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is it the same as here - you can have it all, pretty much or more strict.

less on offer or prescription needed ?

Viagra is definitely not freely available there, I read.

is it the same as here - you can have it all, pretty much or more strict.

Unless things have changed, you should find the situation at the chemist's to be quite similar to that in Cambodia, at least regarding the usual run-of-the-mill pharmaceuticals.

Viagra is definitely not freely available there, I read.

No idea about this.

I was there recently on a trip and found val was easy to get OTC.

As a Cambodian, i felt that it is really normal to go the pharmacy and get some medicine without prescription from doctor, when we are sick until i discussed about it with my foreign friend. Then i realised that what i was normally doing when i got sick was completely wrong. It is funny when we just tell them our symptoms then they give us medicine without proper checking up.

the prescription thing is only a money-making machine. nothing else.

and what you think, the average doctor in the west does do?
sitting behind his big desk and filling out the prescription.
no proper check-up.

potty wrote:the prescription thing is only a money-making machine. nothing else.

and what you think, the average doctor in the west does do?
sitting behind his big desk and filling out the prescription.
no proper check-up.

Clearly, you never met my medical providers. Some of the most skilled and dedicated professionals I've ever met.

Meanwhile, back on topic...

It should be noted that the statement above regarding pharmacies in Việt Nam applies to Sài Gòn/HCMC.

If travelling to other parts of the country, your experience may vary.

Here's an example of why seeing a Dr. is important and just Web MD isn't enough...

About a year ago I started getting sick. I'd been in Cambodia for about a year or so, and just come back from the provinces... my symptoms were a high fever, diarrhea, nasty headaches, the shakes, joint pain.

Me, the General, and pretty much everyone figured it was Dengue. Makes sense right? Never had it before, was out in the provinces, symptoms all match up. Treatment for Dengue is to just ride it out while staying hydrated and trying to keep the fever down.

I went ahead and got checked out by a Dr. anyway... just to be on the safe side. And I'm glad I did... he did blood work and discovered I had typhoid fever, which if you try to "ride out" without antibiotics causes you to hemorrhage and die.

Symptoms were identical, no way to be sure without blood work, but treatment options are polar opposites with death resulting from a misdiagnosis.