Hanoi Medical Tourism Development Workshop: When Potential Begins to Be Connected into Strength
For many years, Vietnam has consistently been recognized as a country with a high-quality healthcare system at reasonable costs, along with advantages in landscapes, culture, and tourism services. However, to transform these advantages into a high-value economic sector, what is lacking is not only policy, but also the connection between stakeholders throughout the entire ecosystem.
The workshop "Developing Medical Tourism in Hanoi: From Policy to Practical Implementation," organized by the Hanoi Department of Health in collaboration with the Hanoi Oncology Hospital on July 3rd, showed a very positive sign: medical tourism is no longer seen as a potential idea, but is gradually being incorporated into action programs with the participation of management agencies, hospitals, tourism businesses, and many related units.
Source: https://hanoi.gov.vn/tin-so-nganh/hoi-thao-phat-trien-du-lich-y-te-ha-noi-tu-chinh-sach-den-trien-khai-thuc-tien-4260703182938729.htm
The highlight of the workshop was not simply a reiteration of Hanoi's inherent advantages. What made the event valuable was the shared understanding among participants of the missing pieces needed to form a truly meaningful medical tourism industry.
The discussion sessions offered diverse perspectives, ranging from policy planning and international experience to the potential for transforming hospitals' expertise into competitive healthcare products in the international market. Additionally, the sessions covered topics such as building patient experience journeys, developing specialized products, applying digital transformation, and strengthening linkages between hospitals and travel agencies, hotels, insurance companies, and other support services.
In particular, the panel discussion themed "How to build Hanoi into a high-quality medical tourism destination in the region?" created an open space for exchange among managers, experts, and businesses. Instead of focusing solely on medical treatment, many opinions emphasized that the international customer experience must be comprehensive, from before arriving in Vietnam, during treatment, to the recovery and post-treatment follow-up phases. This is also the approach being successfully adopted by many countries that have developed medical tourism.
Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/y-te/tin-tuc/phat-trien-du-lich-y-te-co-hoi-nang-tam-vi-the-y-te-thu-do-1047477
From the perspective of the Vietnam Medical Tourism Alliance (VMTA), the most encouraging outcome of the workshop was not only the goals set, but also the increasingly clear consensus among the parties on how to develop the industry. While previously each hospital, business, or service provider operated primarily independently, the mindset of "collaboration to create value" has now become a recurring theme in most of the discussions.
This also signals that Vietnam's medical tourism is shifting from a development phase based on individual capabilities to one focused on building an ecosystem. When healthcare facilities, tourism businesses, accommodation providers, airlines, insurance companies, technology platforms, and support services all participate in a unified value chain, international patients will not only seek treatment in Vietnam but also receive a comprehensive healthcare experience.
The directions outlined at the workshop, such as standardizing service quality, developing specialized products, strengthening digital transformation, building the brand "Hanoi - Vietnam's high-quality medical center," and expanding interdisciplinary cooperation, all reflect a long-term development vision in which each organization has its own role to contribute to the common goal.
For VMTA, this conference is not simply a professional event, but a sign that Vietnam's medical tourism industry is entering a new phase of development – a phase where connectivity will become a decisive factor in competitiveness. In this journey, VMTA will continue to work alongside hospitals, businesses, and partners in promoting cooperation, sharing experiences, and connecting resources, contributing to the realization of the goal of making Hanoi in particular, and Vietnam in general, a reputable healthcare destination in the region.
Source: Hanoi City Electronic Information Portal, VnExpress, Dan Tri, People's Army Newspaper
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