This page compares fees, climate, eligibility, living cost, and current university options for Indian students considering MBBS in these two countries.

By Bharat Vasireddy

Updated 27 Mar 2026

Compare key details

Metric	China	Vietnam
Annual fee range	Check fee details	$1,190 - $20,800
Teaching medium	English	English, English / Vietnamese, Vietnamese
Main intake months	September, September 2026	October, September
Climate	China has very different climates by region. Beijing has cold, dry winters, hot summers and four distinct seasons; applicants should check the local climate, air-quality information and housing arrangements for the specific university city.	Tropical and humid with regional variation
Living cost estimate	Check city-wise living cost	$228 – $460/month
Admission cycle	Check official details	Check official details

China

Eligibility and admission

China offers a broad higher-education system spanning engineering, computing, business, sciences, architecture, public policy and the humanities. International applicants should compare programme language, nationality rules, entrance routes, fees, scholarship conditions and student-visa requirements institution by institution.

Admission process

Vietnam

Eligibility and admission

For Indian students, the key check is not just admission in Vietnam but whether the full course remains usable for the India-return pathway under current NMC rules.

Passed Class 12 with Physics, Chemistry, and Biology with a minimum 50% aggregate in PCB
Qualified NEET-UG before joining a foreign medical course if you want the India-return pathway to remain open
Age 17 or above by the relevant admission year cut-off
Valid passport and school documents in the format requested by the university

Admission process

We assess your profile and shortlist Vietnamese universities based on official regulatory verification, NMC guideline compliance, clinical training hospital quality, and 6-year budget. Vietnam's universities vary significantly — we only present institutions with a documented track record for Indian students. We prepare your complete application documents: Class 10 and 12 marksheets with apostille, NEET scorecard, passport copy, photographs, and medical fitness certificate. Where the university requires Vietnamese translation of academic records, we arrange this as part of the process.

Which option may suit whom?

China

Vietnam

Published annual fees in the current list start from $1,190.
Passed Class 12 with Physics, Chemistry, and Biology with a minimum 50% aggregate in PCB
Plan the India-return route first by checking current NMC requirements and the applicable licensing exam pathway after graduation

China

Universities to check

Students consider China for its large research universities, extensive technical and scientific training, growing English-taught graduate provision and government scholarship routes. The practical trade-off is that many undergraduate and postgraduate programmes are Chinese-medium or bilingual, while English-taught options have their own eligibility, language and deadline rules.