We only arrange care in Vietnam, so we have a stake in the answer. That is why the health and travel points come from governments and medical bodies. Only the facts about us come from our own records. It is general reading rather than medical advice, so take nose questions to your surgeon.
Sources: Smartraveller
What a nose job involves, in either country
People often call rhinoplasty a nose job. Per the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), people consider it for humps on the bridge, a bulbous or drooping tip, or wide nostrils. It can also correct breathing trouble that comes from the nose's structure. healthdirect describes a related procedure that opens nasal passages blocked by a bent septum.
There are two approaches, the ASPS says. A closed rhinoplasty keeps every cut inside the nose. An open one adds a small cut across the columella, the bridge of tissue between your nostrils. The surgeon may remove bone or cartilage, or add cartilage grafts. healthdirect says nose jobs are usually done under a general anaesthetic. It also says there may be a limit to how much the shape of your nose can change.
Sources: American Society of Plastic Surgeons, healthdirect
Bangkok and Vietnam at a glance
This summary comes from Smartraveller's Thailand and Vietnam pages, read in October 2026.
| Thailand | Vietnam | |
|---|---|---|
| Travel rating | High caution overall, for security and safety | Normal precautions |
| Hospitals | Uneven. Large city private hospitals rate highly, and their doctors mostly speak English. | Uneven, mostly under the Australian standard. Public hospitals are mostly poor, more so beyond the two main cities. |
| Payment | A deposit, insurance proof and a valid visa are needed before admission, or cash up front. | Pay before you are treated, emergencies included. |
| Serious illness | Big city hospitals, Bangkok included, can treat serious illness and injury. | Evacuation, to Singapore or to Bangkok, may be needed. |
| Medicines | Travellers have been arrested for carrying medicine, even medicine an Australian doctor prescribed. | Some addictive and psychotropic medicines are controlled. Carry medicine in its original packaging. |
Note that Thailand's rating reflects security and safety risks, not surgery. The health rows describe whole systems, not a particular private hospital.
Sources: Smartraveller
What Smartraveller says about cosmetic surgery in Thailand
Cosmetic surgery tourism is common in Thailand, according to Smartraveller. Discount and uncertified operators may keep poor standards, it says, and serious complications can follow. Some Thai hospitals and clinics have also turned down compensation claims from patients who were harmed or unhappy with how their surgery turned out.
Its general advice, to learn your legal rights in any destination, applies in Vietnam too.
Smartraveller also says Bangkok's air pollution can reach hazardous levels and can make sinus conditions worse. Ask your surgeon whether that matters for your recovery.
Sources: Smartraveller
Nose surgery risks do not change with the country
The ASPS and healthdirect list risks of rhinoplasty that include:
- risks from the anaesthetic
- infection, which may need antibiotics or more surgery
- heavy nosebleeds
- numbness, or difficulty breathing
- a reduced sense of smell, or very rarely, losing it
- poor healing, or unusually thick scars
- dark skin under your eyes
- a hole in the septum, which the ASPS says is rare
- a shape you did not want, which may lead to another operation
Travel adds its own layer. healthdirect asks you to weigh whether an overseas surgeon has the same training as one in Australia. Do theatres meet the same standards? Will you get the same aftercare? And follow up care may simply not exist at a clinic abroad, the NHS warns.
Sources: American Society of Plastic Surgeons, healthdirect, NHS
Recovery, your stay and flying home
healthdirect says a splint is put on the outside of your nose to hold its shape. The splint and bandages are generally removed after about one week. It says to avoid blowing your nose for at least 7 days, and rubbing it for at least 8 weeks.
Early swelling goes down in a few weeks, says the ASPS. But your final nose shape can take up to a year to refine, and swelling may come and go along the way.
Nose surgery is facial cosmetic surgery. For that, the NHS suggests 7 to 10 days before you fly, since an operation and a flight both make clots more likely.
Planning a holiday right after the operation is unrealistic, says the NHS, as it can raise the risk of things going wrong. These times are general guides, not a plan for you. Ask your surgeon which times apply to your nose job.
Sources: healthdirect, American Society of Plastic Surgeons, NHS
Questions to ask a hospital before a nose job abroad
The questions are the same in Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi.
- Which local authority accredits this hospital?
- Where can I verify my plastic surgeon's qualifications and accreditation?
- How many noses like mine has the surgeon operated on?
- Which technique, open or closed, do you suggest for me?
- What are the risks for someone with my health and at my stage of life?
- On what day does the splint come off, and on what day may I fly?
- After I am home, who checks my nose, and what happens if I need a revision?
- What indemnity and malpractice cover do the surgeon and hospital carry?
- What are my options if I am not happy with how my nose looks?
The NHS says to be cautious of websites selling cosmetic surgery as part of a holiday package. It suggests two consultations with your surgeon, not meetings with sales people only. If a hospital overseas suggests much lower risks, Smartraveller says to be wary.
Sources: American Society of Plastic Surgeons, healthdirect, NHS, Smartraveller
Our role if your nose job is in Vietnam
Beauty Link is a concierge that helps international patients find the right licensed cosmetic hospital in Vietnam. For rhinoplasty in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, every hospital we use holds a Ministry of Health licence and sits on its register. You never pay us; the hospital pays Beauty Link.
Each hospital sends you a personal plan for your nose, and its quote lists what the price covers. Your advisor stays in the group with the hospital team to help with communication and translation. We arrange airport pickup in Vietnam, the hospital team cares for you, and your advisor checks in during recovery and after you fly home. Our Co-founder, Andrew Lam, leads Beauty Link.
More on the Vietnam side: the rhinoplasty in Vietnam guide, choosing a Vietnam plastic surgery hospital, and plastic surgery in Thailand vs Vietnam.
Sources: Beauty Link team records
Questions
No source here crowns either one. Your nose depends on the particular surgeon, hospital and aftercare you are offered.
Smartraveller says private hospitals in major Thai cities have high standards of care, and warns against discount and uncertified providers. Every nose job carries some risk, in any country, so look hard at the Bangkok hospital and surgeon in front of you.
The NHS gives a general guide of 7 to 10 days after facial cosmetic surgery, because of clot risk. Your surgeon confirms the right wait for you.
Usually not unless you buy the right cover. Smartraveller notes that Medicare does not cover you abroad, and that ordinary travel insurance seldom covers medical tourism. It recommends specialised cover with complications and evacuation.
No. Bangkok is outside our area; we only cover Vietnam. See is plastic surgery in Vietnam safe for that side.
Sources: Smartraveller, NHS, American Society of Plastic Surgeons, healthdirect, Beauty Link team records