Counterfeit medication

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Member since 18 April 2017

EleighbadgerNew member10 September 2017 19:03:56

Hello,

I am from the U.S., hoping to move to HCMC in 2018. My biggest concern is how I can stay on my daily prescription medication uninterrupted. I have two options, it seems:

1. I've been searching high and low for a definitive answer about how many months worth of my prescription I can fly into Vietnam with. I don't take any narcotics, amphetamines, or anything else that is addictive or illegal in Vietnam. How much can I fly in with? I've heard everything from one month supply to one year.

2. Some have suggested using a pharmacy to buy my prescription over the counter. Is this safe?
Some pharmacies safer than others?

Please share if you have personal experiences with these issues.

raytho Member

Member since 02 July 2016

raythoMember10 September 2017 21:44:27

Hi,
I Visit Saigon - quite regularly and have bought medications there.
You will find a lot of Pharmacies around the city - the medications are all original manufactures product - boxed correctly - they may offer you some equivalent medications (like most countries) but they are in those manufactures packaging.
Vietnam is surprisingly quite advanced and the Chemists on duty are very well educated.
I have never been offered or seen any counterfeit medications.
You may have difficulty in finding specialist medication - bring an adequate amount over with you until you see if is available here.
Ray
Australia

eodmatt ViP

Member since 13 August 2014

eodmattViP11 September 2017 04:00:18

1418

@Eleighbadger, there are plenty of pharmacies in Saigon. Use the bigger ones as they have a wider variety of drugs. Some drugs are not licensed / available here so you might like to check with your particular drug manufacturer.

Alternatively you could check with the FV hospital (I can't remember the web address, but Google is your friend). Alternatively there are several good clinics in Saigon - again Google - which have pharmacies attached.

ebxebx Member

Member since 06 September 2017

ebxebxMember11 September 2017 04:30:46

... Does anybody know if the chemists in Ho Chi Minh city are comparable to Saigon? I will be moving there soon and take some prescription medications and I have concerns about the safety of the medications also.

JVo18 Contributor

Member since 16 December 2010

JVo18Contributor11 September 2017 05:10:18

199

ebxebx wrote:
... Does anybody know if the chemists in Ho Chi Minh city are comparable to Saigon? I will be moving there soon and take some prescription medications and I have concerns about the safety of the medications also.

Saigon is Ho Chi Minh City...

ebxebx Member

Member since 06 September 2017

ebxebxMember11 September 2017 05:28:37

Oh! Nevermind.

cabraman Contributor

Member since 08 October 2014

cabramanContributor11 September 2017 06:23:44

199

Eleighbadger New member

Member since 18 April 2017

EleighbadgerNew member11 September 2017 12:09:05

Thank you so much! 😊

ebxebx Member

Member since 06 September 2017

ebxebxMember15 September 2017 22:38:15

I will be moving to Ho Chi Minh city soon and am trying to figure out what to do about health insurance. My friend who is a Vietnamese national says there is no need for health insurance as prescription drugs are very cheap as are doctors. But I've always had health insurance of some kind all my life. I think the biggest worry is having a motorcycle accident and getting injured, from the thread on driving in Vietnam it sounds quite dangerous.

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