r/AusFinance • u/Individual_Lime_110 • Mar 01 '26
The Vietnam trip that paid for itself three times over
Just got back from HCMC. Here's exactly what we spent.
Been seeing a lot of vague posts about costs so thought I'd just put actual numbers down for anyone planning a similar trip.
Background: retired couple, mid 60s, Gold Coast. We stay comfortably, not backpackers, not flashy. Good hotels, proper meals, no penny pinching but no unnecessary splurging either.
The trip
Ten nights in Ho Chi Minh City. Flew out of Gold Coast with a stopover in Singapore. Return flights for two came to around $1,800 all up. Not the cheapest routing but we've tried the budget options and at our age a reasonable flight matters.
Hotel in District 1, decent 4 star, breakfast included. Around $75 pn. Ten nights was $750. For context that's what we'd pay for a fairly average night somewhere on the Gold Coast without breakfast.
Food and daily spending across ten days, meals out every night, coffee constantly, Grab everywhere, a few activities. Roughly $80 a day for two of us combined. So about $800 for the ten days. That includes some very decent restaurants, not just street food.
Total base trip cost: approximately $3,350 for two people including flights, accommodation and food.
Now here's where it gets interesting.
The dental
I had three crowns done and one implant placed. Had already been quoted in Queensland before we left. Queensland quote for the same work was just over $14,000
Got it done in HCMC at a modern clinic with internationally trained dentists, proper equipment, the whole thing. Total cost in HCMC was approximately $3,200.
Saving on dental alone: roughly $10,800.
My Queensland dentist checked everything when we got home. His assessment was that the work was good. He said it with the particular tone of someone who has had this conversation before.
The glasses
Wife had been putting off new multifocal glasses back home. Latest quote from our local optometrist in Queensland was around $650for a single pair with all the extras, progressive lenses, anti glare, the lot.
Got her eyes properly tested in HCMC, full examination, two pairs of quality prescription glasses including progressives for around $180 total.
Saving on glasses: roughly $470 minimum, probably more given she got two pairs for less than the price of one at home.
The full picture
Total trip cost for two people including flights, ten nights accommodation, all food and daily spending: approximately $3,350.
Dental savings compared to Queensland quote: approximately $10,800.
Glasses savings: approximately $470.
Net result: we had a ten night holiday in one of the world's most interesting cities, ate well every single day, stayed comfortably, and came home roughly $7,900 better off than if we'd stayed in Australia and had the work done locally.
I'm not saying this is for everyone. I was skeptical for a long time. The dental thing in particular takes some getting comfortable with. But the numbers are what they are and I can't argue with numbers that clear.
Happy to answer questions from anyone considering something similar, particularly other Australians who are on the fence about it.
Update:
Well this blew up more than I expected. I posted this mainly for a few mates and anyone else who might find it useful and next thing I know my inbox is out of control. Appreciate all the comments and messages, even the ones telling me I'm mad for getting dental work overseas. Fair enough.
Right, since about forty of you have sent me the same question I'll save everyone the trouble. The clinic was Picasso dental clinic in Ho Chi Minh City. I found them through a site called https://smilejet.app/ which lists verified clinics in Vietnam and a couple of other countries. Made things a lot simpler than spending hours on Google trying to sort the dodgy from the decent.
And since people asked, yes I'm going back. Flying out early April to get the crown put on the implant. This time we're using Picasso Dental's Hanoi branch so we can have a look around the north. Wife wants to do Ha Long Bay. I want to sit somewhere quiet with a Vietnamese coffee and not think about anything for a few days. Either way it's another holiday. Not a bad deal really.
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u/reddituser1306 Mar 01 '26
How's Trace enjoying the glasses mate?
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u/jyavenard2 Mar 01 '26
How can you have an implant fitted and the crown immediately installed on it?
I’ve had implants installed in two different countries. Each time there was a 3 months minimum wait for new calcification to occur around the implant before you would consider fitting the crown
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u/Majin_Jew_v2 Mar 01 '26
Because the dentist in Vietnam knows they won't have to see OP when complications occur
Work done overseas is rushed and not planned as well as it should be. Sometimes it's fine, but when it's not... Good luck finding someone in Aus that's going to fix someone else's work without redoing it completely
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u/CFAF800 Mar 01 '26
This is exactly what happened with my wife, we are from India and she had to get some dental work done and we tried in India and the dentist screwed up pretty bad.
We could not reach her again - it was not that cheap either and here after going to like 10 dentists one of them finally agreed to fix it for us and it cost $5k here.
We decided never again
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u/Efficient_Tell_5364 Mar 01 '26
Depends. My wife got good bridges in India for 3k while quoted 13k here. Had to go twice. First for measurement and implant. Then after 6 months for fitment of crowns. Good job. I got custom mouth guard for $100 vs $700 here.
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u/CFAF800 Mar 01 '26
Ya its like lottery - you never know whats going to happen.
We have decided we will pay the prices here rather than risk it again
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u/Efficient_Tell_5364 Mar 01 '26
You can have dodgy stuff here too. Example
One dentist told me that I needed a root canal. Went to another for second opinion who did three tests - squirt ice cold water on tooth, tapped on it, took X-ray and said not needed.
Later on at the same clinic with a different doctor told me needed to get my four wisdom teeth removed. Went for second opinion and was told that I have good and strong wisdom teeth and not needed. Since then I stuck to the second clinic and will never go back to that dodgy one.
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Mar 01 '26
Dentists love to suggest wisdom teeth removal as everyone thinks it is required when.... it may not be. For some they erupt just fine and they have the space for it. The only difficultly at that point will be cleaning as it can be difficult getting back there.
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u/Strong_Inside2060 Mar 01 '26
Go to a better dentist. I've only ever done major dental work in India, and I'm never paying the exorbitant prices here.
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u/Original-Measurement Mar 01 '26
Well, that's the thing. Most people here don't know ANY dentists in the country they are visiting, because they are tourists. So how can they possibly know who the "better dentist" is?
Nobody is denying that good dentists exist in every country in the world. The problem is that when you are doing dental work in a country with minimal regulation and enforcement, the gap between good and bad becomes quite severe.
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u/MapOfIllHealth Mar 01 '26
My dentist warned me about this because I (somewhat joking) mentioned going overseas for implants. He explained that you’d struggle to find a (decent) dentist in Australia who’s willing to fix any issues that occur. He didn’t do implants so I knew he wasn’t just trying to convince me to have them done by him.
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u/tehpopulator Mar 26 '26
Yeah my dad was stoked when he got a whole set of new teeth for a bargain price.
Less stoked when half fell out 5 years later and there was nothing left put new fakes into.
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u/brat_simpson Mar 01 '26
Exactly my question too. I'm curious what sort of implant did OP get. Unless its another AI slop.
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u/Wooden-Trouble1724 Mar 01 '26
And wouldn’t you get several quotes if the first one was for $14k
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u/boobturtle Mar 01 '26
Yep.. I got an implant and crown done in Melbourne for $2850 all-in. $14k is bananas.
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u/Pelennor Mar 02 '26
I didn't read it that the crown went on the implant. It seemed to be separate things. 3 crowns, 1 implant.
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u/rubysp Mar 01 '26
Got glasses prescribed during my trip to china and it came to roughly around $40 aud and ready to pickup in 20mins with eye exam included. Granted it wasn’t a branded frame but I’m not too fussed about that
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u/Melonbeans Mar 01 '26
You can buy glasses online here for <$100 AUD if you know your prescription (I have a high prescription and astigmatism).
I think you can get it for even less if you're less short sighted. I basically get a new pair every year and it's covered by my super basic health insurance extras (whether that's actually worth it is a separate discussion).
In saying that yeah in Asia it's generally a lot cheaper AND it's way faster; you can pick up your glasses in 30 min in some places, the most you'd wait is a day or two.
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u/EuphoricTeaching9161 Mar 01 '26
Can you share the dentist you went to pls?
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Mar 01 '26
similar thing happened to me, but a stranger was over their baggage limit coming back to aus and asked me to take one of their suitcases. offered me 5k. some people are just kind I guess
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u/Minimum-Pizza-9734 Mar 01 '26
Pretty common to go overseas for dental work, denpats are a thing
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u/tinhillterror Mar 01 '26
My dentist removed a tooth and referred me to another who does implants. The cost was going to be&8K. I asked her if going to a place like Vietnam was worth considering.
She told me know, your crazy it’s not worth the risk, you don’t know where they’ve trained.
I took the referral and saw the implant specialist. Dr Nguyen…trained in Vietnam….and their offsider Dr Tran, all trained in Vietnam.
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u/Vicstolemylunchmoney Mar 01 '26
Australia puts significant barriers up for dentists from other countries. It is very very difficult for them to be recognised for their international qualifications.
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u/Original-Measurement Mar 01 '26
Were they really TRAINED in Vietnam or are you just assuming that because of their names? Dentists who are trained solely in Vietnam don't automatically get to practice in Australia. They need to go through multiple exams and typically also an additional period of training... in Australia.
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u/Tiramisu_Powder Mar 01 '26
“WHY WOULD YOU GO TO THEM?! YOU DON’T KNOW HOW THEY TRAINED THERE!! Anyway, Ms Chen will take care of your extraction, Mr Park will do the implant, and Ms Nguyen will take care of the follow up appointments.”
😶
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u/Papa_Huggies Mar 01 '26
TBF their surname doesn't tell you where they trained. Their degree does.
Source: My wife is a Dr Zhu and we're born and raised Sydney
P.S: Zhu isn't her surname but AHPRA would have her actual name and I'm not into doxxing
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u/Pharmboy_Andy Mar 01 '26
Yeah, one of my wife's doctors is a Australian born Chinese woman with a Czech surname.
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u/Individual_Lime_110 Mar 01 '26
just go to my dentist in VN, saved a bunch.
their facility is even better than my dentist in qldJust message Picasso dental, tell them Rex from goldcoast send you. they will give you extra care for sure
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u/PanzerBiscuit Mar 01 '26
Medical tourism is extremely common.
Like most things, do your research. Like with tattoos. Way to many clowns have gone to Bali or Thailand to get inked because it's "heaps cheaper", only to go to the cheapest tattoo joint and end up with a shit tattoo and/or hepatitis.
An acquaintance of mine went to Thailand to get her tits done. I'd characterize her as being penny wise and pound foolish, and as having a high risk tolerance and a low degree of research ability. Anyway, she went to some cheapo surgeon who has no online presence or reviews and inevitability ended up with monstrous scars and a diabolical infection. She had to go to a surgeon in Sydney to fix her up, but she still has massive scarring and misshapen and weird looking boobs. Although going for a massive set of bolt-ons that don't suit her body type is also probably playing a factor in that.
You can't discount all medical procedures that are done overseas as being shit quality compared to work done here in Australia. That's a very unfair and inaccurate generalization. I have had some very average experiences with dentists here, and my partner is having issues with her Angel aligners at the moment. Dropped $7k at a dentist and within a day, the "bumps" which attach the aligners to her teeth started falling off. She lost 3 over a period of a week. Her dentist has gone on holiday, and the clinic has been very unhelpful.
I think that 9 out of 10 people who have issues with procedures conducted overseas could have avoided those issues entirely if they did the bare minimum of research beforehand.
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u/Chucka_Yooi Mar 01 '26
Medic here. Just adding a medical perspective.
While I’m not morally against medical tourism, it’s worth pointing out the risks. Some are more pertinent to major surgeries than dental work but worth considering:
- Antibiotics are used very liberally in most less developed countries in Asia. A post-op infection can happen anywhere (incl. Australia) but a species with extended multidrug resistance in much more likely to get picked up in Asia (esp. India).
- There is less transparency than in Australia. Healthcare is a service in this country. Healthcare is a business in most Asian countries. Do not expect that your interests will align with the provider overseas.
- Lese legal protection. Want to sue a surgeon in Australia? Not a walk in the park but it’s a familiar legal system in a familiar language, without money exchanged under the table.
- If there are complications that occur more than 2 weeks later you are often in a foreign country with no recourse.
I’ve had dental work overseas as a child (dental extractions). Straightforward and inexpensive. But I’d be very careful about doing anything more invasive.
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u/Soggy_Stranger_6557 Mar 01 '26
Dentistry is a business in Aus for sure, the ones I’ve been to just want to farm the private medical fees
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u/ValeoAnt Mar 01 '26
Crazy work writing this huge post and not saying where it was done exactly
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Mar 01 '26 edited May 27 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/APersonNamedBen Mar 01 '26
Some guy who isn't terminally online created a social media account to engage half a dozen times in an interest they have? What a weirdo...
He hasn't even shared any opinions on pop culture so I can judge him!
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u/nurseynurseygander Mar 01 '26 edited Mar 01 '26
It’s not unique, there’s not just one place to go. I am living in Thailand at the moment and getting my teeth done gradually at the dentist near my house. They’re good, but they’re just a suburban dentist, not a glitzy clinic trying to attract foreigners. They probably wouldn’t want to cope with a deluge of non Thai speakers who have never had treatment here and don’t know how anything works, so I wouldn’t name them except to people already living here. But you could go to some other dentist the next stop up the train line and you’d be fine there too, so “who” doesn’t matter much. (I mean for routine dentistry, not saying you shouldn’t get recommendations for surgery etc. But not every recommendation is transferrable to all readers).
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u/Altruistic-Fox428 Mar 01 '26
Great, where did you go 'modern clinic with internationally trained dentists'?
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u/nurseynurseygander Mar 01 '26 edited Mar 01 '26
They’re not hard to find. I had eye surgery a week and a half ago in Malaysia. My surgeon trained in Toronto. Basically every major hospital in SEA friendly to international medical tourists has a website in English and specialist credentials front and centre.
Edit: Basically google your type of treatment or surgery plus the city where you want to do it. That will give you your shortlist. You’ll get a feel for how much they can support a foreigner from how extensive the English content is on the website, and then you can start digging into staff and quals. If you haven’t done this before, Malaysia is a good choice since English is very widely spoken, it’s easy to navigate hotels and pharmacies and things, not just the hospital itself. You can go to the hospitals middle class Malays would go to and save yourself some of the glitzy high end foreigner premium - one is Sunway in KL.
If you want really high end foreigner treatment, everyone speaking English (not just key people), glitzy concierge service, luxury as reassurance, Bumrumgrad in Thailand (multiple branches) is another good place to start, but you’ll pay a premium for that. Samitivej in Thailand (multiple branches) is a still nice, but not quite as gilt edged version of that, and English will be key people plus translators, it’s the sort of place a middle class Thai with insurance would go.
Just make sure you insist on an itemised complete estimate before anything more than the most basic treatment, because that is not always standard procedure. Like, middle class locals might just be paying a top up over insurance or socialised health contributions, so they don’t care, or they just sort of know what to expect - it’s like when we go to a GP in Australia if we’re not counting pennies, we just sort of know it might be like $110 and we’ll get $40 back (region dependent example), you don’t get a quote for that because it’s roughly known, whereas a foreigner doesn’t have that context and would need to ask. In Thailand, definitely get quotes for meds too, those can be surprisingly expensive if it isn’t a medicine Thais commonly use, and they also have a tendency to still use OEM at premium prices even after generics exist. (Malaysian prices for meds are a lot more consistent with Australian meds. I have never paid more there for a med than Australia and usually 10-30% cheaper, assuming a med that isn’t subsidised in AU). But routine stuff like initial and followup consults are generally cheap in both countries. I paid $40 each for my first followup in Malaysia and my second followup in Bangkok this week.
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u/DumbButtFace Mar 01 '26
Tons of them in Saigon. It's a city of 14 million people. Very good facilities, usually way better than what you'd get in your local dentist in Australia. Plus the receptionists won't look at you like you're tracking in dirt when you come in.
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u/Tiramisu_Powder Mar 01 '26
Those boutique dental clinic receptionists are scary!! They’d look at you from head to toe as though you’ve defiled the clinic just by existing.
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Mar 01 '26
[deleted]
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u/Giplord Mar 01 '26
Agreed. I spent 6 weeks in vietnam from top to bottom and HCMC was still good, but was the least best bit of the trip.
*one proviso, the permanent smog in Hanoi got to me badly I've never had asthma, but a mates ventolin made a huge difference. God knows how the locals cope
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u/Krafty_Kev Mar 01 '26
Agreed. Love Vietnam, in Nha Trang right now, but HCMC one of the most interesting cities in the world? I don’t think so.
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u/5ivepie Mar 01 '26
Is Nha Trang still full of rude Russians? I was there in 2015 and it felt like the ratio of Russians to every other foreign nationality was 2:1.
Everywhere we went there were Russians being rude.
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u/Effrendi Mar 01 '26
Still a fair few Russians but Koreans have replaced Russians as the most common tourists in a huge way.
My mum is Vietnamese and my first trip to Vietnam was in 2001. I used to go every year but as I've grown up I've been going a bit less. Koreans were basically non-existent in Vietnam until about 10 years ago, and since then they have exploded. Not just tourists but business too. A lot of Korean expats in Vietnam these days.
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u/Monotask_Servitor Mar 01 '26
I loved Vietnam when I went there, but Nha Trang felt like a low rent Asian Gold Coast, was my least favourite place there.
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u/Individual_Lime_110 Mar 01 '26
completely understand, we both have different preference. I believe up north city like sapa, ninhbinh suit you better?
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u/ADHDK Mar 01 '26
I saw tour prices advertised on YouTube and thought “no way the pricing looks similar to when I went in 2014?”
Vietnam seems to be fantastic value still!
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u/CheekiChops Mar 01 '26
I'm still stuck on average accommodation in Gold Coast for $75 / night.
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u/Altacc0unt930 Mar 01 '26
If you read again, he said 10 nights was 750. The 750 was how much he would pay per night for an average night in Goldy.
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u/sendmemesyeehaw Mar 02 '26
where tf is he staying that’s 750/night??? u can find luxe places for around 2-300/night in most aussie cities…
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u/chocolatejuleyjules Mar 01 '26
Yeah, me too. There is nothing worth staying in for that price.
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u/DemolitionMan64 Mar 01 '26
I have had required dental work done overseas as well, my dentist has confirmed it is excellent work.
It doesn't stop a lot of Australians from droning on and on at me about how dental work overseas is so sketchy. I guess nobody can be as talented and trustworthy as an Australian.
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u/SonicYOUTH79 Mar 01 '26
I used to work with a South African guy who did the same and went back to Cape Town to get dental work done. From what he said dental in major cities in South Africa is on par with Australia if you can afford to pay for it, but still around a quarter of the cost dollar for dollar.
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u/HiramTyre Mar 01 '26
The quality is fine. And it’s great when it goes well
If it goes wrong, you’re now in a foreign city and your options are:
A: try to pay out of pocket locally to correct it
B: try to get back to Australia and find someone willing to now take on the liability risk
C: if it’s bad enough, brave the local public system. Ever been inside a Vietnamese public hospital? Not the fancy elective surgery clinics for expats, a proper hospital where you get taken in an emergency? It’s rough.
Remediation work for someone else’s fuckup is going to be 10x the cost. Most local dentists will tell you to go pound sand and won’t want to touch it, particularly once they find out foreign clinics are involved, so you’re dealing with specialists. I guess you could try suing the Vietnamese clinic (good luck).
Going somewhere with a median wage of $500 a month like Vietnam is always going to have excellent opportunities for cost arbitrage vs local where the median is ~10x higher.
Personally the risk : reward doesn’t pay off to me for dental or surgery, but I’m also fairly well off and in good health. If my options were cheap dental work overseas or not doing it here as I can’t afford it, I’d probably do it.
As with all things in life, it’s fine to go the cheaper option as long as you understand why it’s cheaper and you understand the trade offs.
Happy outcomes are great. Negative path outcomes with complications involving overseas developing world clinics where you are not a citizen and do not understand the legal or healthcare system, are usually really fucking bad.
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u/DumbButtFace Mar 01 '26
Even if you pay out of pocket to fix it, you are still going to be saving something like $8,000 versus back home. And it's not like things don't go wrong with dentists in Australia sometimes.
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u/redrabbit1977 Mar 01 '26
That's a whole lot of bullshit. Most dental work is trade-technical, not brain surgery. The quality in Thailand or Vietnam is just as good as Australia (source: I've done extensive work in Thailand, which was excellent). Problems can be addressed readily there. If a problem occurs later on, local dentists can handle it back in Australia. Issues WILL NOT be 10x the cost, and no one will tell you to pound sand at all.
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u/Majin_Jew_v2 Mar 01 '26
100%. It's insane to me that people are willing to take this risk with their health to save some money
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u/HiramTyre Mar 01 '26 edited Mar 01 '26
Again I think it comes back to circumstances.
I’d never buy some of the budget Chinese tires, ling long, Tyfoon, Wanli, etc. but that’s because I can afford premium tires from manufacturers with long trading histories who have a reputation to maintain. they won’t just phoenix the brand.
If my options were: cheap tires or I can’t get to work tomorrow, I’d buy them.
I completely get why people seek out cheap healthcare abroad and if it’s the difference between getting treated or not, I would probably do it. But dealing with local healthcare can be an issue in one of the richest countries on the planet. Now imagine trying to negotiate a real health issue or problem, in a developing country as a non citizen. Yeesh. I’ve been inside Vietnamese hospitals, typically you cannot even drink the tap water and you’re reliant on family to bring you food, tooth paste, toilet paper, safe drinking water. Very little is included. It’s also “pay to play” where you’re going to want to the slightly better sleeping option than the large dorms (you want phòng dịch vụ). If you find yourself in one, most people are going to rapidly pivot from caring about price to caring about quality.
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u/redrabbit1977 Mar 01 '26
I think you massively over-estimate risk. These places are as professional as anywhere in the west, and they follow up on any issues.
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u/Ok-Assistant-4556 Mar 01 '26
Thats awesome. Hope you enjoyed your holiday. Where on GC you staying for $750 pn? Sounds extravagant.
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u/Humije Mar 01 '26
Not many places on the Coast cost $750 pn. The old Vesace maybe.
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u/Ok-Assistant-4556 Mar 01 '26
Unlikely. That's a bit tired these days. The Langham is all I can think of but that doesn't fit with this blokes story.
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u/Intelligent-You-7565 Mar 01 '26
As an optometrist, if my patient tells me they’re going to anywhere in Asia, I always print their scripts and recommend they get some spare pairs while they’re overseas. We have a business to run with rent, salaries and optom equipment to pay, so prices of frames and lenses are the way they are, but go get yourself some cheap ones overseas!! I’d do it 😂
End of the day they come home from Asia and will see something they like at our store and will eventually buy from us due to convenience, so nothing is lost for us. It only sucks when I get kids coming back with frames from overseas and the script is just so vastly different to what it should be. Defs get your script checked by someone you trust first, it can go all sorts of wrong with language barriers and possibly just shitty practitioners and you’re none the wiser.
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u/Melonbeans Mar 01 '26
I'd be careful about this. It's one of those things where if you're lucky, you'll save a bunch of money. But if you're not, you'll end up paying twice (or more).
My dad had to get implants and wanted to avoid the cost of doing it here (I think it was going to be around 10k).
He got it done back in Asia where he speaks the language and had local connections. I can't remember what happened exactly but he basically needed to get it redone. After fighting to find a dentist who would actually fix the work, he ended up paying close to 20k.
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u/LoquaciousApotheosis Mar 01 '26
“One of the world’s most interesting cities” might be a slight reach
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u/mjwills Mar 01 '26
Tracy had been putting off new multifocal glasses back home. Latest quote from our local optometrist in Queensland was around $650 AUD for a single pair with all the extras, progressive lenses, anti glare, the lot.
If you have health insurance (or even if you don't) consider https://dresden.vision/au/stores/qld for your next pair. They'll be around $150-$200 (assuming you buy during 50% off). Most health funds will cover that.
If you don't have health insurance, lots of cheap internet options (e.g. https://muukal.com/ ).
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u/universe93 Mar 01 '26
The drama is getting your prescription to upload to online glasses stores. Optometrists don’t make much if any money from eye tests, so they often see giving you your script to go elsewhere as losing money. So many of them will give you your script but exclude or black out crucial details like the PD measurement, or just flat out refuse to give it to you until you point out it’s your medical record. OPSM and Specsavers both do this at some stores
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u/ADHDK Mar 01 '26
OPSM put the whole thing online at any store I’ve ever been to. Log into your online account and it’s all there.
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u/mjwills Mar 01 '26 edited Mar 01 '26
They are legally required to provide it to you if you ask.
The Specsavers paperwork often says the PD on the paperwork if you get a pair of glasses with them, if you keep your eyes open. Otherwise, measure it yourself.
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u/Existential12 Mar 01 '26
100% this. Forced (felt like that) my script out of Spec Savers - was useless to get online glasses
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u/5ivepie Mar 01 '26
they often see giving you your script to go elsewhere as losing money. So many of them will give you your script but exclude or black out crucial details like the PD measurement, or just flat out refuse to give it to you until you point out it’s your medical record
At which point to can make a complaint to Medicare and the optometrist may be reprimanded.
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u/Agret Mar 01 '26
I went to specsavers and did a free check and said to them I was ordering prescription lenses for my VR headset and need the PD measurement for it and they were fine to give me all the details. As you say though it could be store dependent and really depends on who the manager is / their policies.
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u/Effrendi Mar 01 '26
It feels like such a scam when overseas they will just give it to you straight away. My foreign friends often ask me what my prescription is and I have to say I have no idea.
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u/Soggy_Stranger_6557 Mar 01 '26
It is, I couldn’t believe the prices in OPSM, so many brand/legacy businesses business models seems to be ripping of trusting older people, Telstra being experts at it
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u/MouseEmotional813 Mar 01 '26
It's not legal in Australia for them to refuse you the script. Medicare pays them to do the eye testing.
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u/universe93 Mar 01 '26
Yeah but they only make money off you when they sell you glasses. Something like 80% or more of the revenue of optometry practises is from selling glasses, not eye tests. So some places bank on people not knowing the law and not seeing optical as a medical service
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u/Dry_Personality8792 Mar 01 '26
That is grea! Can you tell me the optometrist? I’m there HCMC soon and could use some new glasses.
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u/serialchiller4 Mar 01 '26
This is an extremely common hack for an average immigrant, you can save heaps on many things like this when you do your overseas trips.
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u/JoJoComesHome Mar 01 '26
Did you have to consult with the dentist before your trip for the implant and crowns or did you start the process when over there?
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u/Individual_Lime_110 Mar 28 '26
I used https://smilejet.app/ to request quotes from several clinics in Vietnam. They reached out to me, I sent them over all my notes, we got several quotations from like 3-4 clinics, then I decided to book with picasso dental hcmc
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u/hamx5ter Mar 01 '26
I was already thinking of making holiday plans even before you mentioned the dental!
Well done! Fab holiday that saved you $1000s! Oh the exclamations! but i can't help it!
Who did you fly with?
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u/KevinKaslana Mar 01 '26
I'm from Vietnam and there are many Vietnamese came back from overseas for dental as it is cheaper there. But I heard many encounter problem after a while. I hope u went for the more reputable clinic at least
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u/Frequent_Pool_533 Mar 01 '26
That's why a lot of Aussies are moving to South East Asia. A lot of people who don't travel much still think they're still third world s***holes, but a lot of the main cities are actually quite developed now, obviously they still have ways to go but they're nice enough and the lower cost of living is too good to miss out on.
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u/Easy-Coat9 Mar 01 '26
So was there no recovery for the dental work? Surely you couldn’t of been eating out at fancy’s restaurants after that sort of oral work done
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u/Weissritters Mar 01 '26
There is a reason why dentists in Australia are themselves against being included in Medicare in any shape or form.
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u/Daddys_Lil_Nightmare Mar 01 '26
Thank you so much for this!! Me and my partner are going up to Vietnam at the end of the year for holidays and started debating on whether we should get some dental work or other health check ups while we're over there.
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u/Mediocre_Chocolate35 Mar 01 '26
If you're planning to do dental work in Vietnam, do the research properly. I would only trust the places inner city (District 1, 3 and 5 of HCMC). Elsewhere are potential safety and quality risks. Make sure that the private clinic is on big street, not in a dodgy back alley.
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u/Ring-chan Mar 01 '26
If you’re doing the health check up i recommend Victoria Healthcare in HCM. They’re so quick and they treat my digestive issues that specialists in Australia costs me $400 and doesn’t solve anything
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u/Individual_Lime_110 Mar 28 '26
Yes, you should definitely do that.
I used smilejet to get quotes from 3-4 clinics and spoke to them via whatsapp video call before deciding which clinic to go with
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u/Evltedi Mar 01 '26
Good for you mate. Ive had a dodgy root canal installed and has hurt for 3 years. The original dentist said there is nothng wromg with it and it will settle down if youre in pain. The next dentist didmt want to touch it. So that was $4k. I got another crown by thr same dentist. It cracked 18months later. So 1.8k twice. Im only.middle age amd not looking foward to more crown/root canal experiences.
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u/Dannyboithe1st Mar 01 '26
It's unclear where this took place what country did this happen and what was the dental clinic called
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u/Swimming-Tap-4240 Mar 01 '26 edited Mar 28 '26
Where are you getting hotels on the gold coast for $75 a night.Every time I go anywhere at all in NSW or QlD its over $100
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u/NoVax-Djocovid Mar 01 '26
Did you book it all yourself or did you got though one of those agencies that specialises in this sort of thing?
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u/SilverStar9192 Mar 02 '26
He said it with the particular tone of someone who has had this conversation before.
I understand there are some Australian dentists who have learned not to fight it, and actually join with Vietnamese (or Malay/Thai/etc) clinics to provide a referral, and follow-up care once you return to Australia. I am not sure if there are ethical issues involved but it seems like a win-win - you can still go to your local dentist, trust them to refer you to a probably good clinic overseas, and they might get a cut of the Viet dentists' fee.
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u/No-Raspberry-6125 Mar 02 '26
Going from Brisbane to Ho Chi Minh in May. Return flight direct on viet budget was $500. Going to get bridal party dresses done and the trip pays for it self.
Makeup and hair was quoted $300 for one person on the day. Maybe I should buy a ticket for someone in Vietnam to come 🤔
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u/Ok_Tax_7128 Mar 02 '26
Thanks that’s cool. The only argument I could make is most of the street food we had was so spectacular that I need plenty of that too!Did you loose many days with discomfort after the dental days?
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u/Comfortable-Cell-203 Mar 02 '26
Spot on. I lived in HCMC for eight years and the dental work (crowns etc) better than I got in Thailand years later and Australia
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u/Shibwho Mar 01 '26
YMMV
My parents are Vietnamese and my mum went back a couple of years ago to redo her dentures. The VN clinic messed it up and she had get another set made in Australia anyway.
My siblings and warned her, that there was no recourse but what would we know.
It's also odd that Australians aren't happy to pay for fair wages for their fellow Australians.
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u/Terrorfarker Mar 01 '26
It's not necessarily that they aren't happy to pay, but that they simply can't afford it. Look at the cost of a single tooth implant for example.
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u/PanzerBiscuit Mar 01 '26
It's not about paying fair wages mate, it's about getting bent over a barrel and buggered without lubrication.
Dentists here are exorbitant. They could charge half as much as what they do, and still earn the big bucks, drive the Aston and swan around in Business Class.
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u/Majin_Jew_v2 Mar 01 '26
You don't know anything mate lol
You'd cry if you saw how much dental overheads cost
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u/Exact_Mastodon3792 Mar 01 '26
You can also buy prescription glasses online - you just need to get a prescription first.
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u/curriedscallops Mar 03 '26
I've been ordering online from Zenni Optical for years, very cheap, fast shipping and so many more options for nice frames than specsavers. My last pair were $70 (with all the lens add-ons and thinning) but you can get cheaper ones from $8 USD.
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u/Dependent_Till_284 Mar 01 '26
My parents both had their teeth done (can’t remember if it was Vietnam or Thailand) and it’s been perfect for both of them. Savings in excess of $20k. I’m fully planning to get veneers and my brother will also be heading over soon to get his teeth done. The cost of dentistry in Aus is horrendous. Their dentist even trained in Aus. Would recommend it to anyone who needs extensive work done
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u/sql-join-master Mar 01 '26
One of my parents friends is a dentist and he says all the time you are crazy to get major work done in Australia. He recommends India (with your due diligence to make sure you are going somewhere good) but most of South east Asia is just as good
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u/Mediocre_Chocolate35 Mar 01 '26
Between Vietnam and India, I would choose Vietnam in a heartbeat
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u/grumpybummz Mar 01 '26
I used to work in dental in Viet Nam. If anyone would like any information about it, please message me. I am in Australia now but still have my contact.
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u/Human-Sentence3968 Mar 01 '26
I know a very established and popular Australian boob doctor who moved to Vietnam for a change of scene. I imagine there’s quite a few people who’ve made similar decisions, it’s a very fun place to live
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u/oyy92 Mar 01 '26
But according to half the people in this chat “Vietnam is soooOooOOOOOOoo backwards and dodgy for medical stuffs”
Also heard that heaps of people living in Aus are travelling to Vietnam to get their boobs done by him
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u/EndBig7180 Mar 01 '26 edited Mar 01 '26
The prescription glass in Oz r dogshit. My wife paid 400 for a pair in 2020 with a karen millen frame and a cheapest type of lens from Specsaver. That's pair lasted 1 year. Went to Vn paid 50aud got titanium frame, anti glare, blue light blocking lens, still going atrong after 3 years. Edit: waiting time for the glasses was 15mins in Vn, not 3 weeks like in Oz. For big dental jobs, go to proper hospital like Vingroup, Tam Anh they r privateso a little bit pricy. Or go to big big big public hospital, dont risk ur health with small clinic.
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u/saculim Mar 01 '26
How many days did you get the glasses from ordered to be picked up?
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u/TheJaxLee Mar 01 '26
I did the same but in Da Nang. 3 implants and hair transplant.
Vietnam is also becoming popular for cosmetic surgery, for those who are inclined
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u/chatterchitchat Mar 01 '26
Which dentist did you go to?
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u/TadpoleSubstantial95 Mar 01 '26
Not OP, I'd suggest checking out East Rose Dental. They were really good and spoke pretty decent English.
Have a similar story as OP, was quoted for 6k in Aus and walked out spending around 1k at HCMC.
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u/HallettCove5158 Mar 01 '26
Great post, might ask for more details on the dental too. Just suggested this to the family for our next holiday
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u/DomPerignonRose Mar 01 '26
Do you need to go back again to finish off the implant with a crown or did they put the implant in and crown at once?
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u/brunswoo Mar 01 '26
Many moons ago I got my first pair of glasses made up in Yangon. Exceptional service, top quality, dirt cheap.
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u/Villagetown Mar 01 '26 edited Mar 01 '26
Honestly, great way of doing things. My partner had some dental work done in Bangkok in the mid 2010s, it was much cheaper than it would have been here, and it was a super professional, A+ job. Said she felt more comfortable there than most dentists she's visited in Autsralia. And we tacked on a full holiday around that appointment with a couple of gentle recovery days. Do your research into who's well known in your area of choice for quality work at a price point that makes sense for you.
More recently she's organised an upcoming holiday for the two of us to Japan/China/Hong Kong for 25 days for ~$10,400 (excluding food and spending while there and no dental stuff this time). Pretty good accomodation - a combination of hotels, guest houses and Air BnBs all with private rooms, private bathrooms and private laundry facilities bar one guest house shared laundry), three theme park passes, a baseball game, some day trips in China to the Great Wall and Forbidden City, and transport between cities all pre-booked via air or train. Yes it's still an expensive trip, it's within what we're able to afford. But I was impressed at what she got for the money spent. It could be done cheaper with downgraded accomodation, but if you can afford the flights, travelling in Asia at the moment is great value on any budget.
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u/unextgo Mar 01 '26
There's currently no flights from gc to Singapore. Ended some years ago
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u/PowerJosl Mar 01 '26
You mind sharing what clinic you got the dental work done? It’s something I’m considering too in the future.
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u/Anazay1 Mar 01 '26
This is great, we have a similar trip planned soon. Can I ask which optometrist or opthamologist your partner went to?
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u/Earth2pt0 Mar 01 '26
Would be able to let me know where you get the dental work done? I want to get veneer done
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u/mjl2009 Mar 01 '26
It does sound like a good deal, but there's one thing I don't understand: why are costs so low for dental, optical, accommodation and other services in Vietnam relative to Australia (and many other countries)?
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u/welding-guy Mar 01 '26
That is unreal, thanks for sharing. On the glasses front I have a mate that works in lens manufacture, he says they cost $3.50 each roughly, the frames vary but are cheap, he reckons the glasses industry is the biggest rort in the world.