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Guide · Insurance

Hospital Invoice Vietnam: Paying and Claiming Costs

Hospital invoice Vietnam rules mean the hospital should issue an e-invoice for your bill, and you should ask for it, plus an itemised expense list, before you leave. Insurers often want both for a claim. This checklist shows what the invoice contains and what to collect at the desk.

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What the rules say about invoices

Vietnam moved from paper bills to electronic invoices. Decree 123/2020/ND-CP set the rules, and the Ministry of Finance issued Circular 78/2021/TT-BTC on 17 September 2021 to explain how to apply them. Both took effect on 1 July 2022, and from that date e-invoices became the standard way for sellers to bill. Decree 70/2025/ND-CP, signed on 20 March 2025, changed parts of Decree 123 from 1 June 2025, so the rules below use the amended text.

For you, this means a hospital or clinic that charges you for care should issue an invoice for the service. Under Article 9 of the decree, as amended, the invoice time for a service is when the service is finished, even if you have not paid yet. If you pay before or during the service, the invoice time is the time of each payment.

Sources: Expertis, Decree 123/2020/ND-CP on invoices and documents (English text); Mazars Vietnam, Tax alert on Circular 78/2021/TT-BTC (17 September 2021); Vietnam Briefing, Vietnam's E-invoice Implementation: Prepare for July 2022; Government of Vietnam, Decree 70/2025/ND-CP (20 March 2025), English translation; Vietnam Briefing, Invoice Compliance in Vietnam: Key Changes under Decree 70 (10 April 2025).

What a proper e-invoice shows

Article 10 of the decree, as amended, lists the content. The list includes the invoice name, symbol and form number, a running invoice number, the seller's name, address and tax ID, and the buyer's details. It also shows what was sold with units, quantity and price, the amount before VAT, the VAT rate and amount, and the total to pay, plus the issue date.

The buyer line matters for foreigners. The decree says a buyer without a tax ID gets an invoice without one. For a foreigner in Vietnam, the buyer details and address can be replaced by details from a passport or travel document, plus nationality. If you give a tax ID or personal ID number, the seller must write it on the invoice. So give the cashier your full name exactly as it appears on your policy, and ask them to check the spelling before the invoice is issued.

An invoice is a tax document. It is usually short. It shows totals, not a full list of every drug and test. That is why a second paper matters, which the next section explains.

Sources: Expertis, Decree 123/2020/ND-CP on invoices and documents (English text); Government of Vietnam, Decree 70/2025/ND-CP (20 March 2025), English translation.

The checklist: what to ask for before you leave

Treat the cashier desk as the last chance to fix gaps. Ask for these items, and check each one before you walk out.

  1. The invoice. Ask for the e-invoice, or the paper invoice if the hospital still issues one. Check that your name, the date and the total are right.
  2. A detailed expense statement. This lists each test, drug and procedure with its price. Many insurers ask for it alongside the invoice.
  3. Payment proof. Keep the card slip, bank transfer note or cash receipt. It links the payment to the invoice.
  4. Medical papers. Ask for the prescription, the visit or discharge summary, and test results. Ask whether they can be given in English.
  5. Your claim form. Many insurers want their own form completed. Download it before the visit if you can.

Sources: MSIG Vietnam, Claim guidelines: claim reimbursement (version dated 28 February 2025).

Paying first and claiming later

Whether you pay at the desk or the insurer pays the hospital directly depends on your policy, so check your insurer's rules before a planned visit. If you pay yourself, you then claim the money back, which is why the papers matter.

Insurers set their own rules, and they vary by policy. As one example, MSIG Vietnam's claim guidelines say a reimbursement file includes its claim form, medical documents, and payment documents, for example a valid financial invoice plus an itemized statement of expenses. The same guidelines say a claim is processed within a maximum of 15 days from the date a complete and valid file is received, and that this can vary by contract.

Your own policy wording is the final word. Read the claims section, list the documents it names, and match that list to what you collect at the desk.

Sources: MSIG Vietnam, Claim guidelines: claim reimbursement (version dated 28 February 2025).

Common problems and how to fix them

The most common problem is a wrong name or detail on the invoice. Whether the hospital can correct it depends on its billing office. For an insurance claim, a mismatch can slow things down, so ask for a corrected document and keep both.

A second problem is missing detail. If the hospital gave you only a total, go back to billing and ask for the itemised statement. A third is language. Some insurers ask for documents in English or Vietnamese, so ask the hospital for a copy in a language your insurer accepts, and keep your own translation notes in case of questions.

Finally, keep everything together. Scan each paper on the day of the visit, name the files with the date and hospital, and send the full set to your insurer in one go. Our guides on health insurance in Vietnam and medical records in Vietnam cover related steps.

Sources: Expertis, Decree 123/2020/ND-CP on invoices and documents (English text); MSIG Vietnam, Claim guidelines: claim reimbursement (version dated 28 February 2025).

This guide sets out what public rules and insurer guidelines say. It is not legal or tax advice. Check your own policy and ask your insurer or the hospital billing office about your case.

Sources

Figures checked against these sources. Our method.