Where to get an eye test
Two types of place give eye tests in Vietnam. Hospitals run eye departments, and optical shops test sight to sell glasses. This guide looks at the first type, because hospitals publish what their departments do.
Hanoi French Hospital says its ophthalmology department gives outpatient, inpatient and emergency eye care. The range runs from routine eye exams to glaucoma care and cataract surgery. FV Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City says its eye department gives eye care for all ages and is on the ground floor of its V Building.
Both hospitals list English language pages. That helps if you are new here and do not yet read Vietnamese.
Sources: Hanoi French Hospital, Ophthalmology department page (archived 15 July 2025); FV Hospital, Ophthalmology & Refractive Surgery (archived 8 August 2025).
What an eye test covers
A basic sight test answers one question: how clearly do you see? The doctor or optometrist asks you to read letters near and far away. FV Hospital says its optometrists check visual acuity and look for defects in vision, signs of injury and other eye problems.
Hanoi French Hospital lists the same kind of work. Its optometric eye exams include colour vision checks, and it has separate checks for children and for older adults. It also assesses people who ask about refractive surgery and gives advice on contact lenses.
A fuller check is called a dilated eye exam. The US National Eye Institute says it adds a side vision test, an eye muscle test, a pupil test and a pressure test. The doctor then puts drops in your eyes to widen the pupils and look inside. The institute says the exam is painless and can find eye disease early, since many eye diseases have no warning signs.
Sources: FV Hospital, Ophthalmology & Refractive Surgery (archived 8 August 2025); Hanoi French Hospital, Ophthalmology department page (archived 15 July 2025); US National Eye Institute, Get a Dilated Eye Exam (archived 25 May 2025).
How a glasses prescription comes out
If your sight is blurred because of how your eye focuses, the doctor can write a prescription for glasses or contact lenses. The US National Eye Institute describes it this way: when the doctor finds a focusing problem, you may get a prescription for glasses or contact lenses.
FV Hospital adds that some eye conditions in children and adults, such as a squint, can be treated with prescribed glasses, and others need surgery. So the same visit may end with a prescription, a follow-up plan, or both.
Ask the clinic for a copy of your prescription before you leave. A copy lets you compare shops, or have a second shop make a spare pair. It also gives your home doctor a record if you move again.
Sources: US National Eye Institute, Get a Dilated Eye Exam (archived 25 May 2025); FV Hospital, Ophthalmology & Refractive Surgery (archived 8 August 2025).
Tests for children and contact lens wearers
Parents can look at the hospital pages first. Hanoi French Hospital lists eye assessments for children, strabismus checks and myopia control. It names three tools for myopia control: orthokeratology lenses, daily contact lenses and atropine drops.
FV Hospital says its eye team treats a range of eye disorders in children, and that it can screen babies born early. Ask the department which age groups it sees before you book.
Contact lens wearers should say so when booking. Hanoi French Hospital lists contact lens services in its eye department, so ask what the visit includes.
Sources: Hanoi French Hospital, Ophthalmology department page (archived 15 July 2025); FV Hospital, Ophthalmology & Refractive Surgery (archived 8 August 2025).
What to bring to your eye test
Bring the glasses or contact lenses you wear now, and your old prescription if you have one. If you take medicine or have a long term condition, bring a short written list. Doctors use it to read your results in context.
Bring sunglasses too. The US National Eye Institute says a dilated exam can leave your sight blurry and your eyes sensitive to light for a few hours. It also advises having someone drive you home. In Vietnam, that may mean booking a ride instead of riding a motorbike yourself.
Booking takes a short phone call or an online form. FV Hospital lists an appointment line, (84 28) 54 11 34 34, on its eye page. Hanoi French Hospital lists an emergency number for urgent eye problems, (84 24) 3574 1111, and says specialists are on call at all hours. Confirm both numbers on the hospital sites before you rely on them.
Sources: US National Eye Institute, Get a Dilated Eye Exam (archived 25 May 2025); FV Hospital, Ophthalmology & Refractive Surgery (archived 8 August 2025); Hanoi French Hospital, Ophthalmology department page (archived 15 July 2025).
A short checklist before you go
- Pick a hospital eye department near where you live, and check its English page.
- Ask whether the visit is a sight test only or a fuller eye exam.
- Ask about the price before you book, since the pages we read list none.
- Bring current glasses, an old prescription and sunglasses.
- Ask for a copy of any prescription.
This guide sets out what hospitals and public health agencies publish. It is not medical advice. A doctor can tell you which eye test suits you.
Sources: Hanoi French Hospital, Ophthalmology department page (archived 15 July 2025); FV Hospital, Ophthalmology & Refractive Surgery (archived 8 August 2025); US National Eye Institute, Get a Dilated Eye Exam (archived 25 May 2025).