Is dental treatment in Vietnam safe?
Last updated 6 November 2026 · By the Dentist in Hanoi editorial team
In short: Vietnam has a licensing system for both dental clinics and dentists, and Hanoi has a public website where you can look up licensed clinics and practitioners. Quality varies between clinics, as it does everywhere. Choose a licensed clinic, make sure you understand the treatment plan, look at hygiene, and get a second opinion for large treatments.
How dentists and clinics are licensed
Since 1 January 2024, medical and dental care in Vietnam falls under the Law on Medical Examination and Treatment (No. 15/2023/QH15):
- Dentists need a personal licence to practise (giấy phép hành nghề). It is valid nationwide for five years and states the person's professional title and scope of practice. The older name for this document is chứng chỉ hành nghề; certificates issued before 2024 are being converted.
- Clinics need an operating licence (giấy phép hoạt động). For private clinics in Hanoi this is issued by the Hanoi Department of Health. Hanoi clinics often show the licence number on their website, in a format like "1234/HNO-GPHĐ".
How to check a clinic or dentist in Hanoi
The Hanoi Department of Health runs Sức khỏe Thủ đô (suckhoethudo.vn), launched in February 2026, where the public can search licensed private facilities and practising certificates by name or licence number. The site is in Vietnamese; a browser translation tool helps. You can also simply ask the clinic to show you its operating licence and the dentist's practising licence.
Language rules
Under the same law, Vietnamese is the language of treatment. Foreign dentists may treat foreign patients in another language, but an interpreter is then required and records must also be kept in Vietnamese. In practice this means you can ask for an English explanation and a written plan, and you can ask for copies of your records.
Practical signs of a careful clinic
- It examines you and takes X-rays before proposing large treatments, and shows you why.
- It gives a written, itemised treatment plan and names materials and brands.
- Instruments come from sealed sterilisation pouches; gloves and masks are changed for each patient.
- It asks about your health, medication and allergies.
- It gives you copies of X-rays and records without fuss.
- It doesn't pressure you into starting expensive work on the same day.
More in How to choose a reliable dentist in Hanoi.
What we can and can't tell you
We can't judge the clinical quality of a clinic from the outside, and we don't rank clinics. What we do: we publish verifiable facts with sources, mark how we verified them, and list what is still open. How we verify.