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@mouraliferes83

Hello,

For better visibility, this new thread has been created on the Vietnam forum.

Hope you'll receive some feedback soon.

Regards

Bhavna

@OceanBeach92107
Hi!
As you might know I am still living in Sweden. Will hopefully relocate to Vietnam whithin a year.

Anyway, in Sweden if I get prescribed pill X the pharmacy must inform me about pill Y & Z. This is done so the consumer can choose to save money but still get the same healing/effect. Do you happen to know if this is done in Vietnam? Apologies if you feel that I hijacked the subject/thread!

Cheers. - @mouraliferes83

No such regulation or law in place that I'm aware of.

Probably you will get something like this if you have your prescriptions written at one of the major medical centers that take care of foreigners, such as VINMEC.

Most people I know who are getting regular medications here (including myself) rely on made in Vietnam generics.

There are a couple of well-known companies here that provide great generic versions of popular medications (STADA, as a brand example).

I would suggest that, whenever you are getting ready to purchase a prescribed medication, simply ask if there is a made-in-Vietnam equivalent.

Good luck!

@OceanBeach92107

In other words I can get whatever brand that is available, but have to ask about it myself. Thanks for your reply!

@OceanBeach92107
In other words I can get whatever brand that is available, but have to ask about it myself. Thanks for your reply! - @mouraliferes83

You've misread my answer. Please read it again.

Basically, if you want Western pampering and something similar to Nanny State protection, you'll be more likely to get that from one of the more expensive medical care chains that charge extra money for westerners who require such hand holding.

Otherwise, save yourself significant money, go to primarily Vietnamese-centric hospitals that will always recommend the cheapest generic alternatives.

For other choices, including more expensive imported original-brand medications (that may or may not be counterfeit) you'll be free to do your own search and ask if they are available at your care center or at a local pharmacy.

Best of luck.

This definitely isn't the E.U.

@OceanBeach92107

We might both have missed the point, but thanks for noticing. Wanted to know if I could substitute a big brand (often more expensive)  prescribed by a doctor for something cheaper but with the same effect while getting a prescription from the pharmacy. Cheers!

@OceanBeach92107
We might both have missed the point, but thanks for noticing. Wanted to know if I could substitute a big brand (often more expensive) prescribed by a doctor for something cheaper but with the same effect while getting a prescription from the pharmacy. Cheers! - @mouraliferes83

That shouldn't be a problem, as long as there is a suitable generic available.

Good luck!

Generally speaking, you needn’t worry much about health care and its associated costs in Viet Nam unless you have some serious, complicated or rare disease, condition or injury. With regard to the price, it often feels like they’re joking.

There are a couple of nationwide pharmacy chains,

Pharmacity

and Long Chau,

(apparently not available in English),

which you might want to try. However, these days they seem quite popular, crowded and busy and sometimes out of stock of certain medicines. Also, the staff are not always so knowledgeable.

Subsequently, in my somewhat limited experience (due to fortunately not having many health issues), I have found that it’s better to go to the ubiquitous smaller individually/family-owned and operated pharmacies. If you search around and find a couple nearby your residence that have a qualified pharmacist on duty who knows what she’s talking about and speaks English, your life will be a lot easier as a result of their assistance. In a number of relatively minor cases, I have just gone directly to them and bypassed the clinic.