South-East Asia
Vietnam travel vaccinations
Vietnam is straightforward compared with a lot of Asia. There are no certificate requirements at all, and most visitors need hepatitis A, typhoid and an in-date tetanus, diphtheria and polio booster. Malaria tablets aren't needed for the usual Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City route.
- Consultation with a pharmacist
- GPhC premises 9011598
- Ewell, Epsom
Recommendations depend on your itinerary, health history and current guidance.
What the guidance says
Vaccines for Vietnam
What changes the list is time and terrain. A month or more, the rural north, the central highlands, or anything involving bikes and animals brings rabies and Japanese encephalitis into the conversation, and both take weeks to complete, so book early if that's your trip.
10 vaccines the guidance mentions for Vietnam, 8 of them given here. Which apply to you is settled at your consultation.
Recommended for most travellers
It spreads through contaminated food and water, and street food, restaurants and hotels all carry the same basic risk.
- Timing
- No minimum notice. Protection develops within about two weeks, and a dose on the day you fly is still worth having.
- Protection
- One dose protects for up to 12 months. A second dose at 6 to 12 months takes that to about 25 years, with a booster at 25 years for anyone still at risk.
If it was more than ten years ago and you'll be anywhere medical care is limited, a booster is recommended.
- Timing
- One injection, effective quickly in anyone previously vaccinated.
- Protection
- The full UK course is five doses, which gives most people lifelong protection. Travel boosters top up tetanus, diphtheria and polio for around ten years.
It doesn't cover paratyphoid, so food and water care still matters.
- Timing
- At least 2 weeks before travel. A dose closer to departure can still be considered, and we'll explain the limits.
- Protection
- Protection lasts about three years. It isn't fully protective, and it doesn't cover paratyphoid, so food and water care still matters.
For some travellers, depending on the trip
Vaccination may be considered from age 12 for people travelling to an outbreak area, or travelling there often or long-term. Daytime bite avoidance is the main protection.
- Timing
- IXCHIQ must be given at least 30 days before travel. Vimkunya has no fixed minimum, but earlier is better.
- Protection
- Both vaccines are a single dose. Most people make protective antibodies within about three weeks, and the immune response starts to build within a week. The need for a booster hasn't been established.
Vaccination is only considered in specific cases, usually for people who've had dengue before.
Not given at Miles Pharmacy; referred on after assessment.
- Timing
- Two doses three months apart, so it needs planning well ahead.
- Protection
- Considered mainly for people who've had dengue before.
- Timing
- The very rapid schedule gives protection within about three weeks for adults. Other schedules take one to two months to protect.
- Protection
- Around 90% of adults respond. After a complete course, healthy people don't need a booster: protection against chronic infection lasts 20 to 30 years or more.
It's considered for stays of a month or more in season, frequent trips, uncertain plans, or shorter trips with rural exposure such as rice fields and pig farms. City and beach-only trips are lower risk.
- Timing
- The course must finish at least a week before possible exposure: about five weeks on the standard schedule, two weeks on the accelerated one.
- Protection
- Protection begins 7 days after the second dose. One dose is not enough. First booster at 12 to 24 months for ongoing risk, or at 12 months for people living in a risk area.
Make sure you've had two doses of MMR. Babies from six months old who'll be mixing with local people can have an early dose.
- Timing
- Two doses at least a month apart; the second can be brought forward for travel.
- Protection
- Two doses give long-lasting protection. A dose given before 12 months doesn't count towards the two.
Vaccination before travel is recommended for stays over a month, cycling or running, work with animals, and anywhere treatment would be hard to reach. It doesn't replace urgent care after a bite, but it simplifies that treatment and removes the need for immunoglobulin, which is scarce. Children are at higher risk.
- Timing
- Standard course 21 to 28 days; accelerated course 7 days.
- Protection
- A full course primes your immune system, so if you are bitten you need fewer doses of treatment and usually no immunoglobulin. It never removes the need for urgent treatment after a bite.
Not given at Miles Pharmacy; referred on after assessment.
- Timing
- A tuberculin skin test is needed first from 6 years of age.
- Protection
- Given once; no boosters.
the guidance mentions that are not usually part of a trip like this.
A starting point, not a quote. Course prices assume every dose is given here, and some courses need more than one visit, so the timings matter as much as the totals.
Malaria and certificates
Where the risk actually is
Most trips to Vietnam don't need malaria tablets. There's no risk in the big cities, including Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, or in the Red River delta and on Phu Quoc Island. The same applies to the coast running north from Nha Trang, though Nha Trang itself sits at the edge of that stretch rather than inside it, so tell us about an overnight stop there. Risk is low in the southern provinces of Tay Ninh, Lam Dong, Dak Lak, Gia Lai and Kon Tum, and in other rural areas, where the advice is awareness and bite avoidance rather than tablets. Tablets may still be considered for people at higher risk in those low-risk areas, such as long stays visiting family, pregnancy, travellers over 70, young children, or anyone with a weakened immune system or without a working spleen. Where they are advised, atovaquone/proguanil or doxycycline are the options.
No certificates needed. Vietnam has no vaccination certificate requirements under the International Health Regulations, so there's no yellow fever certificate to arrange whatever your route. Entry rules can change, so it's worth a look at the FCDO travel advice page before you fly.
- No malaria risk Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, the Red River delta, coastal areas north of Nha Trang, Phu Quoc Island
- Low risk Tay Ninh, Lam Dong, Dak Lak, Gia Lai, Kon Tum, other rural areas
Worth knowing
Beyond the vaccines
Not everything worth knowing has a vaccine. These are the rest: what the guidance says to prepare for. It hasn't issued a notice for Vietnam in the three months to 8 October 2026.
- Insect bites
- The mosquitoes that spread dengue, chikungunya and Zika bite during the day, while the JE and malaria ones bite from dusk to dawn. That's why repellent, covered skin and screened or air-conditioned rooms matter around the clock. Scrub typhus and leishmaniasis are also present in the region.
- Sexual health
- UK travellers have come home from Vietnam's popular destinations with extensively drug-resistant gonorrhoea, which is very hard to treat. Condoms are the best protection, and hepatitis B vaccination is worth talking through before you go.
- Altitude
- Fansipan, Vietnam's highest point, is 3,143 metres. Most people take the cable car and are fine, but if you're trekking up from Sapa, go gradually and know the symptoms of altitude illness.
- Air quality
- Air quality in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City can be poor, particularly in the winter months. If you have a heart or lung condition, bring enough of your usual medication.
- Food and water
- Street food is part of the trip for most people. Choose busy stalls where food is cooked in front of you and served hot, stick to bottled or treated water, and be careful with ice and raw salads.
- Avian influenza
- Avian influenza has been reported in Vietnam. Avoid live animal markets and poultry farms, and don't touch sick or dead birds.
- Zika
- Zika is present in Vietnam. If you're pregnant or planning a pregnancy, talk to us before you travel, as there's specific guidance on avoiding conception after your trip.
Before you book
Questions about Vietnam
Answered by the pharmacist who signs this page off.
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For most trips, hepatitis A, typhoid and an in-date tetanus, diphtheria and polio booster. Hepatitis B, rabies and Japanese encephalitis depend on how long you're staying, how rural you're going and what you'll be doing. We'll only recommend what fits your itinerary.
Samit Patel Superintendent Pharmacist Reviewed 2026-09-17 -
Usually not. There's no malaria risk in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, the Red River delta or on Phu Quoc. The same goes for the coast running north from Nha Trang, though Nha Trang itself sits at the edge of that stretch rather than inside it, so tell us if you're stopping there. Risk is low in Tay Ninh, Lam Dong, Dak Lak, Gia Lai, Kon Tum and other rural areas, where bite avoidance is the advice rather than tablets. We may still suggest tablets if you're at higher risk.
Samit Patel Superintendent Pharmacist Reviewed 2026-09-17 -
It depends on the trip. JE is present countrywide, peaking from May to October and especially in the north. A month or more in season, frequent trips, or time around rice fields and farms all point towards it. The course is two doses and protection starts a week after the second, so allow five weeks, or two weeks on the accelerated schedule if you're aged 18 to 65.
Samit Patel Superintendent Pharmacist Reviewed 2026-09-17 -
No. Vietnam has no vaccination certificate requirements under the International Health Regulations, including no yellow fever certificate whatever your route. Check the FCDO travel advice page before you fly, as entry rules can change.
Samit Patel Superintendent Pharmacist Reviewed 2026-09-17 -
Ideally four to six weeks before you fly, especially if rabies or Japanese encephalitis are likely. If you're travelling sooner, an appointment is still worthwhile, as some protection is better than none.
Samit Patel Superintendent Pharmacist Reviewed 2026-09-17 -
A standard Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City trip usually starts at £254 for hepatitis A, typhoid and a tetanus booster. Rabies, hepatitis B and Japanese encephalitis add more if your trip calls for them. We'll confirm what's recommended before you pay for anything.
Samit Patel Superintendent Pharmacist Reviewed 2026-09-17
NaTHNaC Registered Yellow Fever Vaccination Centre
A Yellow Fever Vaccination Centre on the NaTHNaC register, and the same travel clinic that gives your other vaccinations.
GPhC registered premises
9011598
Private and NHS pharmacy services from one registered pharmacy in Ewell, Epsom.
Find the pharmacy
Where to come, and when
Ewell, Epsom, Surrey KT19 9UR
How to get here Parking, trains, buses and step-free access
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The door is on Chessington Road, with step-free access
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The station car park, on Station Approach off Chessington Road
- Address Elizabeth Court, Station Approach, KT17 1DR
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Step-free to all platforms, by a footbridge with lifts
- Step-free to every platform (National Rail step-free category A)
- Lifts two, on the footbridge
Checked against nationalrail.co.uk
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Outside the pharmacy, with a stop on each side of Chessington Road
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Cycle parking at the station
Take this with you
Point your phone's camera at the code and this page opens there, with the directions one tap away.
Checked against NaTHNaC TravelHealthPro on . Entry requirements change: check TravelHealthPro and FCDO before you travel.
Travel health
Book before you pack.
Questions first? Call us on 020 8393 1000
- Private and NHS
- GPhC premises 9011598
- Open until 6:30pm
Prefer to talk? 020 8393 1000