Conditions for foreign-invested specialist clinics (dental, dermatology...)

A specialist clinic is the most common entry point for foreign investors into Vietnam’s healthcare market, because the capital and operating scale are far lighter than a hospital. It is also the format examined most closely on professional grounds: each specialty, from dentistry to dermatology, carries its own requirements for the professional in charge, the approved scope of techniques and the matching equipment.

Two layers of conditions: market access and the operating licence

The first layer is market access under Vietnam’s WTO health services commitments: foreign providers may establish a wholly foreign-owned specialist treatment facility, a joint venture or a business cooperation arrangement, with minimum investment capital of USD 200,000 for a specialist facility. That figure is far below the USD 2 million for a polyclinic and USD 20 million for a hospital, and it is recorded from the investment registration stage under Law on Investment 143/2025/QH15.

The second layer is the operating licence for medical examination and treatment under Law 15/2023/QH15 and Decree 96/2023/ND-CP: the facility needs fixed premises meeting area, radiation safety and infection control requirements that vary by specialty, a named person in charge of professional and technical matters, and practitioners holding valid practice licences. For a private specialist clinic the operating licence is issued by the provincial health authority.

The core difference from a general clinic

A specialist clinic may only perform techniques within the single registered specialty, while a general clinic houses several specialties in one facility at a larger staffing and capital scale. In practice its approved technique list is narrower but deeper: a dental clinic may perform approved dental techniques, yet adding dermatology services or a stand-alone laboratory means extending the registration and meeting the additional specialty’s conditions.

The professional in charge of a specialist clinic must practise in that very specialty, meet the required practice duration and work full-time at the facility. This point is often underestimated: an experienced general practitioner cannot lend their name to head a dermatology clinic, and name-lending is prohibited conduct that can lead to revocation of the operating licence.

Equipment and the approved technique list

Equipment is assessed against the technique list the clinic applies to have approved, not against a generic checklist: a dental clinic needs dental chairs, dental X-ray systems and instrument sterilisation capacity, while a dermatology clinic using lasers must also meet safety conditions and have operators with appropriate training certificates. Regulated medical devices must hold a valid circulation number or import licence before being put into use.

Investors should build the technique list in phases: phase one registers only techniques fully staffed and equipped at appraisal time, with later phases added as hiring completes. This reduces the risk of the file being returned for claiming techniques beyond actual capacity, and avoids advertising services that have not been approved, an offence penalised separately in the health and advertising regimes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the conditions for opening a foreign-invested specialist clinic?

Two layers apply: on investment, the WTO commitment sets minimum capital of USD 200,000 for a specialist treatment facility and the project needs an investment registration certificate; on professional conditions, the facility must meet the operating licence requirements of Law 15/2023/QH15 and Decree 96/2023/ND-CP, covering premises, specialty-specific equipment, a professional in charge from the same specialty and practitioners with valid practice licences.

How does it differ from a general clinic?

The main difference is scope and scale: a specialist clinic performs techniques of one registered specialty with a WTO minimum capital of USD 200,000, while a general clinic organises several specialties in one facility with a USD 2 million minimum. The professional in charge of a specialist clinic is also more tightly bound, because they must practise in the clinic’s own specialty.

What practice certificates must specialist doctors hold?

Practitioners at a specialist clinic must hold a medical practice licence under the 2023 Law on Medical Examination and Treatment, with the practice scope recorded in the correct specialty; the person in charge of professional and technical matters must additionally meet practice-duration conditions in that specialty and work full-time at the facility. Foreign doctors must also satisfy language conditions for practising in Vietnam, through an interpreter arrangement or certified Vietnamese proficiency.

Are there special equipment requirements?

Yes. Equipment requirements follow the technique list the clinic seeks approval for in each specialty, such as dental X-ray and sterilisation for dentistry, or laser safety conditions for dermatology. Devices must hold a valid circulation number or import documentation, and the clinic may only advertise and perform techniques for which matching equipment and staff were in place at appraisal.

Bottom line for investors

A foreign-invested specialist clinic is far more feasible than a hospital on capital, but no easier on professional substance: the operating licence is granted only when staff, equipment and the technique list align within a single specialty. Investors should lock in the professional lead before signing a premises lease.