
Writer: Chi Huynh
