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Demand for cosmetic surgery in Vietnam continues to soar |
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Monday, 26 November 2007 |
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Figures released by the health department in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) show that demand for cosmetic surgery in Vietnam continues to soar, with 53 private clinics now licensed in the city. Of these 53 licensed facilities, 45 are specialized clinics, while 8 are general hospitals that also offer plastic surgery services.
The head of the HCMC Department of Health attributes much of the growth in local plastic surgery to two factors:
Vietnamese plastic surgeons are generally capable and devoted to their profession. In addition, Plastic surgery costs in Vietnam are [about] 70 percent lower than in developed plastic surgery markets like the US or Israel.
Nose reconstruction (rhinoplasty) or eyelid surgery in Vietnam typically costs about $250, compares to at least $2,500 in the United States. With internationally trained doctors and modern medical facilities, the private clinics are seeing an increase in medical tourists, as well as affluent Vietnamese who would have travelled to more developed countries in the past, to have their surgical procedures, such as liposuction, or facelifts.
At present, Thailand is the leading Asian country for providing medical tourism services, but leading Vietnamese cosmetic surgeons have not missed the potential opportunity and are hoping to catch up on their neighbour and attract more visitors seeking to have cosmetic surgery procedures conducted at a far lower cost than in their home countries.
The CEO of The Dr. Tu Comestic Surgery and Skin Care Clinic, Tran Thien My, said that Vietnam’s plastic surgery industry is full of potential:
If we can make the best of our advantages in this field, including low prices and Vietnamese plastic surgeons’ competence, we can become a popular destination for foreigners seeking plastic surgery services.
However, the growth in demand for services has not been without problems. The former head of the HCMC Department of Health, Nguyen The Dung, said that despite regular inspections from local health officials, some plastic surgery businesses were of questionable quality and continued to operate without proper licenses. In February of this year, police charged two unqualified "doctors" after a woman died while undergoing a rhinoplasty and eyelid surgery at their unlicensed clinic . Dung said that a major problem for authorities was the lack of punishment for violators, with only warnings being issued to unlicensed operators.
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