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Finding an english-speaking doctor in Ninh Binh: A Street Artist’s Mercury-Like Mess

@Maya Stone2/8/2026blog

so i was in ninh bình last week and i definitely needed a doctor and… here’s what happened. i’d had this weird stomach thing that made me wonder if i’d eaten something dodgy at that street food spot near the ancient temples. obviously i couldn’t wait for an appointment and i started asking people on the street. a old man in a conical hat said ‘go to the hospital in sinh non’ but didn’t speak english. then i met a fellow street artist who spilled his paints and we sketched together until i decided to google ‘english clinic nhan binh’ which led me to a place called dr. thai’s clinic. turns out they only speak vietnamese but their secrétary’s sister can translate sometimes. i explained my problem and she acted like i was the california mission’s poor cousin. charged 15 dollars for a pill that probably just cured my anxiety but that’s beside the point.

then i saw this neon ‘english clinic’ sign on my way to the market. tried calling. voicemail. sounded like a washing machine humming. finally got through and the guy was… let’s say enthusiastic about my Luxemburg accent. he said i needed to go to nhat din hospital. which is 30 minutes away. i asked if there were any other options and he blinked like i asked him to point a compass north. so i drove. the road was worse than a sketch map. trucks, chickens, and one very judgmental cow. nhat din hospital? it looked like a shrine. i asked for a doctor and they gave me a nurse who spoke english but only if i promised to buy her mocha latte after. she prescribed some generic stuff for 5 dollars and told me to ‘drink that like it’s 2003.’

[this is where i overheard some gossip] which is a big part of this story. one blockquote from a street food vendor: ‘if you need a real english doctor, don’t come here. come to duong dong instead-they’re like a clinic but for western souls.’ another from a tourist blog: ‘i fell in love with nhinh bình’s water but left in tears after trying to get a stitch for my toe. the english sign said ‘we help you, but you have to speak like you’re apologizing for existing.’’ and someone else claimed: ‘dr. lottery’s clinic is great but you have to bribe the nurse with nha ran cookies.’ coffee snobs in the area tell me the coffee is terrible so i’m taking that as a yes.

so here’s the data dump because i know you’re curious but i’ll say it like i’m yelling at a canvas:
- *rent: 20-30 usd/month for a tiny apartment near the river. outside that? 50+ and you’re basically a rich landlord.
- safety: low crime but watch your bags. muggings? rare. if you’re in trouble, nhat din hospital is… functional.
- job market*: hard to find english-speaking medical work unless you’re a doctor with a side hustle as a street painter.

weather? right now it’s that sponge-like humidity where your skin feels like it’s made of wet tissue. my neighbor from ha noi said if you step in a puddle, you’re ‘trapped in a sauna with a ghost.’ short drive/flight away? if you leave nhinh bình, you’ll hit ha noi in maybe 45 minutes. that’s where all the real english hospitals are. also, Sua Niagara is a 2-hour drive but it has a lake and no doctors. unless you count the one on the tea farm.

someone warned me about nhat din hospital’s parking situation. if you’re a tourist, you might get lost in their maze of prescription pads and vending machines that only sell instant noodles. another thing: the english clinic i found had a sign that said ‘we don’t diagnose mental illnesses’ but they prescribed me calming tea. effective? maybe.

[i knew i needed more context] so i did what any street artist would do: i walked to the local market and asked everyone. a guy selling sticky rice cakes said: ‘if you need english, go to ha noi. here, we only speak vietnamese and regret.’ another: ‘dr. lottery’s clinic is okay but they charge more if you ask in english.’ and this one: ‘if you’re a woman, avoid the clinic near the pagoda. my aunt said they have… issues with consent.’ i’m not sure if that’s true or if my aunt’s a time traveler.

so what’s the takeaway? if you need an english-speaking doctor in nhinh bâ, you either need to be fluent in vietnamese, fluent in bribes, or willing to take the 30-minute drive to nhat din. alternatively, learn their phrases like ‘thank you’ and ‘do you have english?’ because those might get you 50% of the way there.

[i’ll also include some links because i’m desperate] if you’re gonna go to nhat din, check tripadvisor tripadvisor.com/nhatdinhospital for reviews. yelp might have yelp.com/nhanb-inch clinic but it’s basically a hole in the wall. and if you want raw, unfiltered advice? hit reddit r/nhinhbinh and someone will tell you the secret to nhinh bâ’s medical system: it’s 70% prayer and 30% sketchy pharmacies.

[last thing] the clinic i went to had a wall full of paintings. not medical art. just a bunch of colorful stuff that looked like a toddler’s failed parade. i thought it was weird. the nurse laughed and said it was their ‘hope.’ maybe that’s the nhinh bâ way. hope in a can of sweet tea and a pill that might not work. but hey, at least it was cheaper than my last doctor visit in france where i got charged in euros and then had to explain i only had vietnam dong.

at the end of the day, finding an english-speaking doctor in nhinh bâ is like finding a street artist who draws in a boardroom. possible? sure. likely? nope. but you’ll get a story. and stories are what matters when you’re surviving on 15 dollar pills and sweaty hip-hop music.

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About the author: Maya Stone

Writing is my way of listening.

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