Opportunities to Lift Vietnam-Korea Medical Tourism Cooperation

On this occasion, our reporter has an exclusive interview with Mr. Ham Kyung-jun, Director of the Seoul Tourism Organization, on the potential for developing medical tourism cooperation between HCM City and Seoul, and between Vietnam and South Korea.

Mr. Ham Kyung-jun, Director of the Seoul Tourism Organization

What are noticeable advantages of Seoul’s medical tourism in comparison with other cities in the world?

More and more international visitors are choosing Seoul as a top-choice destination for healthcare combined with tourism as the city has a world-class medical and tourism infrastructure. Seoul offers a wide range of medical tourism services, a safe and friendly travel environment, and extremely reasonable costs. Notably, in Newsweek’s 2025 ranking of the “World's Best Hospitals,” 16 South Korean hospitals were recognized, 13 of which are located in Seoul, showing the city’s reputation as a globally recognized hub for medical tourism.

Moreover, compared to the United States or European countries, the geographical distance to Seoul is shorter and the costs are more affordable while tourists still have access to an advanced healthcare system and a cutting-edge technology and equipment system. This is a major advantage of Seoul's medical tourism. In addition, the city has a wide array of wellness tourism resources that enhance pre-treatment and post-treatment care, not only for patients but also for accompanying family members, thus further improving overall satisfaction for those visiting Seoul.

What specific efforts is Seoul making to attract international tourists, especially medical tourists from Vietnam?

According to the Seoul Tourism Organization, international visitor arrivals to Seoul for medical tourism in 2024 reached nearly 1 million, a 93.2% increase from 2023. For Vietnam alone, around 20,000 Vietnamese tourists visit Seoul each year for medical checkup and treatment, putting Vietnam among the Top 10 countries in terms of medical tourists to the city.

To meet the rising demand for medical tourism from Vietnam and other countries in the world, Seoul prioritizes expanding its partnership network and building a comprehensive healthcare ecosystem. The Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul Tourism Organization are actively seeking and selecting outstanding medical units to partner with. In collaboration with these units, Seoul is implementing various support programs for international patients when they arrive for treatment (such as support for interpreter coordination and airport-to-hospital/hotel transportation services). It aims to better serve Vietnamese and other foreign visitors.

In 2024, the Seoul Tourism Organization selected 110 trainees for its official Medical Coordinator Training Program, including in Vietnamese language. Currently, many medical units are seeking Vietnamese-speaking coordinators and Seoul is striving to build a trustworthy healthcare environment for foreign patients by improving coordinators' capabilities through advanced training programs. Additionally, the Seoul Medical Tourism Center, operated by the Seoul Tourism Organization, serves as a support hub that handles inquiries and feedback from international patients who are in or planning to visit Seoul to help resolve emerging issues swiftly and effectively.

What do you think about the potential for medical tourism development in Vietnam, particularly in Ho Chi Minh City as well as about the future cooperation expansion plan between the two cities?

Vietnam has significant potential and room for medical tourism development. Personally, I have observed that the Vietnamese government is placing strong emphasis and investment in domestic medical tourism development. Particularly in HCM City, I have learned that the city's medical tourism is currently accelerated to reach higher goals.

Recognizing immense potential and cooperation opportunities, we hope to sign memorandums of understanding (MOUs) to further promote and foster joint projects between the two cities in the coming time, for example the healthcare workforce training project (including training for doctors, nurses and interpreters). Seoul has extensive experience in developing medical tourism, and we are committed to sharing this valuable experience and essential information and resources with HCM City. We also plan to strengthen our collaboration with the city in organizing advanced training and professional development programs for the city's medical personnel.

With this foundation, we hope that the 2025 Seoul Medical Tourism Roadshow would serve as a platform to foster exchange and cooperation between the medical sector and the tourism sector of Seoul and HCM City. The roadshow also aimed to help connect participating organizations from Seoul with potential partners in HCM City, thus helping develop specialized medical tourism products between the two cities and countries in the future.

Regarding the 2025 Seoul Medical Tourism Roadshow, what are Seoul’s specific objectives in organizing this event in HCM City?

Seoul organized the 2025 Seoul Medical Tourism Roadshow to meet the increasing demand for medical tourism from Vietnam and across Southeast Asia.

Through this roadshow, the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul Tourism Organization aimed to introduce Seoul’s top-class medical and tourism resources to HCM City's major healthcare units and tourism businesses while also promoting Seoul as a “Global Medical Tourism City” to potential visitors. This event also sought to strengthen the cooperation network between Seoul’s medical - tourism units and those of HCM City in particular and Vietnam as a whole, hence laying the groundwork for sustainable medical tourism cooperation between the two nations.

Seoul will continue to widely promote its high-quality medical - tourism infrastructure and diverse, attractive medical - tourism services to draw more Vietnamese tourists. We are confident that Seoul’s medical tourism has been professionally and thoroughly prepared to win the hearts of Vietnamese tourists, even the most demanding ones.

Thank you so much!