Job Discussion Forums

[Piscador]

My local hospital charges 4.5 million now, 5 times the going rate that a local would pay. Cho Ray was 1.2 million last time I went, but that was over 5 years ago.

Has anyone been there recently for a health check for a work permit? If so, what's the current rate?

[RustyShackleford]

Why not just roll over there and ask?

I got mine at Columbia Asia for about 2million, but, last I asked about it, they no longer do health checks for work permits.

[Piscador]

I'm working in central Vietnam. That makes it a bit hard to stroll in and ask.

In any case, I'm trying to find out on behalf of a teacher who's arriving from overseas in a few weeks. Is she better off staying an extra day in HCMC and saving a couple of million on a health check or she should she say "Hang the extra cost" and get the health check here?

That's why I'm trying to find out from anyone who's had a health check at Cho Ray recently. I've heard that the cost has risen a lot recently, but I don't know by how much.

[mark_in_saigon]

It may now be the case that the health checkup there no longer is accepted for a WP. That was the info I got from a school that had guided some teachers to get their checkups there, then told them sorry, Cho Ray was no longer acceptable (according to the govt person who was the next step on the WP process). Like everything, this may or may not be correct (like, it could change and change again, or any damn thing), but this was some pretty firm info at the time, about 2 years ago.

I will be at Cho Ray this week, will see if I can get an update. I really like them for medical tourism type jobs. Yeah, it is a mass of humanity, but when they do actual surgery or something important on you, it is quite a bargain, and they seem plenty competent.

[mark_in_saigon]

About the health inspection, yes, they say they do them, so that info I had was based on what one school mandated, and I have no idea why. I would just suggest for anyone getting a WP that they confirm from the school in question that the inspection from Cho Ray is acceptable to them. We did not get the exact cost, the lady said she was not sure, but it was over 1 million. I recall it is closer to about seventy bucks. They open at 6:30 A.M., and it pays to start early. If you get there about 9 or so, you will probably have to finish after lunch, they sleep in their offices for an hour or so. Big crowd after 8 or so. My helper says 7 is when they really start though, so I would arrive there (in the reception area) by 7. Parking may be difficult also, you may need to use one of the parking things down one of the side streets.

Other general notes: I was there for elective surgery, in the same area where one gets the health inspection to begin my process. For those of you who do not know about these govt hospitals, there is a high priced area and a low priced area. When you see people EVERYWHERE waiting FOREVER, you are in the low priced area, and you move ahead of them in the process. You may get the same test they do, but get it done a lot faster than they do. Sometimes you get your test in a different area, sometimes not. So foreigners must pay the high price, and the locals who can afford it also do. Better and faster care. Even when you are in the "foreigners" area, you usually see nothing but Asians. Some hospitals call it "VIP area", Cho Ray calls it "Foreigners area". The 10th floor is where you go if you stay overnight, same kind of deal. But you will notice some of the patients are Malaysians or Chinese or something if you look at their names on the doors. About prices, even this foreign price is quite low compared to the west. Private room (not two patients, but one) - 50 bucks a day. You can have someone stay over also, and need to really. English standard is not great, if doing something serious, you need your trusted native.

As before, the surgery seems first rate. The prices are one hell of a bargain. But the overall experience is challenging, and you do have to put up with some difficulties. Time means very little to them, and so even as a high paying foreign customer, you are sitting and waiting a long time. You have just a small amount of time with their real doctors, and are not always sure who those are. Some of them can barely speak English, and some of them do not want to have your helper translate for reasons of pride or whatever. One of them ignored my helper, and yet they still are unsure about details of the case, which the helper is up to speed on. One was about to have me go back to do a test which I had already done, maybe delay me an entire day. The helper knew I had already done it, so was able to save me on that, yet the doctors sometimes do not want to talk to the helper because of fear of losing face (helper's English very advanced, yet quite young person, doctor not so advanced, much older). Or maybe they just do not like talking to a helper at all. Most appreciate the help, but a few don't seem to understand the benefit. Sheesh.

Not always a perfect experience, but I do think their surgery is quite good (for the foreign patient especially). I think they can do the really important stuff as well as our guys at a much lower price. Maybe not a heart and lung transplant, but normal stuff, I trust them with my life.

[TRH]

Interesting and complete description of Cho Ray, Mark. I was treated there for shingles and was very happy with the service. Since shingles are viral, there was little they could do except give me an anti-viral cream. At least I knew it was not bacterial.

As nice as it is to have VIP service in a place like Cho-Ray I feel that the two greatest failures of Socialism in Vietnam are the government's inability to provide free medical care to all of its citizens and the failure to provide tuition free schooling K-12. I do realize that there are cost factors but just look at the edifices that are Party headquarters even in remote provinces and think how many people work there pushing unnecessary paperwork.

Of course Americans have nothing to be proud of on the medical front but at least we manage to let people through the 12th grade without tuition payments.

[mark_in_saigon]

It is all relative. They do provide the service, and it is cheap as hell, but for the majority of folks, it is a total pain in the ass. You see them from all over the provinces, darkened by the sun, spread out on the floors with a hopeless look in their eyes. How long must they wait? As a foreigner, I got tired of waiting. I just cannot imagine what it must be like for them. Then if they do get a room, imagine what that must be like.

I recall when I had my emergency surgery years ago and they did not have a private room ready for me, and I lay in the common recovery area for several hours. Boy, that was one of the most fascinating experiences of my life. Made me very glad to come back to normal life, eventually, and realize I could never truly understand what it is like for the natives, even if I had to "soak in it" with them for a day or so.

I recently learned that the cost of a uni education from day 1 until awarded a PhD (assuming one can enter and complete the program) is about 7 grand here. I was very surprised. I know a nice young man who wants to become a doctor, and so happened to ask about this. But then, you think about all the students you have met, and what they have learned. My favorite was a teacher at a uni, I asked him what he taught and he replied: "Engclick".

In the U.S., we are paying for the tuition another way: property taxes. Guys like me who do not have my own kids in school and have multiple properties are paying for others. None of my houses have kids living in them, but we pony up many thousands for the system. I will never forget when I saw some Mexican kids dropped off in one of my neighborhoods and the neighbors told me they were being dropped off in the U.S. by relatives for the "free" education system. It ain't free to me.

I think the greatest failure of socialism/communism is to respect the concept of self interest that is so central to capitalism. I think the greatest failure of capitalism is the extremes that this respect of self interest takes us to.

I no longer need their income here, and could live in the west, or here, or some other locations. Yet, I choose to live here. Certainly there are things I really loathe about life here. In the U.S., I do not find myself loathing things, yet I find that I am happier here, in the final analysis. I think a lot of it is the cheapskate in me. I never felt well off in the U.S. in my early life. Now, I can afford anything, any time (here, not back home). It damn sure helps that the average widget is about one fourth the price here, compared to there. I guess that is my biggest complaint about the U.S. now, how they have boosted prices beyond comprehension. Go into Home Depot, some little freaking thing that has about 2 cents of material cost has half a dollar of packaging and is at least a buck. Amazing the differences. Not only are prices much lower here, often you can get very small quantities, which may be all you need. They will sell you about a cup of mortar mix here! That may be all you need. In the U.S., you have to get a 40 lb. bag, right?

Well, nice seeing you again TRH, been in the states almost a year, finally got back. I kept my house here, and may start to travel soon. You have a larger bike, right? I am looking for a Honda 125 or something similar, I like the old style bikes, chain driven, not the new stuff that is designed for a race track that is so ridiculous on the roads here. Let me know if you see any for sale in your neck of the woods.

[TRH]

[Piscador]

And the answer is ... just over 1.5 million dong, as of September 2016.