In an effort to help families stay healthy in Viet Nam I recently posted about which vaccinations are recommended for Americans traveling to Viet Nam. Today I am going to touch on which medications you may wish to bring with you when you travel. I will admit that my husband and I got prescriptions for and brought along with us every medication that my agency suggested. We used one once or twice (a tube of antibiotic ointment,) and donated the rest to our agency. But I definitely think it’s better to be safe than sorry.

I remember being worried that our doctor would have a problem writing prescriptions for our baby who was still in Viet Nam and they would not be able to examine before writing them. My worries were unnecessary and we had no problem. After explaining our adoption plans and handing over the list from our agency, our doctor was happy to help us out and even researched the medications that he was not familiar with.

Here are some medications that you may wish to bring with you (for you and your child) to Viet Nam:

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  Tamiflu (adult and pediatric formulas)
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  Antibiotics (adult and pediatric formulas)
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  Over the Counter (OTC) diarrhea medication
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  OTC cough and cold medication
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  OTC pain reliever/fever reducer (adult and pediatric formulas)
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  OTC antihistamine (adult and pediatric formulas)
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  Scabies cream
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  Anti-fungal diaper rash cream
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  Antibiotic lotion
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  Anti Malarial drugs are only necessary if you are traveling to certain parts of Viet Nam. The malaria risk is only in rural areas excluding the Red River Delta and the coastal plain north of Nha Trang. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend the following medications:
  

  Only atovaquone/proguanil or doxycycline in the southern part of the country in the provinces of Tay Ninh, Song Be, Lam Dong, Ninh Thuan, Khanh Hoa, Dac Lac, Gia Lai, and Kon Tum. All other areas: atovaquone/proguanil, doxycycline or mefloquine

  
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Your agency will provide you with a thorough list, but these are things you can start considering. One of the best items that we brought was a bottle of baby saline spray. Ella had a hard time getting used to the air conditioning in the hotel (even though we kept it fairly warm,) and the saline really helped her stuffy nose.

Related Reading:
How to Stay Healthy in Viet Nam
Dengue Fever Warning in Hanoi