Many South Korean doctors of various specialties have recently looked for jobs at medical facilities in Vietnam, one of which has offered a salary of US$22,000 per month, according to South Korea’s The Chosun Daily.

More than 30 South Korean doctors arrived in Ho Chi Minh City in late September for a health check, and they are preparing to take the medical English exam at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy, the newspaper cited South Korean health officials on Wednesday.

Vietnam does not require doctors from countries with high medical technology levels to submit local qualification exam reports, but instead requires them to submit notarized documents such as a medical practice license from their country of origin.

They must also undergo a physical examination and a medical English test – a process that has been resumed after three years of suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The number of South Korean doctors wishing to work in Vietnam is on the rise, leading to a sharp increase of intermediary companies specializing in processing and notarizing necessary documents for them.

Not only cosmetic surgeons and dermatologists but also emergency medicine specialists and dentists are applying for practicing certificates so that they can get jobs in Vietnam.

Vinmec Healthcare Systems, a medical affiliate of Vietnamese conglomerate Vingroup, has recruited South Korean doctors specializing in internal medicine, pediatrics, and obstetrics and gynecology since May this year.

According to its job posting, Vinmec offers preferential working conditions, including a 44-hour workweek, a monthly salary of 30 million won (nearly $22,000), and a monthly housing subsidy of 1.08 million won ($800) to South Korean doctors who would work at a large hospital in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. 

With the above working conditions and salaries, many South Korean doctors have expressed their desire to work in Vietnam.

Over recent times, many foreign doctors have come to work in Ho Chi Minh City, a representative of the health services management division under the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Friday. 

To be eligible to work at medical examination and treatment facilities in the city, foreign physicians, including those from South Korea, must meet the provisions of Government Decree 96, which have been effective since January 1, 2024, detailing a number of articles of the Law on Medical Examination and Treatment, including regulations on granting medical practice licenses to foreign doctors.

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