Registered Yellow Fever Centre
Travel Vaccines for Vietnam
From Hanoi to Ha Long Bay, Hoi An and the Mekong Delta, the vaccines you need depend on where you go, how long you stay and what you plan to do. This page summarises current UK advice from TravelHealthPro, the national travel health service run by NaTHNaC. For advice that fits your own trip, book a travel consultation.
Vaccines recommended for most travellers
TravelHealthPro recommends these vaccines for most travellers to Vietnam:
Hepatitis A: recommended for all previously unvaccinated travellers. It spreads through contaminated food and water.
Typhoid: recommended for most travellers, particularly those visiting friends and relatives and long-stay travellers in areas with poor sanitation. Injectable and oral vaccines are available.
Tetanus: you should have completed the UK course. If medical facilities may be limited, a booster is recommended if your last dose was more than ten years ago.
Everyone should also be up to date with routine UK vaccines, including MMR. TravelHealthPro rates the measles risk in Vietnam as higher than in the UK. Our MMR vaccine page explains more.
Vaccines for some travellers
These are recommended for some travellers depending on itinerary, activities, length of stay and medical history:
Hepatitis B: could be considered for all travellers, and is recommended for long stays, anyone likely to need medical or dental treatment, and others whose activities put them at higher risk. See hepatitis A and B vaccines.
Rabies: a pre-exposure course is advised for stays of more than one month, trips where post-exposure treatment may be hard to reach, higher-risk activities and work with animals.
Japanese encephalitis: for stays of a month or more in risk areas during the transmission season, frequent travellers and those with uncertain plans. It may also be considered for shorter trips with higher-risk activities, such as visiting rice fields or pig farms.
Dengue: may be considered for people aged 4 and over who have had dengue before and are going to a risk area or outbreak. For people who have never had dengue, further expert advice is needed.
Chikungunya: may be considered for people aged 12 and over travelling to an area with a current outbreak, frequent or long-term travellers to higher-risk areas, and those at risk through work.
BCG (tuberculosis): advised for unvaccinated children under 16 who will be living in Vietnam for more than three months.
For less common vaccines, such as dengue, we’ll check stock when you book so it’s ready for your appointment.
Yellow fever certificate
TravelHealthPro states that there are no certificate requirements for Vietnam under International Health Regulations. Other countries on a longer route may have their own rules. Both our branches are registered Yellow Fever Vaccination Centres, so we can check this for you. See our yellow fever vaccine page.
Malaria in Vietnam
Malaria risk in Vietnam is low and limited to certain areas. According to TravelHealthPro:
Low risk in the southern provinces of Tay Ninh, Lam Dong, Dak Lak, Gia Lai and Kon Tum, and other rural areas: awareness of risk and bite avoidance recommended.
No risk in large cities, including Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), the Red River delta, coastal areas north of Nha Trang and Phu Quoc Island: bite avoidance recommended.
Antimalarial tablets are not routinely advised for the low-risk areas. They may be considered in exceptional circumstances for higher-risk travellers, and atovaquone-proguanil or doxycycline would then be suitable options. If you have no spleen, or your spleen does not work properly, TravelHealthPro advises against travel to malaria risk areas, and antimalarials are advised if the trip is essential. Seek urgent medical help for any fever during or after your trip.
Other health risks
Dengue, chikungunya and Zika
All three are spread by mosquitoes and are present in Vietnam. Dengue mosquitoes bite mainly in the daytime and are more common in towns and cities. There is no vaccine for Zika. TravelHealthPro advises women to avoid becoming pregnant while travelling and for 8 weeks after their last possible exposure, and anyone who is pregnant should discuss travel with a health professional. Use repellent and cover up.
Rabies
Rabies is found in domestic animals in Vietnam, and bats may carry rabies-like viruses. Avoid contact with animals. After any bite, scratch or lick, clean the wound thoroughly and get urgent local medical assessment, even if it seems minor.
Food and water
Hepatitis A and typhoid spread through contaminated food and water, so take care with personal, food and water hygiene throughout your trip.
Before you go
A small travel health kit saves a lot of hassle if you feel unwell abroad. It is worth packing:
Any regular medicines in your hand luggage, with a copy of your prescription
Insect repellent and high factor sun cream
Oral rehydration sachets and simple pain relief
Plasters, antiseptic and hand sanitiser
Make sure your travel insurance covers medical treatment and repatriation. Save the local emergency numbers in your phone before you leave; the FCDO travel advice for Vietnam lists them along with current safety information.
When to book
Ideally, book your appointment 6 to 8 weeks before you travel. Some vaccines need more than one dose, and protection takes time to build. If you are leaving sooner, a last-minute appointment is still worthwhile. Many vaccines can still be given, and you will leave with practical advice.
Please tell us if you are pregnant, planning a pregnancy or have a weakened immune system. Some travel vaccines are live vaccines, such as MMR. The Green Book advises delaying live vaccines until after pregnancy and not giving them on certain immunosuppressive treatments without specialist advice.
Book your Vietnam travel consultation
Every appointment is with one of our pharmacists. We check your whole itinerary against current UK guidance and go through every vaccine and travel medicine you might need in one visit.
We have two branches, and both are registered Yellow Fever Vaccination Centres. Cambridge Travel Clinic at Petersfield Pharmacy, 56 Mill Road, Cambridge CB1 2AS (01223 354383), is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm. Book at Mill Road online. Cambridge Travel Clinic at Waterbeach Pharmacy, 5 Greenside, Waterbeach, Cambridge CB25 9HW (01223 564422), is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 1pm and 1:30pm to 5:45pm. Book at Waterbeach online.
We see travellers from Cambridge, Cherry Hinton, Trumpington, Chesterton, Histon, Milton, Cottenham, Waterbeach and nearby villages. Our current fees are on the pricing page. You can also read about other destinations in Asia, such as Thailand.
We’re happy to talk through your plans, however close your departure.