Last Updated on December 28, 2023 by PowersToTravel
Diabetic travel tips for the north of Vietnam differ from the tips for the south. Did you realize how very long and thin the country is?
The south is dominated by the Mekong River Delta, and the north by the mountains. We visited the south of Vietnam in 2017, taking a small private Mekong River cruise. In 2023 we visited the north – Hanoi, Halong Bay and Ninh Binh. There is such variety of scenery that I’m disappointed that Da Nang and Hue do not fit in seasonally with our late October Hanoi trip. I really hope to return again for that middle stretch of the country!
- Check out my Diabetic Tips for International Travel
- Vaccines before you travel
- Malaria considerations
- Do your own research into new medications
- Keeping insulin cold while traveling
- Carrying medications into Vietnam
- Avoiding the water
- Travel insurance
Vietnam Diabetic Travel Tip #1 – Check out my other Diabetic Travel Tips!
Check out my Diabetic Travel Tips for International Travel
I’ve written quite a detailed article about all the considerations and issues I’ve thought of or bumped into while traveling internationally for twenty-five years. It’s called Diabetic Travel Tips for International Travel For the individual countries articles such as this one I try to highlight specific issues. That doesn’t mean that the subsections “Flying with Diabetes,” or “Protecting my insulin and Supplies from Theft” don’t also apply just as well to Vietnam.
Vietnam Diabetic Travel Tip #2 – Vaccines
Vaccines before you travel
I always check out the CDC for my destination country or countries. Here’s the link for the CDC Vietnam travel page. (CDC means “Center for Disease Control”. After these years of COVID you should be familiar with the agency, but even before, the CDC was my best friend for travel advice as a diabetic.)
Of all the vaccines recommended, the typhoid vaccine is the one my healthcare plan considers non-routine, and I had to pay for it. It’s a good thing I got it for the trip to Egypt (Nov 2022) because it was still good for our trip to Hanoi in Oct 2023!
I keep a spreadsheet for my husband and I of all the vaccines, when we last had them and when they are due, so Hep A and C and the other routine vaccines are up to date! And if they were, it would be easy to get them at our Primary Care doctor’s.
Vietnam Diabetic Travel Tip #3 – Malaria Prevention
Malaria considerations
Speaking of the CDC… Malaria is also well documented on their website, and a major concern for us. Vietnam with its great variety of ecosystems requires more study.
The British Healthcare system also has a lot of great resources. Here is a great map for Malaria in Vietnam, created by the Scottish National Health Service. They have info and maps for all countries.
For us, planning on a Mekong River cruise, in 2017, malaria pills were not recommended, however we were combining Vietnam on one end with Myanmar and the other with Laos, so the doctor said we needed to continue straight through with the pills.
The same applied for our trip to the north in 2023; for the particular areas we were visiting, malaria pills were also not recommended, however once again we were combining countries, and were still on malaria pills due to our visit to Ranthambhore, India.
Vietnam Diabetic Travel Tip #4 – Research your meds for contraindications
Do your own research into new medications
Our stay in the south of Vietnam did not introduce any high altitudes or motion-sickness issues; neither does our trip to Hanoi. However, for the north? I investigated going to Sa Pa, north of Hanoi. I wasn’t certain about the train ride, and the winding mountain roads via car combined with my motion sickness led me to choose other destinations. In years past I might have thought, “It’ll all work out!” or “I’ll take meds for that!” but experience has taught me that mountain roads and I do not co-exist well!
Vietnam Diabetic Travel Tip #5 – Keep your insulin cold while traveling
Keeping insulin cold while traveling
Originally we traveled to southern Vietnam in December, and in 2023 we visited northern Vietnam in October, both of which are temperate seasons. Season and its temperatures is an important facet of destination travel planning for me. Why worry about my insulin more than necessary? My Frio cold case will keep it safe and I don’t need to stress.
Check out the Weatherspark page for Ho Chi Minh City and their page for Hanoi.
Vietnam Diabetic Travel Tip #6 – Research your meds in Vietnam
Carrying medications into Vietnam
I went looking for a malaria map and bumped into a great official webpage containing British foreign travel advice for Vietnam. Specifically check out the “Medications” section which describes limits to the type and amount of medication you can bring in. This can be concerning for me because our trips to Asia are generally long trips and we carry perhaps 2 months worth of medication with us (1 month’s worth for the trip and 1 month’s for oopsies.)
Vietnam Diabetic Travel Tip #7 – Avoid the water
Avoiding the water
Avoiding the water is still my primary during-the-trip medical concern, along with keeping my insulin cold. When we visited the south of Vietnam in 2017, I am embarrassed to say that we ate little Vietnamese food. At the time we were half-way through our long 65 day Odyssey, and I was more anxious at the point to eat some good ole fashioned food – excellent BBQ in Ho Chi Minh City. We traveled on a private Mekong River cruise where they cooked us food. I can’t say it was Western or Eastern, it was just food – soup, chicken, rice, etc. I have to emphasize that it was all cooked!
I hate it when people present uncooked food – salads or sandwiches containing uncooked vegetables or fruits. I will avoid local water, even the suspicion of local water, at all costs. People have no idea how sensitive my stomach is! I want a great vacation and I don’t want to risk medical issues by becoming sick. Bottled water and fully cooked food are my best friends.
The good news in Vietnam is that they have great soup, and soup is fully cooked!
Vietnam Diabetic Travel Tip #8 – Travel Insurance with Evacuation
Travel Insurance
Definitely I buy travel insurance with evacuation for Vietnam.
