Any vietnames want help me (a healthy check in cho ray hospital)

When I developed shingles, I went to Cho Ray after being turned away from the hospital that specializes in Chicken Pox.  Cho Ray has a special track for foreign patients and you will be sent through that track.  I am sure it is more expensive than the fees Vietnamese would pay but it was reasonable.  The intake workers in that section spoke English and of course the physician that I dealt with spoke excellent English and seemed perfectly knowledgeable.  If you know about shingles, you know there is not much they could do except give me an anti-viral cream but I was very happy with the service.  They also give patients a folder with the record of the visit which would prove valuable to you if you go for a general physical.  It would be fine to go with a Viet friend but I am sure you could go yourself.

I stay near Cho Ray hospital, let me know when you want to go, i will arrange time go with you.

Naichamomo: It looks like you have a kind offer here.  UyenNG:  You may not get karma points on Expat.com but you will have real karma.

Don't forget no personal contact info is allowed.  Communicate by PM.

Nachamomo: I am not fully understand your "karma" meanning. Anyway, thanks for your remind about personal contact info

nghiệp  from google

Thanks very much for all your help, I have left uyenNG a message

THIGV wrote:

When I developed shingles, I went to Cho Ray after being turned away from the hospital that specializes in Chicken Pox.  Cho Ray has a special track for foreign patients and you will be sent through that track.  I am sure it is more expensive than the fees Vietnamese would pay but it was reasonable.  The intake workers in that section spoke English and of course the physician that I dealt with spoke excellent English and seemed perfectly knowledgeable.  If you know about shingles, you know there is not much they could do except give me an anti-viral cream but I was very happy with the service.  They also give patients a folder with the record of the visit which would prove valuable to you if you go for a general physical.  It would be fine to go with a Viet friend but I am sure you could go yourself.

Unless things have changed since I was there last, as a foreigner, you WILL be placed in a wheel-chair. The reason for this is that, as in most hospitals here, wheel-chairs have automatic head of the line privilege.

My Doctor had been an MD aboard the Hospital Ship Hope. I was supposed to pay twice the VN rate. But, some strings were pulled, with out my permission, and I was billed out at the VN rate and couldn't get them to take the foreigner rate. But that was around 15 years ago.

THIGV pardon me sir, but karma?
What is karma? If not the worst quasi philosophical concept mankind ever came up with?
It may have served a purpose ions ago, one of those necessary evils, but to still believe and try to sell such bill of goods today, I'm not so sure,sorry no offense intended.

Hi there.... My name is John. I can help you with that Check in. If you still need help.  Please give me a call at.. 0938015994. And we can discuss about it. Thanks

BTW I will take the goodwill of expats, even if none, over karma.

Havaianu wrote:

THIGV pardon me sir, but karma?
What is karma? If not the worst quasi philosophical concept mankind ever came up with?
It may have served a purpose ions ago, one of those necessary evils, but to still believe and try to sell such bill of goods today, I'm not so sure,sorry no offense intended.

No offense taken.  I was poking fun, perhaps not clearly enough, at the Karma stars that the people that control the website give us on our profile pages.

Ooooops....lol....the joke is on me. I wasn't aware that we get stars awarded to us here.
I either have no stars, or they are so dim that I can't see them...he,he

Re: Karma.  I certainly agree that karma is an over-hyped term especially as used by overage hippies in the US.  However it is a concept that a lot of Vietnamese take seriously even if they don't call it that.  My wife often justifies her or others actions by saying that something good will come back.  I think they don't use the Sanskrit term mostly because they have internalized it.

Sorry for letting things drift off topic but sometimes that is just as well.  Go with the flow (another overused term.) 

I would suggest the Hospital of University Medical Center Ho Chi Minh City or Medic Medical Center. Be sure to have a Vietnamese with you so that they could check any fees involved. And be noticed of some guys, who usually walk outside these place, offers some kind of service to make your healthy check faster than usual. Stay away from them.
Ideal time is in the afternoon when everyone has almost done their check.
Hope it would help. 
Have a nice day!

First, my wife's favorite Doctor used to work at University Medical Center Ho Chi Minh City and I had one of their Doctors preform surgery on me at Trieu An. The Doctors are first rate.

At least in our experience and even in a wheel chair and one of their former Doctors getting us "VIP" treatment, the place was so jam packed that it was almost impossible to breath, much less move. Literally if someone fainted they would faint standing up as their wasn't enough room to actually fall down.

Been both places and Cho Ray's foreigner's medical program is infinitely superior,  even if the quality of medical treatment is equal. But, according my wife's Doctor, the actual time to evaluate patients was so limited and rushed that treatment quality suffered. Cho Ray's foreigner's medical program insures that, for a premium price, one gets premium treatment.

a lot of nice guy here ^^

1.577 million, set price, takes 1h 45 mins. bus 11 goes there from pham ngu lao.

pick it up 5 days later, 3pm

hope that help any1 googling

hi
as a vietnamese, I recommend you to have heathcare in Cho Ray hospital district 5, there best vietnamese doctor over there

anthonyngo wrote:

hi
as a vietnamese, I recommend you to have heathcare in Cho Ray hospital district 5, there best vietnamese doctor over there

As an American, I agree that Cho Ray is an excellent hospital with excellent Doctors many of them trained at Vietnamese Government expense in America and other countries. But, unless things have drastically changed, you need to make sure that you go into the foreigner part of Cho Ray. The Vietnamese side is a madhouse.

Old thread new update. I usually have used FV hospital. But after trying to schedule a cardiologist appointment with no response...said what the hell try Cho Ray. Have had many medical visits in my time here at Diamond Plaza Medical, FV hospital, Cho Ray, and in smaller cities. With the exception of the the Jewish doctors at Diamond Plaza I have yet to see a person with a Medical Degree(MD ). They all practice with a BS degree. Many have had stints in foreign medical facilities. But still no MD degrees. I doubt any country would confer a medical degree with an undergraduate degree from Vietnam. That said I have had pretty good care here in VN. But they do lack a lot of basic scientific knowledge and should be watched. I am currently seeing a cardiologist and a vascular specialist. I used what they call the “ Foreign Affairs Dept” to foreigners, and “ Services on Demand “ for locals. This allows you to bypass the lines and craziness of the normal facility where most locals go ( an unbelievable site to see). Yes, the cost is more ,but well well worth it. For example for me to see the cardiologist in the crazy house it was 100k vnd. In the air-conditioned, clean foreign affairs section it cost 500k. They bill it as the “ doctors “coming to you. But for me that never happened. But a nurse or staff member escorts you to where you need to go and you go to the front of the line. As noted in other posts they HAVE to move so fast that the quality and detail is passed over. I have medical knowledge so the things they rushed on were not critical for me. When they were I put the brakes on. For example the cardiologist did the mandatory pulse check when she checked my blood pressure. But she just touched my wrist for a micro second. No way she even located a pulse. Just the fact I walked in she knew I had that much of a pulse. I brought with me my BP reading in both arms as that was why I was there. They did the normal ECG and doppler sonogram and gave me a clear bill of health. I said but I am here for peripheral arterial issues. I insisted on a CT angiogrophy. She wrote the order to see a vascular specialist. As soon He saw my sonogram etc. he said no problem why are you here. I showed him my BP reading over a one week period from both arms. And he said no problem. But I insisted on the CT. He said no problem. So I showed him the science and they he agreed to give me the CT. Sure enough they found blockage. But in his defense, even in America most primary care doctors do not understand this. I am sure I would have had the same problem at FV. FV just cost a lot more. The “doctors” at FV only work there part time. The remainder of the time they too work at Cho Ray or other VNese hospitals. But as with all medicine here you have to stay on top of them. But I would certainly use Cho Ray again. They said I would have an interpreter. But never did. But the “docs” did pretty good with English. And with the foreign affairs department no money envelopes are required.

Diazo wrote:

Old thread new update. I usually have used FV hospital. But after trying to schedule a cardiologist appointment with no response...said what the hell try Cho Ray. Have had many medical visits in my time here at Diamond Plaza Medical, FV hospital, Cho Ray, and in smaller cities. With the exception of the the Jewish doctors at Diamond Plaza I have yet to see a person with a Medical Degree(MD ). They all practice with a BS degree. Many have had stints in foreign medical facilities. But still no MD degrees. I doubt any country would confer a medical degree with an undergraduate degree from Vietnam. That said I have had pretty good care here in VN. But they do lack a lot of basic scientific knowledge and should be watched. I am currently seeing a cardiologist and a vascular specialist. I used what they call the “ Foreign Affairs Dept” to foreigners, and “ Services on Demand “ for locals. This allows you to bypass the lines and craziness of the normal facility where most locals go ( an unbelievable site to see). Yes, the cost is more ,but well well worth it. For example for me to see the cardiologist in the crazy house it was 100k vnd. In the air-conditioned, clean foreign affairs section it cost 500k. They bill it as the “ doctors “coming to you. But for me that never happened. But a nurse or staff member escorts you to where you need to go and you go to the front of the line. As noted in other posts they HAVE to move so fast that the quality and detail is passed over. I have medical knowledge so the things they rushed on were not critical for me. When they were I put the brakes on. For example the cardiologist did the mandatory pulse check when she checked my blood pressure. But she just touched my wrist for a micro second. No way she even located a pulse. Just the fact I walked in she knew I had that much of a pulse. I brought with me my BP reading in both arms as that was why I was there. They did the normal ECG and doppler sonogram and gave me a clear bill of health. I said but I am here for peripheral arterial issues. I insisted on a CT angiogrophy. She wrote the order to see a vascular specialist. As soon He saw my sonogram etc. he said no problem why are you here. I showed him my BP reading over a one week period from both arms. And he said no problem. But I insisted on the CT. He said no problem. So I showed him the science and they he agreed to give me the CT. Sure enough they found blockage. But in his defense, even in America most primary care doctors do not understand this. I am sure I would have had the same problem at FV. FV just cost a lot more. The “doctors” at FV only work there part time. The remainder of the time they too work at Cho Ray or other VNese hospitals. But as with all medicine here you have to stay on top of them. But I would certainly use Cho Ray again. They said I would have an interpreter. But never did. But the “docs” did pretty good with English. And with the foreign affairs department no money envelopes are required.

Scary story for some one who has medical knowledge, god help those that dont. I have used FV once cos it did not warrant flying to BKK.......never again!!

Mate of mine ended up in Cho Ray MB accident & broken leg & he said they were brilliant & did a great job. I went to visit him & made a mistake & parked my MB at the emergency entrance so had to walk through the emergency department & the general sort of part of the hospital to get to the lift to take me to his ward & room. OH MAN I was in total shock at what I saw!!  & thought Oh God Alan I hope Iyou never ever end up here.

Diazo wrote:

With the exception of the the Jewish doctors at Diamond Plaza I have yet to see a person with a Medical Degree(MD ). They all practice with a BS degree. Many have had stints in foreign medical facilities. But still no MD degrees.

Not true, or rather, it's a misconception that Vietnamese doctors do not have MD degrees.  In reality, there's a good number of true MDs in Vietnam but the initials MD are not followed their names. Instead, the TS.BS preceding their names stand for Tiến Sĩ Bác Sĩ, or PhD of Medicine -- TS: Tiến Sĩ, or PhD.

In VN, all medical degrees are under the management of two ministries, the Ministry of Education and Training, and the Ministry of Health, so a medical degree must reflect the requirements of both ministries.

1- On the side of the degree managed by the Ministry of Health, a student who graduates from a 6-year medical university is called a Bác Sĩ (BS).  The initials BS preceding or following his name stand for Bác Sĩ (6 years), not Bachelor of Science degree (4 years).

After passing Year 7 during which he studies a specialty, he can practice as BS CKĐH (Bác Sĩ Chuyên Khoa Định Hướng, or Orientation Specialist.)   

After 2 more years, he'll become a BSCK I (Bác Sĩ Chuyên Khoa cấp I, or Specialist Level 1).  That's the equivalence of Master of Medicine.

Another 2 more years and a dissertation will give him the title BSCK II (Bác Sĩ Chuyên Khoa cấp II, or Specialist Level 2).  To become BSCK II, a female doctor must be under 50 and a male doctor must be under 55. 

2- On the side of the Ministry of Education and Training, a Bác Sĩ who has a minimum of 2 years of experience can go to graduate school for 2 more years, then after presenting a thesis, he'll become a ThS.BS (Thạc Sĩ Bác Sĩ, or Thạc Sĩ Y Học, or Master of Medicine -- ThS: Thạc Sĩ, or Master' degrees)

A ThS.BS who has a minimum of another 2 years of experience who wishes to continue with the education can take an exam for post graduate school, study for 3 or more years, then submit a thesis to become a TS.BS (Tiến Sĩ Bác Sĩ, or Tiến Sĩ Y Học, or PhD of Medicine, or MD). 

3- The 3rd option for a Bác Sĩ who wishes to have immediate on the job training after 6 years in university is to study for 3 more years as a resident in a hospital.  After finishing the residency, he's allowed to work in the hospital as Bác Sĩ Nội Trú Chuyên Ngành (Resident Specialist) or take the exam for post graduate school to become either BSCK II or TS.BS. 

In terms of relative conversion, a Resident Specialist is equivalent to BSCK I or Master of Medicine, while BSCK II and TS.BS are equal to American PhD of Medicine.

My husband's cardiologist, TS.BS Nguyễn Thượng Nghĩa (true MD) is Director of the Cardiology Department of Chợ Rẫy Hospital.  In fact, the majority of cardiologists in Saigon are TS.BS, with some who are BSCK II.  There are a few BSCK I but they're all under the TS.BS.

Thanks Ciambella, great info. Hard to understand why any country we deviate from normal naming conventions. Maybe someone has insight why they would elect to do that. But nevertheless I have found them pretty good but lacking in many basic facts. And the other issues seem to come from perhaps the rushed pace in which they have to render care~. But many very serious mistakes, that had I not caught them it could be death. For example insisting my child could have an A blood type when his parents are both O’s. Or four fractured ribs then punctured the lung, and they saw no fractures. Or even the mundane, that colds are caused by cold weather or getting wet. And don’t forget to blame the mom for not producing a male baby. I still rather suspect that a VNese doc could not practice in the West. Might be wrong. But unless they went to school in I doubt it. Again thank for the .

For sure it is a scary place (Cho Ray). My jaw dropped. For sure I would not want to stay there as an inpatient. For that I would go to an international hospital.

Diazo wrote:

I still rather suspect that a VNese doc could not practice in the West. Might be wrong. But unless they went to school in I doubt it.

I know for certain that doctors who went to medical schools in VN cannot practice in the US.  I had more than a dozen friends who were full fledged doctors here (some were hospital directors, others were doctors with decades of practice), all had to take at least 3 medical licensing exams (not counting a couple advanced English tests), then go through the entire residency program before they were allowed to have the initials MD following their names.

Diazo wrote:

. Hard to understand why any country we deviate from normal naming conventions.

"M.D." is not a normal international naming convention.

For example, in Germany, a medical practitioner is referred to as "Artz/Ärztin"

The title "Doktor" (doctor) is only conferred on those who accomplish their PhD.

Well finished my one week experience at Cho Ray. Did not turn out so well. But much as I anticipated. Had the first CT angiography done and saw the doctor for results. He said he saw a blockage in one area, but the film was blurred. Was not thrilled with that since the radiation levels were so high. As it turned out they were suppose to tell me not to breath and did not. Asked if I could bring someone to tell me. Had the second CT done and still no one who spoke English. As it turns out the CT computer as the ability to say it in any language. But this time they just scanned my arms to get a clearer view of the blockage. Saw the doctor for the results and he said indeed there was a blockage but it was normal for a person my age, they see it all the time. I told him of the current science on peripheral arterial disease. And that if you BP as read in both arms is more then 1o points different you most likely have a blockage. If so there is a very high probability /, 90% + as I recall, that you will will have a heart attack or stroke. But I could not convince them so left empty handed and no treatment to clear the blockage. As we left we were able to get the bad CT scan. It could not be seen, hard to depict anything. So what was the condition of my heart and other arteries I do not know. But they are so rush at Cho Ray I can understand.

Diazo wrote:

Well finished my one week experience at Cho Ray. Did not turn out so well. But much as I anticipated. Had the first CT angiography done and saw the doctor for results. He said he saw a blockage in one area, but the film was blurred. Was not thrilled with that since the radiation levels were so high. As it turned out they were suppose to tell me not to breath and did not. Asked if I could bring someone to tell me. Had the second CT done and still no one who spoke English. As it turns out the CT computer as the ability to say it in any language. But this time they just scanned my arms to get a clearer view of the blockage. Saw the doctor for the results and he said indeed there was a blockage but it was normal for a person my age, they see it all the time. I told him of the current science on peripheral arterial disease. And that if you BP as read in both arms is more then 1o points different you most likely have a blockage. If so there is a very high probability /, 90% + as I recall, that you will will have a heart attack or stroke. But I could not convince them so left empty handed and no treatment to clear the blockage. As we left we were able to get the bad CT scan. It could not be seen, hard to depict anything. So what was the condition of my heart and other arteries I do not know. But they are so rush at Cho Ray I can understand.

Try the heart hospital next to FV in D7.

Diazo wrote:

Well finished my one week experience at Cho Ray. Did not turn out so well. But much as I anticipated. Had the first CT angiography done and saw the doctor for results. He said he saw a blockage in one area, but the film was blurred. Was not thrilled with that since the radiation levels were so high. As it turned out they were suppose to tell me not to breath and did not. Asked if I could bring someone to tell me. Had the second CT done and still no one who spoke English. As it turns out the CT computer as the ability to say it in any language. But this time they just scanned my arms to get a clearer view of the blockage. Saw the doctor for the results and he said indeed there was a blockage but it was normal for a person my age, they see it all the time. I told him of the current science on peripheral arterial disease. And that if you BP as read in both arms is more then 1o points different you most likely have a blockage. If so there is a very high probability /, 90% + as I recall, that you will will have a heart attack or stroke. But I could not convince them so left empty handed and no treatment to clear the blockage. As we left we were able to get the bad CT scan. It could not be seen, hard to depict anything. So what was the condition of my heart and other arteries I do not know. But they are so rush at Cho Ray I can understand.

Like I said before....scary, but does not surprise me. But obviously concerning & you need to take it further, but in Vietnam???? I had a fairly serious medical condition a few years back (salmonella infection caught here which resulted in severe Reactive Arthritis) I woke up & could barely walk. Managed to get to the then ISOS hospital & they prescribed a daily doze of steroids & that was it. Contacted my company & my company med insurance would not entertain me going to any of the hospitals even private ones & arranged for me to fly immediately to BKK Bumrungrad International Hospital. I was immediately taken off the steroids & for 10 days sometimes on a drip & in & out of coma on every drug available to try to kill the Salmonella & eventually 2 days before they were going to remove my gall bladder they got the all clear & the salmonella was gone from my system & they could start on drugs for the Reactive Arthritis. 2 years later I was eventually off the drugs & am fighting fit now thankfully. Would I have come through it unscathed in Vietnam?........well who knows but I for one dread the thought of going into hospital here & your story confirms that dread!

Another quick one about FV.............woke up one morning with like thousands of floaters in my Left eye. Went to FV, the doctor said I had a detached retina that would require an operation. Flew to BKK went to Bumrungrad & had all the tests done, diagnosis ..................the condition was linked to my RA & they gave me eye drops for a month & its never come back!

goodolboy wrote:

Diazo wrote:

Well finished my one week experience at Cho Ray. Did not turn out so well. But much as I anticipated. Had the first CT angiography done and saw the doctor for results. He said he saw a blockage in one area, but the film was blurred. Was not thrilled with that since the radiation levels were so high. As it turned out they were suppose to tell me not to breath and did not. Asked if I could bring someone to tell me. Had the second CT done and still no one who spoke English. As it turns out the CT computer as the ability to say it in any language. But this time they just scanned my arms to get a clearer view of the blockage. Saw the doctor for the results and he said indeed there was a blockage but it was normal for a person my age, they see it all the time. I told him of the current science on peripheral arterial disease. And that if you BP as read in both arms is more then 1o points different you most likely have a blockage. If so there is a very high probability /, 90% + as I recall, that you will will have a heart attack or stroke. But I could not convince them so left empty handed and no treatment to clear the blockage. As we left we were able to get the bad CT scan. It could not be seen, hard to depict anything. So what was the condition of my heart and other arteries I do not know. But they are so rush at Cho Ray I can understand.

Like I said before....scary, but does not surprise me. But obviously concerning & you need to take it further, but in Vietnam???? I had a fairly serious medical condition a few years back (salmonella infection caught here which resulted in severe Reactive Arthritis) I woke up & could barely walk. Managed to get to the then ISOS hospital & they prescribed a daily doze of steroids & that was it. Contacted my company & my company med insurance would not entertain me going to any of the hospitals even private ones & arranged for me to fly immediately to BKK Bumrungrad International Hospital. I was immediately taken off the steroids & for 10 days sometimes on a drip & in & out of coma on every drug available to try to kill the Salmonella & eventually 2 days before they were going to remove my gall bladder they got the all clear & the salmonella was gone from my system & they could start on drugs for the Reactive Arthritis. 2 years later I was eventually off the drugs & am fighting fit now thankfully. Would I have come through it unscathed in Vietnam?........well who knows but I for one dread the thought of going into hospital here & your story confirms that dread!

Another quick one about FV.............woke up one morning with like thousands of floaters in my Left eye. Went to FV, the doctor said I had a detached retina that would require an operation. Flew to BKK went to Bumrungrad & had all the tests done, diagnosis ..................the condition was linked to my RA & they gave me eye drops for a month & its never come back!

Many stories here about doctors wanting to operate when it was not needed.

colinoscapee wrote:

goodolboy wrote:

Diazo wrote:

Well finished my one week experience at Cho Ray. Did not turn out so well. But much as I anticipated. Had the first CT angiography done and saw the doctor for results. He said he saw a blockage in one area, but the film was blurred. Was not thrilled with that since the radiation levels were so high. As it turned out they were suppose to tell me not to breath and did not. Asked if I could bring someone to tell me. Had the second CT done and still no one who spoke English. As it turns out the CT computer as the ability to say it in any language. But this time they just scanned my arms to get a clearer view of the blockage. Saw the doctor for the results and he said indeed there was a blockage but it was normal for a person my age, they see it all the time. I told him of the current science on peripheral arterial disease. And that if you BP as read in both arms is more then 1o points different you most likely have a blockage. If so there is a very high probability /, 90% + as I recall, that you will will have a heart attack or stroke. But I could not convince them so left empty handed and no treatment to clear the blockage. As we left we were able to get the bad CT scan. It could not be seen, hard to depict anything. So what was the condition of my heart and other arteries I do not know. But they are so rush at Cho Ray I can understand.

Like I said before....scary, but does not surprise me. But obviously concerning & you need to take it further, but in Vietnam???? I had a fairly serious medical condition a few years back (salmonella infection caught here which resulted in severe Reactive Arthritis) I woke up & could barely walk. Managed to get to the then ISOS hospital & they prescribed a daily doze of steroids & that was it. Contacted my company & my company med insurance would not entertain me going to any of the hospitals even private ones & arranged for me to fly immediately to BKK Bumrungrad International Hospital. I was immediately taken off the steroids & for 10 days sometimes on a drip & in & out of coma on every drug available to try to kill the Salmonella & eventually 2 days before they were going to remove my gall bladder they got the all clear & the salmonella was gone from my system & they could start on drugs for the Reactive Arthritis. 2 years later I was eventually off the drugs & am fighting fit now thankfully. Would I have come through it unscathed in Vietnam?........well who knows but I for one dread the thought of going into hospital here & your story confirms that dread!

Another quick one about FV.............woke up one morning with like thousands of floaters in my Left eye. Went to FV, the doctor said I had a detached retina that would require an operation. Flew to BKK went to Bumrungrad & had all the tests done, diagnosis ..................the condition was linked to my RA & they gave me eye drops for a month & its never come back!

Many stories here about doctors wanting to operate when it was not needed.

whats that big uni medical hospital I have passed on the way back HCMC from Vung Tau or Da Lat, its about 10 TO 15km out from where I live D12?

Medicine here should be eyed here with caution. I wish I could count the number of times I or someone close has received an Rx for a handful of meds. And when I check they have no association with the diagnosis e.g cancer meds for a cold. I have had almost zero luck with radiation techs, nor radiologist. It seems almost a waste of time and money to have one done. I am not sure what to attribute it to, lack of education or simply an overwhelmed system. Certainly lack of basic education is a big part. When doctor after doctor will tell you can catch a cold from cold weather it should say something when the only two cold weather illness are frost bite and hyperthermia. And that they do not understand basic blood typing. I had to have a conference with 25 doctors to try and prove the two type O’s could not produce a type A baby. Even showed them printout from medical science. Finally I demanded my child be retyped. Of course, his blood type was O, the only thing it could be. Only then did they care to learn why he was typed wrong. He was not. The reporting protocol was so bad it was only a matter of time. The lad typed him, then entered it into a handwritten paper journal with spacing so small not even I could stay on the correct line. Then they give that to the night shift who just wants to sleep to enter into the computer. They dropped down a line and began reporting everyone in error. I then asked the head of the lab if he thought he should retype all the other patients and he said no problem. Yeah until their 20 years old and need a transfusion. I have to constantly tell them to re-glove. Many object and tell me gloving is to protect them, not me or my family. Yeah, difficult here....yet as ciambella says they are doctors. You would hope that would mean they are equal and on par to any doctor anywhere. I wish my experiences supported that. And I have empathy for those that must rely on the doc’s knowledge and do not know themselves.

Diazo wrote:

They dropped down a line and began reporting everyone in error. I then asked the head of the lab if he thought he should retype all the other patients and he said no problem. Yeah, difficult here....yet as ciambella says they are doctors. You would hope that would mean they are equal and on par to any doctor anywhere. .

That's very sad, Diazo. 

I only reported on the number of years the doctors must attend before they can receive their degrees, and that the two ministries certify that TS.BS is the equivalence of MD.  However, we all know that the same quantity doesn't always produce the same quality.

@ciambella
  I knew I said that wrong, and I apologize. I understood and appreciated your adding the insight. Did not intend to imply you meant more.

Diazo wrote:

@ciambella
  I knew I said that wrong, and I apologize. I understood and appreciated your adding the insight. Did not intend to imply you meant more.

Nah.  I understand what you said perfectly; I just want to clarify so when other people read the posts, they would know that we agree on the poor quality of Vietnamese doctors who are supposed to be educated for the same length of time and received the same degree as their counterparts in the West.

No biggie even if we misunderstood one another, but since we didn't, everything is fine.

I have an experience to relate.  I hope that will be OK with goodolboy. 

It relates not to going to the hospital but to teaching English to a small group of doctors in my home.  My internist friend who I met at the local swimming pool set up the class.  Three were experienced doctors and one was a final year medical student.  The materials that I dug up on the internet were originally developed by an English teacher in the Czech Republic.  Most of the teaching material revolved around doctor-patient interviews, reviewing symptoms to develop a diagnosis.   This makes sense as this is the point of contact for doctors with international patients.   In almost every case my doctor students wanted to shorten the interviews by jumping to a diagnosis.  They asked very little about past patient history and didn't even consider asking about family history.  I think many westerners may have had similar experiences with locally trained doctors.  I had some experience with doctors who, although not fully western trained, had gone through fellowships in the US.   They tended to be much more patient than their peers in reaching diagnosis.   I suspect that this tendency to instantly diagnose and cut short the patient interview may be based on time pressures that local doctors have put on them by their hospitals.  This phenomenon may be similar the the problems that some have related here and all may stem from time pressures on physicians.  Do others have a similar experience?

@ THIGV. Oh no doubt. To be honest with the numbers they must see every day at public hospitals the system would come to a complete halt if they did normal practices of medicine. Indeed, I had a doctor tell me if he re-gloved between each patient he would never get anything done. I told him I am only concerned about the patient in front of you now...my infant son....glove up. But I have been to doctors that were not pressured and they seem to have no concern for history other then current meds taken.. But  I must say medicine here and in other socialized medicine countries I have lived in is a dictatorial style “I am god you take this, you do that, and ask any questions” . They do not appreciate us getting involved. Ah just an exciting place!!

Talking about doctors. I had a Russian trained doctor tell me to f*"k off. I informed him I get light headed when giving blood and that I should lie down. He told me that he was the doctor and that I should do as he says, I said sorry, it doesn't work like that.  I told him in no uncertain term that I was  going to lie down, then he told me to f*"k off.