SOS: Emergency Help
Emergency numbers, embassies, English-speaking hospitals, and step-by-step playbooks for when things go wrong in Vietnam.
Get ready in advance
Five minutes of prep now saves hours of stress later. Do this before anything happens.
Save to your phone
- 1Photograph your passport and visa and save them to the cloud (Google Drive, iCloud)
- 2Save your travel insurer’s assistance number to your phone contacts
- 3Write your home address in Vietnamese — you’ll show it to a taxi driver
- 4Know your blood type and any allergies in English
- 5Install Grab (taxis) and Google Translate (offline Vietnamese pack)
Emergency numbers
An ambulance (115) can take 30–60 minutes. For serious injuries it’s often faster to take a Grab to the nearest international clinic.
Police113Operators rarely speak English, so call the tourist hotline insteadAmbulance115Can take 30–60 min. For serious injuries, take a Grab to a clinicFire114Also responds to floods and building collapsesSingle SOS112Works like 911. The operator routes you to the right service
Tourist support hotlines
Step-by-step playbooks
Don’t panic. Open the scenario you need and work through the steps.
Motorbike accident
- 1Don’t leave the scene. Put on your hazard lights and set out any warning marker.
- 2Call an ambulance (115) if anyone is hurt. With serious injuries, don’t move the casualty.
- 3Call the police (113). Photograph and film everything: damage, plates, the location.
- 4Take the other party’s details: name, phone, vehicle plate, insurance.
- 5Call your insurer (the number on your assistance card). Don’t sign anything in Vietnamese without a translation.
- 6Don’t agree to settle large sums “on the spot.” Wait for the police.
Lost or stolen passport
- 1File a report with the police (113) — get the written report (Biên bản). You need it to get a new document.
- 2Call your embassy or consulate and book an appointment.
- 3Prepare the documents: a copy or photo of your passport, 2 passport photos, and the police report.
- 4Get an Emergency Travel Document (ETD) from your embassy — enough to fly home or to a third country.
- 5For a full replacement passport, apply through the embassy (this takes longer).
- 6Tell your airline about the document change and update your booking details.
Hospitalisation
- 1Call an ambulance (115) or take a taxi to the nearest international clinic.
- 2Call your insurer straight away — they arrange a guarantee of payment.
- 3Bring your passport, insurance policy and a bank card. Without a guarantee letter you pay on the spot.
- 4Ask for all documents in English. Photograph every document.
- 5Keep ALL receipts, prescriptions and test results — you’ll need them for the claim.
- 6If you need evacuation, your insurer arranges it through assistance. Don’t book flights yourself.
Fraud or theft
- 1Freeze your bank cards through the app or your bank’s hotline.
- 2File a police report (113). Insist on the written report — you need it for the insurance claim.
- 3Contact the tourist hotline (numbers above) — they’re more used to dealing with foreigners.
- 4Screenshot any chats and save all evidence (photos, video, transactions).
- 5Notify your insurer within 24 hours.
- 6If your phone was stolen: block the SIM and enable remote lock (Find My / Google Find).
Visa overstay
- 1Don’t panic. The fine depends on how long you’ve overstayed: from 1,000,000 to 30,000,000 VND (Decree 282/2025). Pay at the immigration office or the airport.
- 2Overstaying more than 30 days means deportation and a re-entry ban. Talk to an immigration consultant.
- 3Have cash in dong ready — fines are often cash-only.
- 4Go to the immigration office early if you know you can’t leave in time.
- 5Alternative: do a visa run to a nearby country (Cambodia, Thailand) before your stay expires.
- 6Keep the payment receipt — without it you may have problems on your next entry.
Food poisoning / stomach trouble
- 1Drink plenty of water. Buy Oresol (rehydration salts) at any pharmacy — 3,000–5,000 VND a sachet.
- 2For the first day: rice, bananas, crackers. Avoid dairy and greasy food.
- 3If symptoms last 2+ days, your temperature is above 38.5°C, or there’s blood — go to a clinic.
- 4At a pharmacy (nhà thuốc) you can buy Smecta, activated charcoal and Imodium without a prescription.
- 5Prevention: drink bottled water, skip ice at street stalls, wash fruit.
- 6Keep a photo of the last thing you ate — it helps the doctor with the diagnosis.
Lost or stolen phone
- 1Lock the phone immediately via Find My iPhone (iCloud) or Google Find My Device.
- 2Block the SIM: Viettel — 198, Mobifone — 9090, Vinaphone — 18001091.
- 3Freeze your banking apps through your bank’s hotline.
- 4You can buy a cheap replacement at Thế Giới Di Động stores — from 1,500,000 VND (~$60).
- 5To restore your SIM, visit a carrier shop with your passport.
- 6File a police report — you need it for the insurance claim.
Typhoon or flooding
- 1Typhoon season is September–November, especially central Vietnam (Da Nang, Hoi An, Hue).
- 2Install the Windy app — it forecasts typhoons 5–7 days out.
- 3When a storm warning is issued: stock up on water (5 L per person), food and a charged power bank.
- 4Stay indoors during the typhoon. Keep away from windows and glass doors.
- 5After a typhoon: don’t walk through flooded streets (live wires, sewage). Check your building is safe.
- 6Follow updates from your hotel or landlord — they know the local evacuation routes.
Hospitals for foreigners
A visit to an international clinic starts around 500,000 VND (~$20). With insurance it’s free. Every clinic below works with foreigners and accepts insurance guarantee letters.
Vinmec International Hospital
24/7Đường 30 Tháng 4, Hòa Cường Bắc, Hải Châu, Đà Nẵng
Emergency phrases in Vietnamese
Show your phone screen to a local and you’ll get the point across. The pronunciation here is rough, but rough is enough in an emergency.
Help!Cứu tôi!koo toy!
I need helpTôi cần giúp đỡtoy kun zoop duh
Call an ambulanceGọi xe cấp cứugoy seh kup koo
Call the policeGọi công angoy kong an
I feel sickTôi bị ốmtoy bee ohm
Where is the hospital?Bệnh viện ở đâu?ben vyen uh dow?
Where is the pharmacy?Nhà thuốc ở đâu?nyah twok uh dow?
I have an allergyTôi bị dị ứngtoy bee zee ung
I lost my passportTôi bị mất hộ chiếutoy bee mut ho chyew
Please speak slowerXin nói chậm hơnsin noy chum hun
Embassies & consulates
Register with your embassy before you travel (US citizens: STEP). In an emergency, call the main line; after hours it routes to the 24/7 consular duty officer. Phone numbers change, so confirm the current one on the embassy’s official website. Not from the US or UK? Your embassy is almost certainly in Hanoi, often with a consulate in Ho Chi Minh City.
US Embassy, Hanoi
Mon–Fri (consular services by appointment)7 Láng Hạ, Ba Đình, Hà Nội
US Consulate General, Ho Chi Minh City
Mon–Fri (by appointment)4 Lê Duẩn, District 1, Hồ Chí Minh City
British Embassy, Hanoi
Mon–FriCentral Building, 31 Hai Bà Trưng, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội
Vietnam tourist information (24/7)1900 6469
Insurance
One hospital stay without insurance runs $5,000–20,000. Check these things before you travel so that bill never lands on you.
What your policy should cover
- Motorbike and moped — most standard policies do NOT cover this; check separately
- Minimum cover of $50,000; we recommend $100,000
- Repatriation (evacuation home) — the most expensive part; without it you risk paying $15,000–30,000
- COVID and infectious diseases — check whether they’re in the base plan
How to use your insurance
- Call assistance BEFORE going to a clinic — they arrange a guarantee letter so you don’t pay on the spot
- Emergencies are the exception: hospital first, then call the insurer (within 24 hours)
- Keep ALL documents: receipts, prescriptions, discharge notes, test results
- The claim deadline is usually 30 days after the incident
What it costs without insurance
- An international clinic visit — 500,000–1,500,000 VND ($20–60)
- Hospitalisation — 3,000,000–10,000,000 VND a day ($120–400)
- Surgery — from $2,000 to $15,000 depending on complexity
- Medical evacuation — $15,000–30,000, all on you without insurance