Sick in Hoi An? Here's What to Do

Step 1: Assess How Sick You Are

Hoi An is a small riverside town built around an old town and a beach strip, not a city with hospital infrastructure of its own, so the first judgement, how bad is this, really, matters more here than it would somewhere with a big general hospital nearby. Here's a quick decision guide.

If your main symptom is painful or frequent urination, see our guide to UTI treatment in Hoi An, where a doctor can diagnose and prescribe at your homestay.

Handle it yourself if you have mild symptoms: a small graze, a blister, a slight headache, mild sunburn, or a single loose stool. Clean and cover any wound properly, drink more than you think you need, and rest. A pharmacy in the old town or along the beach road can cover the basics.

Call a home doctor if you have repeated vomiting or diarrhoea, fever above 38°C (100.4°F), signs of dehydration such as dark urine or dizziness, a cut that keeps weeping or looks red and swollen at the edges, a joint you can't put weight on, or anything that hasn't improved in 24 hours. This is the bracket most travellers in Hoi An fall into, and it's exactly the bracket the local infrastructure handles worst.

Go straight to emergency care or call 115 if you have chest pain, difficulty breathing, a severe allergic reaction, a head injury with confusion or vomiting, a suspected fracture, uncontrolled bleeding, a fever above 39.5°C that won't come down, blood in your vomit or stool, or no urination for eight hours or more. In those cases, be moving toward Da Nang, or have an ambulance moving toward you, while someone else works out the details.

Your Medical Options in Hoi An

It's worth being blunt about what is and isn't available. Hoi An is built for tourism, food and craft, not for hospital-level medicine, and the options here reflect that. Four situations cover most of what comes up: the pharmacy, the local clinic, a home doctor visit, or 115 and Da Nang.

Option 1: Pharmacy

Pharmacies are found around the old town and along the An Bang beach road. English ability varies a lot from one pharmacy to the next, so write the medication name down or show it on your phone if you're not being understood. They're the right first stop for mild, self-limiting problems, and the wrong place to go looking for a diagnosis.

Useful things to ask for:

• Oresol (oral rehydration salts), for dehydration and diarrhoea
• Smecta or a similar antidiarrhoeal, for traveller's diarrhoea
• Paracetamol, for fever and pain
• Hidrasec or Berberin, commonly used for stomach upsets, ask the pharmacist which fits your symptoms
• An antihistamine, for insect bites and mild allergic reactions

Do not self-prescribe antibiotics. Vietnam has high antibiotic-resistance rates and the wrong one can mask a serious infection while it gets worse. See a doctor first if you think you need one. Our pharmacy guide for Hoi An covers what's genuinely over the counter and what isn't.

Option 2: The Local Hospital and Small Private Clinics

Hoi An has a local hospital and a handful of small private clinics, and they're a reasonable option for genuinely minor problems, a dressing changed, a basic check, a simple prescription. What they are not is an international hospital: don't expect the range of diagnostics, imaging or specialist cover you'd get in a bigger centre, and don't assume English is spoken. For anything beyond the minor end of the scale, the honest next step is Da Nang, not a longer wait here.

Option 3: A Home Doctor Visit (45 to 60 Minutes)

An English-speaking doctor comes to your homestay, guesthouse, hotel or villa with a portable kit, assesses you where you are, and treats you there if it can be treated there. Our local team typically arrives within 45 to 60 minutes of a confirmed booking, and bookings are taken 24 hours a day.

For the middle bracket of problems, the stomach bug, the fever, the infected cut, the sprain you can't judge, this is the option that removes both the language barrier and a trip to a clinic you don't know. You also get a written English report and an itemised receipt for your insurer, which the local facilities won't produce. Book a visit here.

Option 4: Call 115 and Go to Da Nang

Anything serious in Hoi An is routed to the hospitals in Da Nang, roughly 30 to 45 minutes away by road. That's where the real capacity is, public and private, with more departments, more equipment, and a better chance of English-speaking staff in an international department. Our guide to hospitals in Da Nang for foreigners covers which type of hospital is for what, and when you don't need one at all.

If your situation is genuinely urgent, call 115 rather than arranging your own transport. If it's serious but stable, a taxi or your accommodation's driver to Da Nang is often the practical route, don't spend time waiting at the local hospital first if you already suspect you'll be sent onward.

Emergency numbers

113 police · 114 fire and rescue · 115 medical and ambulance. Have your accommodation's address written in Vietnamese in your phone before you need it, and if you're out on a scooter, tell someone at your accommodation roughly where you're headed and when you expect to be back.

Common Illnesses and Injuries in Hoi An

What brings travellers to a doctor in Hoi An follows a fairly predictable pattern shaped by heat, street food and scooters.

• Food poisoning and traveller's diarrhoea. Common given how much of a Hoi An visit revolves around street food and cooking classes. Oral rehydration is the first response; a persistent case or fever is a reason to call a doctor.
• Dehydration and heat exhaustion. Hours walking the old town or on the beach at An Bang in high heat and humidity add up faster than expected. A headache and nausea back at the homestay are often just dehydration catching up with you.
• Scooter falls and road rash. Narrow old-town lanes, beach roads and rented scooters produce a steady stream of falls: road rash, wrist and collarbone injuries, and cuts that need proper cleaning rather than a plaster.
• Cuts and wound infections. The heat and humidity mean a small cut that would be trivial at home can get infected faster than expected. Clean and cover anything broken the same day, and get a red, hot or weeping wound looked at rather than waiting.
• Sunburn and heat rash. The sun is strong year-round. Cover up and reapply sunscreen more often than feels necessary.
• Insect bites. Mosquitoes are active near the river and in the evenings, particularly in the rainy season. Use repellent and cover up after dusk.

Diarrhoea specifically is common enough here that it's worth its own plan rather than improvising at the pharmacy counter. Diarrhea Treatment in Hoi An: A Doctor Comes to You covers what a doctor actually does for it.

Insurance Tips

Insurance paperwork tends to matter more once a trip to Da Nang is involved, so check your policy before you need it.

• Most policies cover doctor visits for acute illness or injury abroad. Confirm this with your insurer rather than assuming.
• Some insurers require you to call their hotline first. Check your policy documents now, while you have signal.
• Keep everything. Receipts, prescriptions, and a written report in English. Viet Home Doctor Hoi An provides English documentation formatted for international claims.
• Scooter accidents can be a coverage sticking point. Check whether your policy requires a valid driving permit for scooter-related claims.

Insurers we're commonly asked to provide reports for: Allianz, AXA, Bupa and Cigna.

Useful Vietnamese Phrases

In case you need to communicate with non-English speakers, at the pharmacy, the local hospital, or with a driver:

• "Toi bi om" (Toy bee ohm) = "I am sick"
• "Toi bi thuong" (Toy bee thuong) = "I am injured"
• "Dau bung" (Dow boong) = "Stomach pain"
• "Benh vien" (Ben vee-en) = "Hospital"
• "Nha thuoc" (Nya too-ock) = "Pharmacy"
• "Bac si" (Back see) = "Doctor"
• "Goi xe cap cuu" (Goy seh cap coo) = "Call an ambulance"
• "Toi bi sot" (Toy bee sot) = "I have a fever"