Travel health · Vietnam
Street food, karst bays and motorbike cities — mostly a food-and-water trip, health-wise.
The short version
Most travellers to Vietnam need 3 vaccines, and four weeks is enough time to do it properly.
Leaving sooner? Most of it can still be done — we prioritise what matters for your route. Nobody gets turned away for booking late.
Recommended for essentially everyone going to Vietnam.
The single most useful vaccine for Vietnam. Street food is the reason to go and the reason for this.
Any time before you fly.
Same route as hepatitis A, and worth it for almost every itinerary.
At least 2 weeks ahead.
Tetanus in particular — scooter grazes are the most common travel injury here.
We can check your records.
The honest answer to “am I too late?” depends on the date. Put yours in and we’ll work backwards. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Worth a conversation — the answer changes with where you’re going and what you’ll be doing.
The full list for Vietnam. Most people need the first two or three; the rest depend on where you are going and for how long.
Protects against contaminated food and water — essential for all travellers to Vietnam. Whether you're enjoying pho in Hanoi or street food in Ho Chi Minh City, this vaccine is a must. One dose protects your trip; a booster protects you for decades.
Bacterial infection spread through contaminated food and water. Highly recommended for Vietnam given the popularity of street food and local markets. Available as an injection or oral capsules.
Ensure your routine vaccines are up to date. Many Canadians are overdue for their Tdap booster. We'll check your records during your consultation.
Spread through blood and bodily fluids; Vietnam has higher prevalence than Canada. CDC recommends it for unvaccinated travellers of ALL ages, and the Government of Canada for all travellers — broader than the older "long stays only" advice. Many Canadians already have it from the school programme, so we check first.
Oral vaccine that also protects against traveller's diarrhoea. Consider it for humanitarian workers, those visiting areas with active outbreaks, or travellers with limited access to safe food and water.
Updated boosters recommended. Check current Vietnam entry requirements before travel — requirements may change.
Mosquito-borne virus that can cause brain inflammation. Recommended for travellers spending a month or more in rural areas, visiting during transmission season, or staying overnight in rice-farming regions.
Vietnam has significant rabies risk from dogs and other mammals. Consider it for rural areas, cycling, or long stays where medical care is limited — and the Government of Canada specifically names children as higher risk. Pre-exposure vaccination buys critical time if you are bitten.
Honest about the risks, and specific about what prevents each one.
Very common in Vietnam — affects up to 50% of visitors. Usually from contaminated food or water, including ice. Street food is delicious but carries higher risk.
Prevention Dukoral vaccine plus careful food choices.
The number one cause of death for travellers in Vietnam. Motorbike accidents are extremely common, traffic rules are loosely followed, and medical care may be limited outside major cities.
Prevention Wear a helmet; consider avoiding motorbikes entirely, and check your insurance covers them.
Widespread throughout Vietnam, especially in southern regions during the rainy season (May–November). Symptoms include high fever, severe headache and joint pain. There is no vaccine available for travellers.
Prevention DEET 20%+ repellent, long sleeves, and screened or air-conditioned rooms.
Mosquito-borne virus with serious risks for pregnant women — it can cause birth defects. Present in Vietnam with ongoing transmission.
Prevention Avoid travel if pregnant; strict mosquito prevention otherwise.
Mosquito-borne virus found in rural agricultural areas. Most infections are mild, but severe cases can cause permanent brain damage. Higher risk during the rainy season.
Prevention Vaccination plus mosquito bite prevention.
Vietnam has thousands of rabies cases annually. Stray dogs are common in cities and rural areas, and bites, scratches or licks on broken skin can transmit the virus.
Prevention Pre-exposure vaccine; avoid stray animals.
Prevented with tablets rather than a vaccine, and only needed for some routes — which is why the answer depends on your itinerary.
Rural highland areas, especially near the borders with Cambodia, Laos and China. Provinces with risk include parts of Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Binh Phuoc and border regions. There is NO risk in major cities, coastal resort areas or the usual tourist route.
If you are visiting risk areas: atovaquone-proguanil (Malarone) or doxycycline, because of drug resistance. Both P. falciparum and P. vivax are present. We advise based on your specific itinerary.
The things that prevent most travel illness are not medical.
Yes — that is rather the point of Vietnam. Hepatitis A and typhoid vaccination is what makes that a relaxed decision instead of a gamble. Choose busy stalls with high turnover and you have covered most of the rest.
For the standard tourist route, no. Risk is limited to specific rural and highland areas, mostly in the south and centre. Tell us your route and we will tell you plainly.
Rarely needed for a two-week city-and-coast trip. It becomes a real conversation for longer stays, rice-farming regions, or the wet season in the Mekong Delta.
Most people booking a travel consult with us are sorting out a household, not just themselves. A few things are different for children.
Bring the whole household to the same consultation. We review each person’s records separately but plan the trip as one — which usually means fewer visits and no repeated explanations. Tell us how many people when you book so we set aside the time.
CDC recommends hepatitis A vaccination for unvaccinated travellers aged one year and over, and it can also be given to infants 6 to 11 months old travelling to Vietnam. That earlier dose does not count towards the routine schedule, so it is repeated later.
The Government of Canada singles children out as higher risk for rabies. Small children are more likely to approach an animal, less likely to report a lick or a scratch, and more likely to be bitten on the face or hands. If your trip includes rural areas or long stays, this is the one worth discussing per child rather than per family.
Both CDC and the Government of Canada now recommend hepatitis B for travellers of all ages to Vietnam, not only for longer or higher-risk trips. Many Canadian children already have it from the routine school programme — we check rather than assume.
Any immunisation records you can find, for each traveller. Alberta records we can often look up; out-of-province or overseas records we cannot. A photo of a yellow card is enough.
Yes — that is rather the point of Vietnam. Hepatitis A and typhoid vaccination is what makes it a relaxed decision instead of a gamble. Choose busy stalls with high turnover and food cooked fresh and hot, and you have covered most of the rest.
For the standard Hanoi–Hue–Hoi An–Ho Chi Minh City route, no. Risk is confined to rural highland areas near the Cambodian, Lao and Chinese borders. There is no risk in the cities or coastal resorts. Tell us your route and we will tell you plainly.
Traffic. Motorbike accidents are the number one cause of death for travellers, well ahead of any infectious disease. Wear a helmet, consider using Grab rather than driving yourself, and check that your travel insurance actually covers motorbike accidents — many do not.
Rarely for a two-week city-and-coast trip. It becomes a real conversation for stays of a month or more, rice-farming regions, or the wet season in the Mekong Delta.
No. Both CDC and the Government of Canada state that yellow fever vaccination is neither required for entry to Vietnam nor recommended, because there is no yellow fever risk in the country. If your trip routes through a country with yellow fever risk, that can change the answer — tell us your full itinerary.
Yes, and most families do. We review each person’s records separately but plan the trip as one visit. Tell us how many people are travelling when you book so we set aside enough time. Hepatitis A can be given from 12 months, and from 6 months for infants travelling to Vietnam.
The travel consultation is free — there is no consultation fee. It includes a complete itinerary review, all recommended vaccines discussed, and personalised health advice. You only pay for the vaccines actually administered.
No. Hepatitis A gives useful protection quickly and can be given right up to departure, and a tetanus booster can be given the same day. Some vaccines will not reach full effect before you fly and we will tell you honestly which — but one well-chosen vaccine beats none.
Bring your travel dates. A pharmacist will go through what you need for Vietnam, give what can be given that day, and book anything that needs a second dose. No doctor referral, no wait list.
Written from current CDC and Government of Canada guidance, checked 29 July 2026. Advice for your particular trip comes from our pharmacist, in person.
Imagine Health Pharmacy & Travel Clinic — #4120, 15 Sunpark Plaza SE, Calgary, Alberta. In Sunpark Plaza, off Macleod Trail, serving Sundance, Midnapore, Shawnessy, Chaparral and the rest of south Calgary.
No doctor’s referral is needed. In Alberta a pharmacist can assess you, prescribe what your trip needs and give the vaccines in the same visit — so for most travellers this is one appointment, not a clinic queue and then a pharmacy.
The vaccine guidance on this page follows the official recommendations below, read and applied by a pharmacist. Where the two differ we say so rather than pick one.
Checked against both sources on 29 July 2026. Official advice changes — if your trip is months away, check again or ask us.
