Updated as of September 2024.

I’m going to list the vets that my clients frequently used first, sorted by ease of communication in English (subjective) and pricing (in short: the more English, the more you pay). There is no pet insurance that I know of at this time of writing.

For yearly vaccinations, spaying/neutering and non-serious health issues, service quality is generally similar across veterinary service providers. However, for non-emergency major health issues such as cancer, geriatric illnesses, organ failures, always get a second opinion from another vet. If your dogs have a rare condition or you have a rarer type of pets (sugar gliders, pythons, goose, etc), the older established vets seem to be a better bet. Vets denoted with “24/7 ER” supposedly provide 24/7 emergency care, but in my past experience, some answered and some never answered my desperate emergency calls.

If you have an anxious dog (or two), or if your dogs bite touchy strangers, have plan to train your dog to acclimatize to the vet and the vet environment LONG BEFORE you will actually need the vet.

1. Animal Doctors International. The vets are from Europe or similar Western countries. Fluent English. Perhaps the most pricey in town. *24/7 ER
2. Thonglor Pet Hospital. The vets are from Thailand. Newly open in 2023. *24/7 ER
3. Samyang Animal Clinic, Thảo Điền branch (now Sky Animal Hospital). The vet is from Korea. Instructions and explanation are communicated via message in English by the office manager (who is Vietnamese). To make appointment, call their office landline number 028 3636 7582 . Don’t call the cell phone number listed (no one ever picks up).
4. Saigon Pet Hospital / Dr. Nghĩa. The staff (vets and receptionists) are 100% Vietnamese but do speak English. Mixed reviews. Very long lunch break.
5. Bệnh viện PetCare – located on Thảo Điền main street corner. They are the longest established vet in Thao Dien and home to the Vets for Small Animals Association, but somehow never popular with the expats.
6. Danny Pet Clinic (student of Dr. Nghia) – newly open in 2023. Speaks decent English. *24/7 ER

Other vets in Thao Dien (100% Vietnamese):

1. PetWish – vet attached to an all-in-one pet store – convenient if you want to pick up dog food, accessories, de-wormer and other pet necessities in one go. The vets here tend to be junior vets with less experience, but do speak English.
2. Family Vet 3. Staff are 100% Vietnamese. Not in Thao Dien but very close. Local price. Some of the vets and receptionists speak English, but only fairly basic.
3. Dr. Trịnh (also student of Dr. Nghia) – newly open in 2023. Speaks decent English. *24/7 ER
4. Asia Pet Clinic – newly open in 2024. *24/7 ER

Honorable mentions (not in Thao Dien): in D7, Dr. Note and Japan Animal Hospital. In Go Vap: Trust Vet

Aside from providing veterinary care, all of the above can help with paperwork for moving your pets abroad. Requirements depend on types of pets you have, the country you’re moving to, and whether they will be on the same flight with you as checked luggage or flying independently as cargo (more expensive).

From what I’ve heard, the hardest country to bring pets into is Australia. Dogs born in Vietnam or live in Vietnam have to stay 6 months in another non-rabies country before they can enter Australia. Then cost of quarantine. Then cost of flights. Woooooo….

European countries and island nations such as Japan require titer test for rabies that should be started 6 months before flight date, plus the usual microchip, health certificate, proof of vaccinations, etc.

On the other hand, easiest country seems to be the US (compared to the EU, Australia or Japan). The CDC in the US recently applied new rules for bringing dogs into the US (August 1, 2024). The new rules, if I understand correctly, require all foreign-born dogs who never received American-made rabies vaccines in the US will be required to have a titer test done by a CDC approved lab 28 days before travel date, land at one of the 8 approved airports and quarantine at CDC approved kennels for 28 days. Note: Vietnam does not have any CDC-approved labs, so it will be super expensive to send sample to a lab abroad and get results. I’ve heard stories of US citizens flying into Mexico and then cross the border with their dogs on foot to avoid the hassle.

Any questions, call the vets! Cheers!

PS: I’m not associated with any of the vets listed or compensated for listing them in any ways whatsoever. As owner of 2 dogs myself, I’m obsessively keen on finding the right vet for my dogs. Heaven forbids how hard it is to find a reliable and competent vet who cares for your dogs’ well-beings and has time and patience to explain to you what’s happening with your dogs. Being able to afford vet care for my dogs without insurance is a major blessing and relief also!