Therapy in Vietnam: Finding a Therapist or Psychologist

How does mental health care work in Vietnam?

Vietnam has no GP system like the UK's, the UK Foreign Office says. For less urgent needs, it says you may visit a state or international hospital with a mental health department. That is one route it suggests, not a required first step: the WHO records that some mental health care is available in primary care facilities too.

The WHO Mental Health Atlas 2024 counts 43 psychiatric hospitals in Viet Nam. It records 8.1 psychiatric hospital beds per 100,000 people. The UK Foreign Office gives its own figure: over 40 psychiatric hospitals with about 6,000 beds. It says these mainly serve local patients.

Psychologists are few. The WHO atlas counts 0.1 psychologists per 100,000 people. That is 1.5% of the mental health workforce it counted. The UK Foreign Office names the gaps. It lists too few hospital beds and skill shortages. It lists little high standard care, such as psychotherapy and rehab. It also lists funding that is short and split up.

There is no separate mental health law. The WHO atlas records no stand-alone law for mental health. The UK Foreign Office says Vietnam has no mental health act, and support is very limited for foreign nationals. In June 2025 it wrote that a full mental health act was still under development. It also noted a National Mental Health Strategy for 2015 to 2025.

Sources: UK FCDO, Mental health support for British nationals in Vietnam (17 June 2025); WHO Mental Health Atlas 2024, Viet Nam profile; UK FCDO, Vietnam travel advice, Health

Who may legally practise psychology in Vietnam?

A clinical psychologist needs a practising licence. The main health law, Law 15/2023, names clinical psychology as a title that can get one. This table puts the rules side by side, from the legal texts.

The law covers clinical psychology. It does not tell you who may call themselves a counsellor, coach or therapist. We looked for a rule on who may use the words psychologist or psychotherapist. In the texts we read, we did not find one. We also found no public register of private counselling practices.

Language matters too. The law says care is given in Vietnamese, apart from cases it lists. The UK Foreign Office says foreigners will likely struggle without someone to translate. Private international hospitals with English speaking staff are the exception.

Sources: Law on Medical Examination and Treatment 15/2023/QH15, consolidated text 26/VBHN-VPQH; Decree 96/2023/ND-CP

How do you check a practitioner or clinic?

Use the city health lookups. Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City each run a public search of licensed health workers and facilities.

• Ho Chi Minh City: thongtin.medinet.org.vn offers three searches. They are for a medical practitioner, a medical facility and a cosmetic facility.
• Hanoi: suckhoethudo.vn has a data group for practising certificates, described as the list of practising certificates in Hanoi. We read this page in a browser.

We did not confirm that either lookup can filter by psychology. A counsellor who does not hold a health title may not appear in them at all. The lookups are in Vietnamese.

Sources: Ho Chi Minh City health lookup (thongtin.medinet.org.vn); Hanoi health data lookup (suckhoethudo.vn)

Where can foreigners get mental health care in Vietnam?

Three governments publish lists of hospitals with mental health services. The UK and Australian lists both note an English or language level for each entry; the US list does not give one for its mental health entries. The UK Foreign Office guide from 17 June 2025 lists hospitals with mental health departments. It marks each one for English speaking staff and as public or private. None of the three governments recommends or vouches for the places on its list.

The same guide lists a few private counselling providers in Ho Chi Minh City, each marked as having English speaking staff. It says there are likely to be more in larger cities. Of the hospitals, it says some in larger cities may be able to offer remote consultations. It also says there are no known charities registered in Vietnam that support foreign nationals with mental health.

The US and Australian lists add more names. The US Embassy page has a heading called Hospital for Mental Health Support under Hanoi and under Ho Chi Minh City. The US Embassy says it takes no responsibility for the skill or standing of anyone on its list, and that the list is not complete. The Australian lists mark a language level for each entry. DFAT says it does not endorse any service on them.

Mental health departments in general hospitals are not usually open after normal hours, says the UK Foreign Office. For the wider hospital picture in each city, see our guides to hospitals in Hanoi, hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang hospitals.

Sources: UK FCDO, Mental health support for British nationals in Vietnam (17 June 2025); US Embassy and Consulate in Vietnam, Medical Assistance; Australian Embassy Hanoi, Contact List: Hospitals, Hanoi (Jan 2026); Australian Consulate-General HCMC, Contact List: Hospitals (July 2026)

Where the lists disagree

The lists do not always print the same address for the same place. They were written at different times. We show each list's own line and do not pick one.

The Vinmec Times City street number is printed three ways: 458 on the UK list, 468 on the US list and 485 on the Australian list. We could not tell which is current, so check with the provider before you go.

Sources: UK FCDO, Mental health support for British nationals in Vietnam (17 June 2025); US Embassy and Consulate in Vietnam, Medical Assistance; Australian Embassy Hanoi, Contact List: Hospitals, Hanoi (Jan 2026); Australian Consulate-General HCMC, Contact List: Hospitals (July 2026)

Mental health care outside Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City

In small cities, finding an English speaking psychiatrist can be difficult, says the UK Foreign Office. It says most cities have a public mental health hospital or a mental health department in a general hospital. Standards vary a lot between big cities and smaller cities in rural provinces.

The Australian list for July 2026 names Da Nang Psychiatric Hospital, with Vietnamese and limited English. The same list covers two hospitals on Phu Quoc island. They are Phu Quoc General Hospital and Vinmec Phu Quoc International Hospital. For both, it notes no psychiatric facilities.

The FCDO suggests going with someone who speaks Vietnamese if you can. It also says to be ready with your medical background, such as past diagnoses and the medicine you take. The UK Embassy or Consulate can give British nationals lists of interpreters.

Sources: UK FCDO, Mental health support for British nationals in Vietnam (17 June 2025); Australian Consulate-General HCMC, Contact List: Hospitals (July 2026)

How much does therapy cost in Vietnam?

We found no official price for a therapy session in Vietnam. No government or embassy source we read gives one, so this page states no price.

What the sources do say is who pays. The WHO Mental Health Atlas 2024, in its table of what the majority of people with mental health conditions pay, records 51 to 100% of the cost of mental health outpatient services and 0 to 5% of the cost of psychological therapies. The higher figure is for outpatient services, not the price of a therapy session. The UK Foreign Office says state hospitals usually cost less but may lack English. Private and international clinics with English speaking staff cost much more, it says.

Hospital stays need money up front. The FCDO says you will be expected to pay the cost of treatment. You will be expected to pay a deposit before admission at both state and private hospitals. If police take a person to hospital against their will, the deposit can sometimes be waived.

Sources: WHO Mental Health Atlas 2024, Viet Nam profile; UK FCDO, Mental health support for British nationals in Vietnam (17 June 2025)

Does insurance cover therapy in Vietnam?

Only if your policy covers mental health, and some do not. The UK Foreign Office says some insurers exclude cover for a mental health condition. So it says to check what several companies offer. Its travel insurance page says you must tell your insurer about mental health conditions. If not, your policy may not be valid.

International hospitals are often set up to work with travel insurers, the FCDO says, as long as the policy covers mental health. If it does not, the patient pays directly. Using local social insurance for mental health care is often a challenge, it adds, and often needs payment up front instead.

Vietnam's national health insurance covers mental illness, according to one report. An EU report from September 2024 says the national scheme covers tests and care for all mental illness. The one thing left out is a forensic (court) psychiatric exam. We did not confirm how that applies to foreigners who join the scheme.

Getting home can be slow and costly. The FCDO says a flight home with medical staff is often possible. But it can cost a lot and take a long time to set up. Hospitals sometimes refuse to issue a fit to fly certificate at discharge. For more on cover, see our guides to travel insurance for Vietnam and health insurance in Vietnam.

Sources: UK FCDO, Mental health support for British nationals in Vietnam (17 June 2025); UK FCDO, Foreign travel insurance; EUAA MedCOI, Vietnam Psychiatry (September 2024)

Is there a mental health crisis line in Vietnam?

We found no official adult mental health or suicide crisis line. We looked in Ministry of Health, government, WHO and embassy sources. In an emergency, the UK Foreign Office names two numbers:

• 115: ambulance.
• 113: police, if there is a threat to self or others.

Both are answered in Vietnamese only, the FCDO says.

Line 111 is for children. It is Vietnam's national child protection line. Its official site says it is free and runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It covers child protection and help for victims of human trafficking. It is not an adult crisis line. We list no charity or private hotlines, because we could not tie any to an official source.

Sources: UK FCDO, Mental health support for British nationals in Vietnam (17 June 2025); National Child Protection Hotline 111

Can you be treated against your will in Vietnam?

Yes. The UK Foreign Office says people with mental health needs may be hospitalised without consent. This applies if they seem a threat to themselves or others, or need urgent treatment and cannot make decisions themselves.

In an emergency, police, close family or employers can take a person to a mental health facility for assessment. Then a registered psychiatrist checks the person. If the doctors find a severe mental disorder, the person is kept in. The UK guide says the embassy cannot approve such a stay, and the hospital may or may not tell the British Embassy. The FCDO adds that Vietnam has no official rule on who counts as next of kin.

The law sets out who can be given compulsory treatment. Article 82 of Law 15/2023 lists, among others, a person with depression who has suicidal thoughts or behaviour. It also lists a person with a mental illness who is agitated and may harm themselves, or who harms others or damages property.

Sources: UK FCDO, Mental health support for British nationals in Vietnam (17 June 2025); Law on Medical Examination and Treatment 15/2023/QH15, consolidated text 26/VBHN-VPQH

Getting mental health medicine in Vietnam

For a repeat or replacement prescription, the UK Foreign Office says to contact a local psychiatrist at a nearby hospital. Doctors will assess you before they prescribe, even if you have a prescription from home. Some medicines prescribed in the UK may not be available in Vietnam.

The FCDO says Vietnam's drug laws are extremely strict, even for medicine prescribed at home. It says to check with your nearest Vietnamese embassy that your medicine is allowed. It also says to keep it in its labelled box in your carry-on, with a copy of the prescription. Our guide to the pharmacy in Vietnam sets out the legal limits on bringing medicine in. For the wider system, see healthcare in Vietnam for foreigners.

Sources: UK FCDO, Mental health support for British nationals in Vietnam (17 June 2025)

What we could and could not confirm

This page was built from written records. We did not visit a clinic or speak to a therapist. We read every record in October 2026. The first list is what we could confirm.

• Law 15/2023 in its official consolidated text of March 2026, and Decree 96/2023.
• The WHO Mental Health Atlas 2024 profile for Viet Nam.
• The UK Foreign Office mental health guide of 17 June 2025, its Vietnam health advice and its travel insurance guidance.
• The US Embassy medical list, read in a browser, and the Australian hospital lists of January 2026 and July 2026.
• The Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi health lookups (Hanoi read in a browser), and the official site of child line 111.

The second list is what we could not confirm.

• An official adult mental health or suicide crisis line. We found none in the sources we read.
• A public register of licensed psychotherapists or counsellors, or a lookup filter for psychology.
• Whether the words psychologist or psychotherapist are protected for counsellors outside the clinical psychology title.
• The price of a therapy session. We found no government or embassy figure.
• Whether foreigners in Vietnam's social insurance get mental health cover in practice.
• Which address is current where the government lists disagree.

We name no therapist and rank no provider. Names on this page come only from the UK, US and Australian government lists.

Therapy in Vietnam questions

Sources: UK FCDO, Mental health support for British nationals in Vietnam (17 June 2025); Law on Medical Examination and Treatment 15/2023/QH15, consolidated text 26/VBHN-VPQH; Decree 96/2023/ND-CP; WHO Mental Health Atlas 2024, Viet Nam profile; UK FCDO, Foreign travel insurance; National Child Protection Hotline 111