Vaccinations for Vietnam 2026: what you actually need

Are any vaccines required to enter Vietnam?

For most travellers, no. Vietnam does not require any vaccines to enter — not on a visa exemption, not with an e-visa, and not with an embassy visa. Immigration officers won't ask for a vaccination certificate.

The one exception: a yellow fever certificate is required if you arrive from a country where yellow fever is endemic (most of Africa and parts of South America). On a direct flight from the US, UK, EU or Australia it is not needed. If your itinerary routes you through an endemic country, carry it.

COVID-19: all pandemic-era entry rules have been lifted. No vaccination certificate is needed.

But "not required" is not the same as "not needed." The CDC, WHO and the UK NHS all recommend a specific set of vaccines for anyone travelling to Southeast Asia.

Recommended for every traveller

The CDC recommends the following vaccines for all travellers to Vietnam, regardless of how long you stay or where you go. Costs vary a lot by country and whether they are covered by your health service; the USD figures below are rough private-clinic estimates.

Hepatitis A — the number-one shot

This is the top recommendation for Vietnam. Hepatitis A spreads through contaminated food and water — and in Vietnam you will be trying street phở, iced coffee and seafood at night markets. Modern vaccines are well tolerated, and a single dose 2-4 weeks before you fly protects you for the trip.

Typhoid — for the street-food crowd

If you plan to work your way through bún chả, bánh mì and busy street markets, add typhoid to the list. The vaccine gives about 3 years of protection from a single dose taken 2 weeks before departure.

Tetanus — check when you last had one

A booster is due every 10 years. Vietnam raises the odds of a wound: coral cuts, scooter scrapes, animal scratches. If you can't remember your last tetanus shot, get one. In many countries the booster is free or nearly free.

Hepatitis B — for longer stays

Vietnam is a high-prevalence country for chronic hepatitis B. For a short 1-2 week holiday the risk is minimal unless you plan tattoos, piercings or unprotected sex. For a long stay (1+ month) the vaccine is recommended. The catch: the full course takes up to 6 months (3 doses), though accelerated schedules exist — ask a travel clinic.

Depends on your trip — the extra vaccines

These are not for everyone. Whether you need them depends on your route, how long you stay and how you travel.

Japanese encephalitis

Who needs it: long stays (1+ month), trips into rural areas (rice paddies, villages) and nights spent outside the cities.

A mosquito-borne viral infection. Across Asia there are roughly 100,000 clinical cases a year (WHO), and severe cases have a fatality rate of up to 30%.

Vaccine: Ixiaro. Two doses 28 days apart; start at least 5-6 weeks before you fly. Roughly $250-350 for the course.

Rabies

Who needs it: anyone likely to be around animals, or heading to remote areas more than a couple of hours from a hospital.

Rabies is almost always fatal once symptoms appear. Vietnam has plenty of stray dogs, and rabies is present.

Vaccine: pre-exposure course of 2-3 doses over up to 28 days; start 4+ weeks out. Roughly $250-400 for the course.

Malaria prevention

Who needs it: people heading into rural, forested areas below 1,500 m. On the CDC 2026 map that means the four Central Highlands provinces — Đắk Lắk, Đắk Nông, Gia Lai and Kon Tum — plus Bình Phước and the rural western fringes of a few central coastal provinces. If your route on the Hà Giang loop drops into low-lying villages, ask a travel clinic about your exact stops.

There is no malaria vaccine for travellers. Prevention is antimalarial tablets — atovaquone/proguanil (Malarone) or doxycycline — prescribed by a travel clinic. Start them a day or two before you enter a risk zone.

Here is the part people get wrong: the standard tourist trail has no malaria. The CDC lists Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Nha Trang, Da Nang and Da Lat, along with the Mekong Delta and Red River Delta, as areas where antimalarials are not recommended. Phu Quoc and the beach resorts are the same. For a normal beach or city holiday you do not need the pills.

What has no vaccine — dengue and other tropical diseases

You can't vaccinate against every tropical infection. For several serious ones there is no traveller vaccine — protection is behavioural only.

Dengue fever

This is the tropical infection most likely to catch a traveller in Vietnam. The country logged roughly 184,900 cases and 43 deaths in 2025 — the highest tally in the Asia-Pacific that year, per WHO surveillance and Vietnam's Ministry of Health. The vector is the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which bites by day (unlike the malaria mosquito), so a daytime nap by the pool is no protection.

Dengue vaccines exist, but they are not a quick fix for a holiday. Both Qdenga and the older Dengvaxia are two-dose courses months apart, so you would need to plan well ahead. More to the point, UK guidance (JCVI, via NHS TravelHealthPro) currently offers Qdenga only to people aged 4+ who have had dengue before — it is not advised for travellers who have never caught it, because a first infection after the jab can, in rare cases, be worse. The EU licence is broader, but for a one-off two-week trip most travel clinics won't recommend it. Ask yours if you are staying long or going back often.

Symptoms (4-14 days after a bite):high fever (39-40°C), severe headache behind the eyes, aching joints and muscles ("breakbone fever"), rash. The severe (haemorrhagic) form causes bleeding and a drop in blood pressure and can be fatal.

How to avoid dengue

1. DEET 30%+ repellent — apply in the morning and through the day
2. Long sleeves in the early morning and evening
3. Mosquito screens on windows (check your hotel)
4. Plug-in repellents and coils indoors

Most travel-insurance policies cover dengue treatment, but check yours actually includes tropical illness before you fly — our guide to travel insurance for Vietnam covers what to look for. Dengue is also the main health risk in our wider Vietnam safety guide.

Chikungunya and Zika

Both are spread by the same Aedes mosquito. They are far less common in Vietnam than dengue. There is no routine traveller vaccine; protection is the same — repellent and covering up.

The timeline — when to start

Ideally you start 6 months out. Realistically, 4-6 weeks. At the absolute latest, 2 weeks before departure.

6 months before you fly

• Start the hepatitis B course (3 doses: now → 1 month → 6 months)
• Check when you last had a tetanus booster (due every 10 years)
• If you're heading to highland areas, start the rabies pre-exposure course

4-6 weeks before

• Japanese encephalitis — 2 doses 28 days apart (if needed)
• Hepatitis A — 1 dose
• Rabies— start the course if you haven't already

2 weeks before

• Typhoid — 1 dose
• Tetanus— if it's not up to date
• Buy DEET 30%+ repellent

Before departure

• Save your travel-insurance assistance contact
• Pack a kit: paracetamol, oral rehydration salts, an anti-diarrhoeal, an antihistamine, repellent
• Photograph your immunisation record

What to do if you're short on time

Even with 5 days to go, get at least hepatitis A and a tetanus booster. Hepatitis A takes about 2 weeks to reach full protection but starts working sooner; a tetanus booster kicks in almost immediately.

Vaccines for children

Check before you go:

• Routine childhood immunisations — all scheduled vaccines should be up to date (measles, polio, diphtheria, whooping cough)
• For children under 6, some vaccines (hepatitis A) have a minimum age (usually 1 year)

Additional for children:

• Japanese encephalitis — from 2 months old for long stays in rural areas
• Hepatitis A — from age 1, pediatric dose
• Rabies — as advised (children are more likely to approach animals and may not report a bite)

Common mistakes

1. "I don't need shots, it's a week at a resort." Hepatitis A spreads through food and water. Even at a resort you eat in restaurants, drink iced drinks and try fruit. A ~$60 vaccine versus 2-6 weeks of illness.

2. Starting too late.Hepatitis B needs up to 6 months; Japanese encephalitis needs about 5 weeks. If your trip is in 2 weeks, you can't complete those courses.

3. Forgetting tetanus.A booster every 10 years — but who keeps track? Check your record. If your last shot was in school, it's time.

4. Confusing rabies prevention with treatment. The pre-exposure vaccine doesn't replace seeing a doctor after a bite; it simplifies the follow-up. If a dog bites you, go to a hospital even if you're vaccinated.

5. Thinking dengue is "just the flu." The mild form does feel flu-like. The severe (haemorrhagic) form can be fatal. DEET repellent isn't for the paranoid — it's basic protection in the tropics.

Frequently asked questions

What vaccines are required to enter Vietnam?

None for most travellers. Vietnam has no mandatory vaccines for entry from the US, UK, EU or Australia. A yellow fever certificate is required only if you arrive from a country where yellow fever is endemic (much of Africa and parts of South America). All COVID-19 entry rules have been lifted.

Do I need a yellow fever vaccine for Vietnam?

Only if you are arriving into Vietnam from a country where yellow fever is endemic. On a direct flight from the US, UK, EU or Australia it is not needed. If your route passes through an endemic country, carry the certificate.

How far in advance should I get vaccinated?

Ideally 4-6 weeks before departure, so vaccines have time to work and multi-dose courses can be started. A full hepatitis B course takes up to 6 months. Even 2 weeks out it's worth getting hepatitis A and a tetanus booster.

Do I need malaria pills for Vietnam?

There is no malaria vaccine for travellers. Prevention is antimalarial tablets (atovaquone/proguanil or doxycycline) prescribed by a travel clinic, and they are only needed for rural, forested areas below 1,500 m — mainly the Central Highlands provinces. Beach resorts, cities and the standard tourist trail (Nha Trang, Da Nang, Phu Quoc, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Lat) carry essentially no malaria risk.

Which vaccines do children need before Vietnam?

First make sure all routine childhood immunisations are up to date (measles, polio, diphtheria). Add hepatitis A (from age 1) and typhoid. For long stays in rural areas, Japanese encephalitis (from 2 months). See a pediatric travel clinic.

Where do I get travel vaccines?

A dedicated travel clinic or travel-health service — in the UK, many GP surgeries and pharmacies offer them; in the US, look for a CDC-listed travel clinic. Bring your immunisation record so they can check tetanus and hepatitis B, and book 4-6 weeks ahead.

Information current as of mid-2026. Prices and recommendations change — confirm with a travel clinic and the CDC destination page before you travel.