Giving birth in Vietnam as a foreigner: costs, hospitals, paperwork and the baby's citizenship

Below: where to give birth and what it costs, what insurance will and won't pay, which documents come in which order, and the rules for flying pregnant and with a newborn.

Will the baby get Vietnamese citizenship?

No, if neither parent is Vietnamese. The Law on Vietnamese Nationality (Luật Quốc tịch No. 24/2008/QH12, amended in 2014 and 2025) grants citizenship to a child with at least one Vietnamese parent (Articles 15–16) and to a child of stateless parents who live permanently in Vietnam (Article 17). There is no rule for a child of two foreign nationals (English text of the law).

The 2025 amendment (Law No. 79/2025/QH15, in force since 1 July 2025) only changes things for mixed couples. If one parent is Vietnamese, the baby is born in Vietnam and the parents can't agree on a nationality, the child becomes Vietnamese (Hai Phong city explainer, July 2025).

How much does it cost to give birth in Vietnam?

Published packages at international hospitals cost 27,000,000–58,800,000 VND (~$1,040–2,260). Vinmec in Nha Trang, Phu Quoc, Hai Phong and Ha Long is the cheapest we found, and Hanoi French Hospital and FV in Ho Chi Minh City sit at the top.

Sources: Vinmec price sheet (PDF, June 2025), Tam Anh, FV Hospital, HFH. USD at 26,000 VND per dollar. Every hospital calls its prices indicative, so ask for the current list before you sign.

Read the small print. Vinmec's delivery-only package covers drugs and supplies up to 5,000,000 VND for a vaginal birth and 7,500,000 VND for a C-section. You get one night on the ward after a vaginal birth at Times City and Smart City, two at other Vinmec hospitals, and four after a C-section. The baby gets a vitamin K shot, the hepatitis B vaccine and screening for three congenital conditions.

FV's top packages reach 168,000,000 VND (~$6,460) with a VIP room or suite and a week of home care. FV also states that its package prices do not apply to patients covered by international insurance, and complications, extra procedures and extra nights are billed separately (FV package rules).

For hospitals and pharmacies in general, see our guide to hospitals and pharmacies in Vietnam.

Insurance: why travel cover won't pay for the birth

A standard travel policy does not cover childbirth. Pregnancy is either excluded or sold as an add-on with a cut-off week. Russian insurers quoted by the trade outlet Tourdom put that cut-off at 31 weeks: after it, pregnancy complications are not covered (Tourdom, May 2025). Check your own policy wording for the week limit.

Individual expat health plans usually cover maternity only after a waiting period of 10–12 months from the start date, while group plans through an employer often include it with no wait, depending on the insurer, according to brokers Expat Financial and Pacific Prime. Buying an individual plan once you're already pregnant won't get the birth paid.

Our guides to health insurance in Vietnam and long-term healthcare go deeper.

Pregnancy care in Vietnam and mosquitoes

The WHO recommends a first antenatal contact within the first 12 weeks and at least eight contacts overall. It estimates that eight or more contacts instead of four can cut perinatal deaths by up to 8 per 1,000 births (WHO, 2016). Vinmec's longest package starts at week 12 and includes 11 scheduled check-ups.

Mosquitoes are the other issue. The CDC notes that Zika spreads through bites and that an infected pregnant woman can pass it to her baby, and it lists Zika and dengue among the diseases travellers can't be vaccinated against (CDC, Vietnam, 08/2026). Vietnam has offered the Qdenga dengue vaccine since 2024, but it is a live vaccine and is not given to pregnant or breastfeeding women (Tam Anh). Repellent, long sleeves and a net are ordinary precautions here. How to spot dengue, and why ibuprofen is off the table, is in our dengue in Vietnam guide.

Documents for the baby, step by step

The usual order: hospital birth record, birth registration and citizenship with your embassy, the baby's passport, Vietnamese birth registration, then a visa or residence card. Embassies differ, so treat the steps below as the skeleton and your embassy's page as the detail.

1. Hospital birth record. The hospital issues the giấy chứng sinh. Before you leave, check that the parents' names match your passports letter for letter.
2. Translation. Your embassy will probably want the record translated into its language. The Russian Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City, for example, charges 945,000 VND (~$36) per page for a certified translation.
3. Registration with your embassy. Many countries register the birth of a citizen's child abroad. Russia's missions, for example, register the birth from the hospital record when both parents are Russian citizens and confirm the child's citizenship free of charge.
4. Passport. For Russian children under 14, the embassy in Hanoi issues a 5-year passport within a month for 405,000 VND (~$16) and a 10-year biometric one within three months for 1,350,000 VND (~$52), per its consular fee schedule of 13 October 2026. The baby must attend in person.
5. Vietnamese registration. With the embassy's document confirming the baby's nationality, register the birth at your ward or commune People's Committee.
6. Visa or residence card. Then the immigration office. Details below.

Vietnamese birth registration after the 2025 reform

The Law on Civil Status (Luật Hộ tịch No. 60/2014/QH13) covers a child born in Vietnam to two foreign parents (Article 35) and gives parents 60 days from the birth to register (Article 15). This used to be done at district level. Districts no longer exist: since 1 July 2025 all civil status registration sits with the People's Committee of the ward, commune or special zone (phường, xã, đặc khu) under Decree No. 120/2025/ND-CP of 11 June 2025 (LuatVietnam). Our explainer on the 2025 administrative reform covers why, and how addresses changed.

For a child who holds a foreign nationality by birth, the Vietnamese side asks for a document from that country's embassy or consulate confirming it, according to the Russian Consulate General in Da Nang. That's why the embassy step comes first. You can submit paper or electronic copies. The fee is set by each province, so ask at the counter.

One more date. A new Law on Civil Status, No. 03/2026/QH16, was passed on 23 April 2026 and takes effect on 1 March 2027, replacing the 2014 law (LSVN). If your due date is in spring 2027, check the procedure again.

Apostille and translations

Vietnam has been a party to the Hague Apostille Convention since 11 September 2026, according to the Russian Embassy in Hanoi and the HCCH status table. Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic have objected to Vietnam's accession, so between them and Vietnam the apostille does not apply (HCCH). Whether your country accepts a Vietnamese apostille, and whether it also wants its own certified translation, is a question for your embassy.

2025 administrative reform · Vietnam residence permit

A visa or residence card for the baby

A baby born in Vietnam has no entry stamp, and once it has a passport it needs a legal basis to stay. If a parent holds a work or investor visa, a child under 18 can get a TT (family) visa or card: the amended immigration law, No. 51/2019/QH14, grants it to spouses and children under 18 of holders of LV1, LV2, LS, ĐT1–ĐT3, NN1, NN2, DH, PV1, LĐ1 and LĐ2 visas (Article 8(18), English text).

If you're in Vietnam visa-free or on an e-visa, the baby has no such basis. We did not find an official Immigration Department page on visas for newborn foreigners. Go to your provincial police immigration office with the baby's passport, the Vietnamese birth registration and your own documents, and check xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn. Leave time for this before your flight.

Work and family residence cards are covered in our guide to the Vietnam residence permit. If your own visa runs out before the baby's passport is ready, read how a visa extension works.

Flying pregnant and with a newborn

Vietnam Airlines carries pregnant passengers as usual before week 32, asks for a medical certificate from week 32 to 36, and refuses travel from week 36 and within 7 days after giving birth (Vietnam Airlines).

The details people miss:

• gestation is counted on the flight date, not the booking date;
• even before week 32, carry your pregnancy records or a certificate showing the due date and that mother and baby are well;
• for weeks 32–36 you need MEDIF I and MEDIF II forms, or MEDIF I plus three copies of pregnancy records or scans;
• have the clearance ready 7 days before the first flight;
• request the service at least 24 hours ahead through the contact centre or 36 hours ahead through the online form;
• pregnancies by artificial insemination, uncertain due dates, previous multiple pregnancies and special treatment in a previous pregnancy or delivery need a certificate at any week.

Other airlines set their own limits, so check before you buy. If you plan to give birth in Vietnam, arrive before week 32. The trip home with the baby starts with the baby's passport. For everything else about travelling with a little one, see our guide to Vietnam with kids.

Timeline: from week 12 to the flight home

Realistically, the whole chain from birth to departure takes two months or more.

Common mistakes

• Counting on travel insurance. It won't pay for a planned birth, and late in pregnancy often not for complications either.
• Expecting Vietnamese citizenship. Not unless one parent is Vietnamese.
• Not checking the hospital record. A typo in a name becomes a separate correction procedure.
• Booking the embassy late. Slots may open only a month ahead.
• Flying at week 36. Vietnam Airlines won't board you, and the certificate takes planning.
• Forgetting the visa. The baby has a passport but no right to stay, and the flight slips.

Giving birth in Vietnam: FAQ

Read next: Hospitals and pharmacies in Vietnam · Health insurance in Vietnam · Vietnam residence permit · Vietnam with kids