Penang Medical Tourism Health Talk and Exhibition opened in HCM City on Saturday with the participation of six leading general hospitals and health organisations from Penang and many Vietnamese businesses.

The two-day event featured many professional talks on cardiovascular and urologic diseases, rectum cancer and other topics.

Dr. Mary Ann Harris, chairperson of the Penang Centre of Medical Tourism, who led the delegation to Viet Nam, said Maylasia is currently ranked among the world’s top health tourism destinations thanks to its affordable, high quality medical treatment.

According to the Malaysian Health Travel Council, about 60 per cent of all medical tourists coming to Malaysia go to Penang.

Penang is also named the second top destination to visit in 2017 by CNN, she said.

Bui Thi Thanh An, deputy director of the Viet Nam Trade Promotion Agency, said in recent years, tourism service combined with medical treatment is a new developing trend in the Asian tourism industry.

The event will help Vietnamese businesses to understand more about Penang’s medical tourism sector as well as boost co-operation between the two sides in the sector. — VNS