A border hospital built around the patient journey
Yunnan health authorities have highlighted Hekou’s cross-border medical model as a provincial healthcare-reform case. The county created an international diagnosis and treatment cooperation framework and developed a detailed service list covering appointments, reception, examination, treatment, discharge and follow-up.
Language support is central, not optional
For a Vietnamese patient crossing the border for medical care, language can be as important as clinical quality. Hekou’s public medical services have invested in Vietnamese-speaking staff and translators, including support throughout the care process.
Emergency patients can use a cross-border green channel
Hekou has also developed cross-border emergency coordination. Local reporting describes a green-channel mechanism designed to shorten delays for urgent patients arriving from Vietnam.
County government data says that in 2025 Hekou received more than 11,000 Vietnamese patient visits, showing that cross-border healthcare there is already an operating service rather than a theoretical project.
Traditional Chinese Medicine is part of the attraction
Acupuncture, massage, moxibustion and other TCM or rehabilitation services have become part of Hekou’s cross-border offering.
Source: Yunnan Provincial Health Commission and Hekou County government reporting.