VietNamNet Bridge – The incident which happened at the Maria Clinic in Hanoi on July 14 was the last straw, after a lot of violations at Chinese clinics had been detected. The biggest question is that why are these clinics not closed, although they have broken the rules time after time?

“Doctors” are freelances?


Maria Clinic, Hanoi.



Violations at Chinese clinics have been reported again and again in the last several years but state agencies are said to be powerless in controlling these clinics.

Mr. Nguyen Hoang Son, Vice head of the Ministry of Health’s Traditional Medical Department, said that to be granted with medical practice certificates in Vietnam, Chinese doctors have to show their diplomas and certificates which are translated into Vietnamese and notarized by relevant agencies.

Son said that Chinese doctors who are granted with medical practice certificates in Vietnam have traditional medicine bachelor degrees granted by Chinese medical universities. They participated in exams to be recognized as doctors.

But Mr. Nguyen Xuan Huong, Chairman of the Vietnam Oriental Medicine Association, who is a member of the Council for Assessing and Granting Medical Practice Certificates to Chinese Doctors, said that the recent procedures to manage Chinese doctors are very loose.

“It is okay for them to take copies of degrees and certificates to the Vietnamese Consulate in Guangxi for legalization. Our consulate is unable to verify their documents because they are copies,” Huong said.

He added that medical management agencies in Vietnam did not verify Chinese doctors’ records to know whether they are qualified to work as doctors in Vietnam or not.

“Good Chinese doctors never go to Vietnam to practice. In my knowledge, Chinese doctors in Vietnam are freelance workers, not medical experts. They come to Vietnam to work as hired workers for Vietnamese,” Huong said.

The senior doctor also suggested the Vietnamese consulate to combine with Chinese agencies to verify documents submitted by Chinese doctors and check their personal record.

“If their documents are true, they must be tested by Vietnamese doctors before they are granted medical practice certificates,” Huong said.

Health agencies cannot be outsiders

In September 2011, Hanoi health inspectors checked the Viet Hai Clinic on Giai Phong Road, Hanoi, which employed Chinese doctors and discovered a lot of violations, such as collecting fees higher than the listed prices, selling medicines without covers, prescriptions being written in Chinese, etc.

The Chinese Clinic at 62 Dai Co Viet, Hanoi was fined for advertising two unlicensed services and employing a Chinese doctor without a medical practice certificate.

Most recently, Maria Clinic at 65-67 Thai Thinh Street, Hanoi, was fined in late June 2012 for over charging patients, writing prescriptions in Chinese, selling medicines without clear origin, etc. However, on July 14, a woman was reported dead at this clinic.

In HCM City, a series of Chinese clinics were inspected in June and all of them were found to breaking the rules.

The death of a woman named Thu Phong at the Maria Clinic on July 14 was the final straw. It has fanned the flame of anger of patients about violations made by these clinics on online forums.

On July 17, the Hanoi Department of Health suddenly inspected a clinic at 59 Khuong Trung Street, Hanoi and detected some Chinese doctors were working here. This clinic registered only six doctors and 10 nurses, all Vietnamese.

After a patient died at the Maria Clinic, all Chinese clinics in Hanoi have operated perfunctorily. Some clinics have closed for several days.

Below are pictures of Chinese clinics in Hanoi after the incident at the Maria Clinic:


Maria clinic on Thai Thinh Road.

A Chinese clinic on Truong Chinh Road.


Another Chinese clinic on Tran Dien Road.

A Chinese clinic at 455 Giai Phong Road.

Another Chinese clinic on Giai Phong Road.




A clinic on Lang Ha Road.



N. Anh