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Medical Internships in Vietnam

Gain medical work experience by learning directly from skilled doctors in a hospital department of your choice

Destination

Vietnam

Age

18+ y/o

Minimum Stay

1 week

Start Date

Anytime

Accommodation

Homestay

What’s included

Accommodation & Amenities

Clean, safe, and welcoming accommodation. A home away from home with comfortable amenities.

24/7 Support

Round-the-clock support on the ground and 24/7 back up from our global teams.

Transportation

To and from the airport, plus everything in between. Daily transport to your placement and back.

Certification

Certified record of service hours, workshops, and activities for your CV.

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Starting at €1,975 for 1 week

Flexible 0% Interest payments
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Trip Overview

Work in a real hospital

Shadow and learn from experienced doctors in a busy hospital, seeing exactly what working life is like for healthcare professionals.

Expand your medical knowledge

Gain real-world insight into global healthcare practices, observing experts in various fields like surgery, trauma, and local, traditional medicine.

Attend medical workshops

Hear from doctors on fascinating traditional Vietnamese medicines, conduct your own research, and prepare for outreach sessions in local communities.

Enhance your employability

Build upon your existing knowledge and improve your CV, giving you international experience that makes you stand out from the crowd.

Build upon personal skills

Travel the world and experience a brand new culture, helping boost your confidence, independence, and communication while making new friends.

What you need to know

Overview

Our medical internship in Vietnam is perfect for university medical and healthcare elective students. The real-world insight and knowledge you gain will help shape you as a future medical professional. You will also learn to work with different people and get a broader perspective of global healthcare systems and issues. This benefits your career for years to come. We can organise a placement that meets all of your university’s requirements.

You can also use your medical placement to explore different specialisations. No prior medical experience is required to join this internship. Let us know what departments you’re interested in before you go, and we’ll organise it for you.

Activities

We can arrange extra work for university medical and healthcare elective students to meet all of your university’s requirements. This includes meeting a set amount of clinical hours or working in a specific department.

Your role at your medical placement in Vietnam is strictly observational. These are some of the activities you do during your internship:

Shadow doctors and nurses on their daily rounds
Spend time in one or more hospital departments
Shadow doctors who treat autistic children
Learn about traditional Vietnamese Medicine
Attend medical workshops to share presentations on your hospital experiences

Shadow doctors and nurses on their daily rounds

By following doctors and nurses on their rounds, you will get a deeper insight into how medicine is practised. We encourage you to ask questions and take notes to learn as much as possible. This will help you expand your practical medical knowledge, beyond what some textbooks can teach you.

Spend time in one or more hospital departments

The hospitals we work with have different departments. Let us know what departments you’re interested in before you go, and we’ll organise it for you. This is a great way to explore specialisations you’d like to pursue in your career. Please be aware that you’ll need to let us know in advance if you want to work in multiple departments.

Shadow doctors who treat autistic children

One of our placements specialises in acupuncture. Here, you can see how doctors treat autistic children. The analgesia acupuncture department covers many types of surgery such as neck tumors, breast cancer, liver, urology, and gynaecology. If you join this placement, you will develop skills in acupuncture. You can do things like fill syringes with medication, attach electrodes, and more. All of this work is done under strict supervision.

Learn about traditional Vietnamese Medicine

Some of our placements give you the opportunity learn about traditional medicine. Vietnamese traditional medicine is fascinating. We encourage you to learn about it and think about the contrast with modern medicine

Medical Workshops

Once a month we organise medical workshops at our office. This gives you the chance to learn from traditional doctors, guest speakers, and other medical professionals. We also run medical research sessions for you to present on your experiences and watch other interns present. Here you can also train for outreach events and create handouts for the local community.

A Day in the Life

Your work will take place during weekdays, and work hours vary depending on where you are placed.

Most mornings start at about 8am. You’ll spend the first half of your day shadowing doctors on their rounds and observing what they do. You’ll break for lunch between 11am and 2pm. After lunch, you’ll return for the next shift and work from 2pm to 4.30pm. Mornings are generally busier than afternoons, as most patients are treated in the morning. Be prepared to have a busy start to each day!

Attend our medical workshops once a month to learn from traditional doctors, guest speakers, and other medical professionals. We also run medical research sessions for you to give presentations on your hospital experiences and listen to other interns. You can also use these sessions to train for outreach events and to create handouts for the local community.

Your weekends will be free for you to explore. Visit spectacular landmarks attractions such as Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You can also visit ancient temples, shop till you drop at night markets, drink endless cups of Vietnamese coffee, and sing your heart out at karaoke bars.

Aims & Impact

The aim of this internship is to help you get medical work experience in Vietnam and expand your practical medical knowledge.

In addition, you’ll also get involved in medical outreach work. You’ll work in rural areas where regular access to healthcare is limited. You’ll help provide medical care in schools, care centres, and villages, and also raise awareness about healthcare issues facing Vietnam.

We have set the following goals for this project through our Medicine & Healthcare Management Plan:

Encourage an understanding of medical practices and promote an exchange of medical knowledge
Improve the quality of healthcare provided to patients
Improve the quality of specialised or alternative healthcare provided
Improve hygiene standards
Improve access to basic healthcare for disadvantaged groups

Map & Location

Filled with natural beauty urban adventure, Vietnam is an incredible country bordering China, Laos, and Cambodia. Home to the world’s largest cave, the stunning Ha Long Bay, and remnants of the brutal Vietnam war, there’s so much to discover.

Vietnam’s tourism sector is growing rapidly and it is now one of the most popular Southeast Asian nations to visit. Floating markets, striking karst mountains, endless rice paddies, and imperial history are all on your doorstep — see it for yourself!

Hanoi

The capital city of Vietnam and second most populous, Hanoi, is located in the north of the country in the Red River Delta. Home to more than eight million people, Hanoi is a true blend of ancient tradition and modern influence. It has a subtropical climate with warm summers and mild winters.

The famous old quarter dominates social media feeds, but the city is filled with incredible landmarks, including stunning lakes, museums, temples, and more. You will never run out of things to see!

Food & Accommodation

Prepare for an extraordinary adventure in Vietnam! You’ll stay with a carefully selected host family, ensuring a comfortable room, three meals a day, and safe drinking water. This is all designed to make your experience truly remarkable.

Your host family will serve you authentic local cuisine and introduce you to fascinating Vietnamese culture. We always place you with other Projects Abroad participants of a similar age and gender, and we’ll also organise daily transportation to and from your placement!

Your home will be a clean, secure, and welcoming base, perfectly situated for exploring the breathtaking landscapes of Vietnam. You’ll also find it easy to stay connected with friends and family back home, thanks to readily available internet cafes nearby.

Meet your team

Your Arrival Made Easy

When you arrive at your respective airport, a member of Projects Abroad staff will be there to meet you. You can find more detailed information on arrival airports, orientation, and visas on our Vietnam Arrival Procedures page.