Emergencies in Hanoi

Good to Know

• Vietnam does not have one universal emergency number like 911 — dial 113 for police, 114 for fire/rescue, or 115 for a medical emergency depending on the situation.
• Don't expect fluent English from emergency call operators in Hanoi; if possible, have a Vietnamese-speaking friend, hotel staff, or a translation app ready when calling.
• For non-critical situations, hotel reception staff can often get help faster than navigating the phone system yourself, since they can communicate directly with local services.
• Keep your embassy or consulate's contact number saved separately — they can assist with lost passports, legal issues, or serious incidents but are not an emergency dispatch service.
• The Grab app's in-app emergency button and live trip-sharing feature are a practical everyday safety tool, especially at night.
• Vietnam does not use a formal US-style Level I-IV trauma center rating system, so 'trauma capability' here is described qualitatively based on documented surgical/ICU/emergency capacity rather than an official designation.
• For serious trauma, major surgery, or complex cardiac events, Viet Duc University Hospital and Bach Mai Hospital (both public, Vietnamese-language-first) are the highest-capacity facilities in Hanoi, while private hospitals like Vinmec Times City and Hanoi French Hospital offer English-speaking staff and JCI-accredited care but may stabilize-and-transfer the most severe cases.
• Ambulances can be slow in Hanoi traffic; many expats and locals use a taxi or ride-hailing app to reach a private hospital directly for non-critical emergencies rather than waiting for an ambulance.
• Save the Vietnam national emergency ambulance number (115) as well as your chosen hospital's direct emergency line, since English-language phone support varies by facility.