Travel Insurance for Vietnam

Vietnam is not a dangerous country, but it has one specific risk that wrecks more travel insurance claims than anything else: the motorbike. If your policy has a motorbike clause and you do not match it exactly, a 30,000 USD evacuation bill becomes yours to pay.

This is the article we wish we had read before our first scooter trip.

The motorbike clause — read it twice

Most off-the-shelf policies cover motorbike riding only if all of the following are true:

1. The bike is below a certain engine size (commonly 125cc, sometimes 250cc).
2. You are wearing a helmet at the time of the incident.
3. You hold a licence valid for that bike in the country you are riding in.

Point three is the killer. Vietnam requires an A1 motorcycle licence for bikes 50–175cc, and the International Driving Permit (IDP) that covers it is the 1968 Vienna Convention IDP. Australia, New Zealand, the US (Pennsylvania and Delaware are exceptions), Canada, the UK and Ireland all issue the 1949 Geneva IDP — which Vietnam does not recognise. France, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland and a handful of others issue the 1968 version and are fine.

If you cannot tick all three boxes, your policy will probably refuse a motorbike-related claim. They check the police report. Read motorbike rental deposits and motorbike rental before you ride.

What a good Vietnam policy covers

• Medical treatment — at least 1 million USD limit. Vietnamese private hospitals (Vinmec, FV, Raffles, Hanoi French) are good but expensive for foreigners without insurance.
• Medical evacuation — the big number. A medevac flight from Vietnam to Singapore or Bangkok runs 30,000–80,000 USD; a stretcher flight home to Europe or the US can hit 200,000 USD. Cover should be at least 500,000 USD, ideally a million.
• Repatriation of remains — grim but standard.
• Adventure activities — caving in Phong Nha, diving below 18m, trekking above 3,000m (Fansipan is 3,143m), motorbiking. Each often needs an add-on rider.
• Trip delay / cancellation — useful but not critical.
• Gear cover — usually weak. If you travel with a 4,000 USD camera, get specialist gear insurance separately.

Providers worth comparing in 2026

Provider	Strength	Weakness
SafetyWing Nomad Insurance	Cheap (~45 USD/month), monthly renewal, designed for long-stay digital nomads	Lower medical caps; motorbike up to 125cc only with valid licence; deductible per claim
SafetyWing Complete	Proper expat health plan	Pricier; underwriting required
World Nomads	Excellent adventure-activity cover, easy online claims	Pricier; coverage caps vary by home country
Allianz Travel	Strong evacuation cover, traditional travel insurer	Motorbike often excluded or extra; less digital-nomad friendly
IMG Global / Patriot	High medical caps for long trips	Older interface, US-leaning
True Traveller (UK)	Strong adventure cover, UK only	Geo-restricted to UK residents
Cover-More (AU)	Mainstream Australian option	Read the motorbike clause very carefully

Pricing for a 35-year-old European on a one-month Vietnam trip with adventure add-ons in May 2026 lands roughly:

• SafetyWing Nomad: ~45 USD/month
• World Nomads Explorer: ~95 USD for the trip
• Allianz OneTrip Premier: ~140 USD for the trip

Cheaper is not better. Look at the medical and evacuation caps first, premium second.

What "valid licence" means in practice

For short trips, get a 1968-convention IDP in your home country before flying. If your country only issues the 1949 IDP, your insurance will not cover you for any bike larger than the local moped-allowance threshold (50cc, and even that is contested). Many travellers ride anyway — that is a personal-risk choice, not an insured one.

For longer stays, convert to a Vietnamese A1 licence. The conversion takes a day at the Department of Transport with your home licence, IDP, passport, TRC and a medical certificate. ~135,000đ.

If you crash, the hospital and the insurer will ask to see your licence. "I have an IDP from home" is not the same answer in every case. Know which IDP you hold.

How a claim actually works

Step by step, what happens when you need to use insurance in Vietnam:

1. Get to care. Call an ambulance (115) for serious; Grab to a private hospital for non-urgent. See emergency numbers.
2. Tell the insurer within 24 hours. Most have a WhatsApp line. They will tell you whether to pay-and-claim or whether they can guarantee direct billing.
3. Keep every receipt, every prescription, every report. Photograph them as you go.
4. For motorbike incidents, get a police report. No report, no claim — that is the rule for almost every insurer.
5. Submit within the policy window (commonly 30–60 days after the incident).

Direct billing exists at major foreign-managed hospitals (FV in HCMC, Vinmec in both cities, Hanoi French Hospital) — your insurer arranges it on a call. Smaller clinics are pay-and-claim.

Medical evacuation — who decides

The insurer's medical team decides when an evacuation is warranted, not you and not your doctor in Vietnam. They will normally try to treat in-country first, then move you to Bangkok or Singapore if specialist care is needed, and only fly you home if recovery time exceeds your trip and is clinically advisable. This is reasonable but can feel slow when you are the one in the bed.

Pre-existing conditions

Declare them. Failing to declare an existing condition voids the whole policy in most cases — not just the bit relating to that condition. The premium goes up; the cover stays valid. That is the trade.

The one-line summary

For Vietnam: pick a policy with at least 1 million USD medical, 500,000 USD evacuation, an explicit motorbike clause matching the bike you will rent, and a clear adventure-activity rider for the things on your itinerary. Pay the extra 40 USD for the better policy. Update your vaccinations before the trip — some policies require it.