In 1945 there were 47 hospitals, 3,000 beds and one doctor for every 180,000 people. The estimated life expectancy was 34 years, After 1945, the government introduced programs to improve hygiene in every district. The most famous were:
 
THE 3 CLEANS: Clean food, clean water and clean habitation
And
THE 3 EXTERMINATIONS: Flies, mosquitos and rats
 
In 1989 the government legalized the private health sector. Doctors (paid a civil servant’s salary – aka – a pittance) could and did open small private clinics. Health sector reform is still in transition with limited financial resources.
 
One bonus of a highly controlled state is the delivery of information to the populous quickly. This is extremely useful for education about epidemics or diseases. There are also government sponsored TV shows explaining safe cooking practices and general health care (although we found no research as to how many people choose these programs over MTV) The general health has improved greatly since 1945.
 
The standard safety practices apply if you don’t want to spend a large part of your time in search of a toilet: boil it, peel it, wash it or forget it. Having said that, yours truly eats fresh, unboiled, unpeeled and perhaps unwashed food with absolutely no ill effects.
 
For more information about health concerns check these websites
 
www.who.int/countries/vnm/en
 
www.cdc.gov/travel/destinationVietnam