Beauty Link wrote this Bali and Vietnam eyelid comparison in October 2026. We work only in Vietnam, so we are not neutral. The health and travel facts here come from government and medical bodies, and the details about Beauty Link come from its own team records. It has not been checked by a doctor and is not medical advice; anything about your own eyes belongs with your surgeon.
Sources: Smartraveller
What eyelid surgery involves, in either place
The NHS says blepharoplasty is cosmetic surgery that removes extra skin or fat from the eyelids. It changes the look of hooded or drooping upper lids and of bags under the eyes. Upper lids, lower lids or all four can be treated, per the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).
For upper eyelid surgery, the cut usually sits in the natural crease of the lid, so the scar is mostly hidden in that fold. The surgeon may remove skin, tighten muscle, and remove or move fat. Lower lid surgery uses one of two cuts: just under the lashes, or hidden inside the lid, which the ASPS says takes away no skin. The surgeon may shift or remove fat from the bags. Most patients leave hospital the same day, the NHS says.
Sources: NHS, American Society of Plastic Surgeons
Local or general anaesthesia
Upper lids usually need only a local anaesthetic, given as injections into the lid, according to healthdirect. Lower lids need sedation or a general anaesthetic.
The ASPS says your doctor will recommend the choice that fits you. Ask which option your surgeon suggests, and why.
Sources: healthdirect, American Society of Plastic Surgeons
Is it upper eyelid surgery you need?
Not every heavy lid is a skin problem. healthdirect says a drooping brow can make the upper lid look as if it sags. The ASPS says a droop called ptosis needs a different operation. Your surgeon will assess you before deciding if surgery suits you, and the NHS suggests talking to your GP at home first.
Sources: healthdirect, American Society of Plastic Surgeons, NHS
Bali and Vietnam side by side
Here is what Smartraveller's country pages said in October 2026.
| Bali (Indonesia) | Vietnam | |
|---|---|---|
| Advice level | A high degree of caution overall, for security reasons | Exercise normal safety precautions |
| Medical facilities | Lower than in Australia, including in Bali, and including critical care for very sick patients | Uneven, and mostly short of the Australian standard |
| Paying for care | Hospitals generally need proof of insurance and a deposit, and a family member or friend to agree in writing to pay. | You pay first, even in an emergency |
| Serious illness | Tourists pay for all care, even a hospital stay or evacuation, which can be very expensive | Evacuation to Singapore or Bangkok may be needed |
| Medicines | Some medicines may be illegal, even if an Australian doctor prescribed them | Some addictive and psychotropic medicines are controlled |
The advice level for Indonesia is about security, not surgery. The medical rows describe each health system in general, not any single private hospital.
Sources: Smartraveller
Eyelid surgery has risks, at home or abroad
The NHS says complications can happen after surgery at home or abroad. The ASPS, the NHS and healthdirect list risks of eyelid surgery that include:
- risks from the anaesthetic, bleeding and infection
- dry or irritated eyes, and trouble closing your eyes
- numbness or other changes in feeling, eyes that look uneven, or unwanted scars
- a lower lid that drops or rolls outwards
- blurred or double vision
- rarely, bleeding into the eye socket, and a very rare chance of losing sight
- needing another operation
Your surgeon should tell you how likely each of these is and how it would be treated, the NHS says, and it warns that follow up treatment may be missing at clinics abroad. Smartraveller says to be wary if an overseas hospital quotes much lower risks than you heard at home.
Sources: American Society of Plastic Surgeons, NHS, healthdirect, Smartraveller
Recovery, your stay and flying home
The ASPS says there can be swelling or bruising, and stitches are removed within one week. It says most people can be seen in public after 10 to 14 days, and final healing can take a few months. Per the NHS, the lid scars can stay visible, and tight, for a few months. Your own surgeon can tell you how your lids are likely to heal.
Eyelid surgery counts as a facial cosmetic procedure. For those, the NHS asks you to hold off flying for 7 to 10 days, since surgery and air travel each add to the risk of a dangerous clot. Your surgeon sets the actual date. Rest comes first, and in the NHS view a holiday straight after the operation is not realistic. That matters if you picture recovering by a pool in Bali or a beach in Vietnam.
So plan your stay around two answers from your surgeon: when your stitches come out, and when you can fly.
Sources: American Society of Plastic Surgeons, NHS
Questions to ask a hospital before eyelid surgery abroad
- Is the hospital accredited by the local authorities?
- Is my surgeon qualified and accredited, and where can I check that?
- How many operations like mine has my surgeon done?
- Will I be awake, sedated or asleep?
- On which day do the stitches come out, and on which day may I fly?
- Where will my check ups be after I fly home, and what if I need more surgery?
- What indemnity and malpractice insurance do the surgeon and the hospital hold?
The NHS says to have two consultations with your surgeon before surgery, and to avoid meetings only with sales people. For travel insurance, Smartraveller says basic cover rarely reaches medical tourism, so choose a policy that includes complications and evacuation.
Sources: Smartraveller, NHS, American Society of Plastic Surgeons
If you pick Vietnam for your eyelids
We are a free concierge, not eye surgeons. Our partner hospitals in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City all hold Ministry of Health licenses and registration, and they, not you, pay our fee.
After a match, you chat with the hospital on WhatsApp, and your advisor joins to translate. The hospital explains the options for your lids, then sends its written plan and an itemised quote. There is airport pickup in Vietnam. During recovery and after you fly home, your advisor checks in, and you are cared for by the hospital team. Andrew Lam, Co-founder, runs Beauty Link.
Keep reading about Vietnam: our blepharoplasty in Vietnam guide, the page on double eyelid surgery in Vietnam, and how to vet a Vietnam plastic surgery hospital.
Sources: Beauty Link team records
Questions
This page does not give prices for Bali or for Vietnam. Ask each hospital for a written quote that lists what is included. The NHS says to also allow for consultations, further surgery or follow up care that may be needed.
The sources on this page do not rank one country above another. Weigh the eyelid surgeon, the hospital and the follow up plan in front of you, more than the flag.
Smartraveller says the standard of medical facilities in Indonesia, including Bali, is lower than in Australia. Lid surgery has risks in any country, so vet the Bali hospital and surgeon closely. Our Vietnam safety guide is whether plastic surgery in Vietnam is safe.
None of the sources on this page gives a regret rate. The NHS notes that now and then, people feel the result missed what they hoped for and want a second operation. The ASPS says good results are expected but cannot be promised.
Not straight away. The NHS general guide is 7 to 10 days after face surgery, because of clot risk, and your surgeon may change that.
No. Beauty Link works in Vietnam only, in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.
Sources: NHS, Smartraveller, American Society of Plastic Surgeons, healthdirect, Beauty Link team records