Planning a Dental Holiday Around Picasso Dental Clinic

The best dental holidays are the ones where the dentistry feels like part of the trip rather than the whole point of it. You came to Vietnam to see something — the lakes of Hanoi, the beaches of Da Nang, the highlands above Da Lat — and the treatment slots neatly into the gaps. Picasso Dental makes that kind of trip unusually easy to plan, because it runs six branches across four cities, so you can choose where to base yourself first and book treatment where you are already going to be. This guide walks through how to pick a branch-city, how to sequence appointments against sightseeing and recovery, how long common treatments take, and why implants usually mean two trips rather than one.

If you are weighing up the broader idea, our guide on combining a Vietnam holiday with dental treatment sets out the case, and one table-tennis player's journey from the table to the dentist's chair shows how a trip like this plays out in practice, and the overview of Picasso Dental for international patients covers the clinic's history, clinicians and pricing. Here we focus on the itinerary itself.

How do you choose a branch-city for the holiday you want?

The first decision is not really a dental one — it is a holiday one. Picasso has six branches across Hanoi, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Lat, and each city gives a different flavour of trip. Pick the city for the holiday you want, then book treatment at the branch nearby. Our guide to the best cities in Vietnam for dental care goes deeper, but here is the quick version.

Hanoi — culture, lakes and the Old Quarter

Hanoi is where Picasso began in 2013 and where its flagship sits today, at 16 Phố Châu Long, Trúc Bạch, Ba Đình, on the leafy edge of the Old Quarter beside Trúc Bạch Lake and a short stroll from West Lake. This is the choice for culture-first travellers: street food, museums, the lakes, and one of Asia's most atmospheric old towns, all within walking distance of the clinic. There is a second Hanoi branch at Westlake Square (LKC22 Hoàng Minh Thảo, Bắc Từ Liêm) if you prefer the quieter, more residential West Lake side. Hanoi branches open Monday to Sunday, 8:30 AM to 6:00 PM, so you can fit appointments around sightseeing seven days a week.

Ho Chi Minh City — energy and the Thảo Điền expat district

If you want the buzz of Vietnam's largest city, base yourself in Ho Chi Minh City. Picasso's branch is at 25B Nguyễn Duy Hiệu, Thảo Điền, Quận 2 — the heart of the District 2 expat district, with its international cafés, riverside restaurants and large foreign-resident community. This is a natural fit for expats already living in the south, for long-stay visitors, or for anyone who wants an English-friendly neighbourhood as a base while treatment is underway.

Da Nang — beaches, Hoi An and an easy airport

Da Nang is the obvious pick for a beach-and-treatment holiday. The central branch at 420 Hoàng Diệu, Hải Châu is close to the Han River and the road to My Khe Beach, while a second branch sits on Floor 2 of Vinmec International Hospital — a partnership with Vinmec International Hospital that puts more involved surgery inside a full hospital setting. Da Nang's airport is unusually central, the beaches are long and flat, and the UNESCO-listed old town of Hoi An is a short drive south — ideal for the gentler, low-effort sightseeing that suits recovery days.

Da Lat — cool highlands away from the heat

For something different, Da Lat sits in the cool central highlands, a welcome change from coastal heat and humidity. Picasso's branch here operates at Link General Hospital, 55 Đường Hà Huy Tập, Xuân Hương, another hospital partnership. The mild climate, pine forests, lakes and flower gardens make Da Lat a restful base — particularly appealing if you are recovering from surgical work and want calm rather than crowds.

How should you sequence treatment against sightseeing?

The golden rule of a dental holiday is simple: front-load the dentistry. Book your first appointment for day one or two of the trip. That early visit lets your Picasso dentist examine you, confirm the plan, take any scans or impressions, and — crucially — get lab work moving while you go off exploring. The back half of the trip then holds the fitting appointment, plus a buffer for anything that needs an extra visit, and time to recover before you fly home.

Leaving treatment until the final days is the classic mistake. If a crown needs an adjustment or an extraction needs a check, you want days in hand, not hours. Treat the first appointment as the anchor of your itinerary and build the sightseeing around it. For a worked example, see our Picasso Dental day-by-day itinerary, which lays out a realistic week. When you book flights, also factor in the seasons — our guide to the best time to visit Vietnam for dental work and weather helps you avoid the wettest, hottest windows.

How long do common treatments take?

Most routine dentistry fits comfortably inside a single one-to-two-week holiday. As a rough planning guide, based on Picasso's service catalogue:

• Check-up and clean: a single visit. A consultation is 200,000 VND (roughly US$8 / A$12), with scaling and polish from 300,000–600,000 VND. Children's exams are free.
• Fillings: usually one visit. Composite fillings run 400,000–700,000 VND, with cosmetic work up to 3,000,000 VND.
• Whitening: one in-office session of around 60–90 minutes. In-office laser whitening is 3,500,000 VND for one jaw, or 6,000,000 VND for a full-mouth Zoom! treatment, with results lasting roughly 12–24 months with maintenance.
• Crowns and veneers: typically two visits — preparation, then fitting — with a few days between for the lab. Crowns run from 5,000,000 VND per unit for PFM-titanium up to premium materials like Lava and ORODENT; veneers start around 9,000,000 VND per unit for Emax Press. Leave at least several days between the two appointments.

Because the lab needs time, the days between your preparation and fitting appointments are exactly when you go sightseeing — they are built-in holiday days, not wasted ones. All prices are approximate, are quoted per unit or per tooth where relevant, and exchange rates fluctuate, so confirm a written quote with the clinic.

Why do implants usually mean two trips?

Implants follow a different rhythm from crowns and veneers, and it is worth understanding before you plan. A dental implant is a titanium fixture placed in the jawbone, and it needs time to fuse with the bone — typically around three to six months — before it can carry a permanent crown. That biological healing cannot be rushed, which is why most implant patients use a two-trip model:

1. Trip one: the implant is surgically placed. This can be combined with a holiday, but keep the days right after surgery quiet — rest, soft food and gentle activity rather than a packed itinerary.
2. Healing at home: you fly home and let the implant integrate over the following months.
3. Trip two: a shorter return visit when Picasso fits the final crown or bridge.

A single implant combination (fixture, abutment and crown) at Picasso starts around 25,000,000 VND (roughly US$980 / A$1,490) for an Osstem system, rising for premium brands such as Nobel Biocare and Straumann. Picasso's implant work is led by Dr. Tran Thanh Phong, Head of Implantology, who has placed implants since 2001 and more than 15,000 in total — useful reassurance when you are planning two trips around a surgical procedure. Some full-arch cases use immediate-loading techniques that change this timeline, so always confirm the exact sequence for your own case. Planning two trips also means thinking about where you stay each time; our guide on where to stay near dental clinics in Vietnam helps with both visits.

How does the multi-city network add flexibility?

Most overseas clinics tie you to one address. Picasso's six branches across four cities open up options that a single-location clinic cannot. Picasso's clinical standards are set group-wide by Founding Clinical Director Dr. Emily Nguyen, which is what makes coordination between branches possible in the first place.

The real advantage of a multi-city dental network is not just choice of city — it is the freedom to let your treatment travel with you.

In practice, that flexibility shows up in a few ways. You can pick the branch-city that suits your holiday, then change your mind about where to base yourself without changing clinics. You can route a longer Vietnam trip through more than one Picasso city. And, where it is clinically suitable and your treating dentist agrees, you may be able to begin treatment in one branch-city and continue at another as you travel — handy for anyone planning to see several parts of the country. Two of the six branches are hospital partnerships — Vinmec in Da Nang and Link General in Da Lat — which adds reassurance for more involved surgical work. To make sense of how to physically reach each one, keep our guide to getting to Picasso Dental open alongside this itinerary.

Putting your itinerary together

A workable plan comes together in four steps. First, choose your branch-city for the holiday you want — culture in Hanoi, beaches in Da Nang, city energy in Ho Chi Minh City, or cool highlands in Da Lat. Second, send your situation to Picasso ahead of time so they can tell you how many appointments you need and how long apart they fall. Third, front-load the first appointment to day one or two and build sightseeing into the lab-wait gaps. Fourth, if implants are involved, plan two trips and keep the post-surgery days gentle. Do that, and the dentistry becomes a quiet thread running through a genuinely good holiday rather than the thing you endured to get cheaper teeth.

Picasso has served more than 70,000 patients from over 62 countries since 2013, in English and Vietnamese, so you are not the first traveller to plan a trip this way — and the team can help you shape the timeline. You can see the clinic's own pages at picassodental.vn.

Contact and booking

When you are ready to plan your dates, reach out before booking flights so Picasso can estimate appointments and gaps for your specific treatment:

• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: +84 989 067 888 or 024 7308 8848
• WhatsApp: +84 989 067 888 (wa.me/84989067888)
• Languages: English and Vietnamese
• Payments: Visa/Mastercard (POS), Vietnam bank transfer, or cash in VND
• Hanoi hours: Monday–Sunday, 8:30 AM–6:00 PM (confirm hours for other branches when booking)

Related reading: Combining a Vietnam holiday with dental treatment · Picasso Dental day-by-day itinerary · Best cities in Vietnam for dental care · Best time to visit Vietnam for dental work and weather · Where to stay near dental clinics in Vietnam

This article is general information for travellers and is not medical advice. Treatment timelines, suitability and prices vary by individual case; confirm a personalised plan and written quote with Picasso Dental before booking travel. Prices are approximate and exchange rates fluctuate.

Frequently asked questions

How long should my dental holiday in Vietnam be?

It depends on the treatment. For a check-up, scaling, fillings or whitening, a long weekend can be enough. For crowns or veneers, plan around 7–14 days so there is time between the preparation appointment and the fitting for the dental lab to make your restorations. Implants are different: the placement and the final crown are usually months apart, so most implant patients plan two separate trips rather than one long stay. The safest approach is to send Picasso your situation in advance by email at [email protected] so they can estimate the number of appointments and the gaps between them before you book flights.

Which Picasso branch-city should I build my holiday around?

Match the city to the trip you want. Hanoi suits culture-first travellers — the Old Quarter flagship is steps from the lakes, museums and street food, with the quieter Westlake branch as an alternative. Da Nang pairs treatment with beaches and easy day trips to Hoi An. Ho Chi Minh City, with the Thảo Điền branch in the District 2 expat district, suits long-stay visitors and expats. Da Lat offers cool highland weather away from the coastal heat. All branches are reachable by email at [email protected] or WhatsApp on +84 989 067 888, so you can ask which fits your dates and treatment.

Should I do treatment at the start or end of my trip?

Start it. Booking your first appointment for day one or two lets the dentist confirm the plan, take any scans or impressions, and get lab work underway early. That leaves the rest of the holiday for sightseeing and, importantly, for the fitting appointment and any recovery. If you leave treatment until the final days and something needs an extra visit, you may run out of time before your flight home. Front-loading is the single most useful piece of dental-holiday planning.

Can I sightsee straight after dental work?

For light work — a clean, a filling, whitening or having crowns prepared — most people feel fine to carry on with gentle sightseeing the same day, though you may have some sensitivity. After surgical procedures such as extractions, implant placement, bone grafting or sinus augmentation, give yourself a quieter day or two: rest, soft food, no strenuous activity and no alcohol while you heal. Plan beach lounging or a calm city day rather than a long hike or a packed itinerary immediately afterwards.

How does the two-trip implant model work?

On the first trip, the implant fixture is surgically placed in the jaw. The implant then needs time to fuse with the bone — typically around three to six months — before it can carry a permanent crown. So you travel home, let it heal, and return for a second, shorter trip when Picasso fits the final crown or bridge. Some full-arch cases use immediate-loading techniques that differ from this pattern, so confirm the exact timeline for your case with the clinic. Budget two sets of flights and two holidays rather than one long stay.

Can I start treatment in one Picasso city and finish in another?

Often, yes — that is one advantage of a multi-city network. Because Picasso runs six branches across four cities under shared clinical standards set group-wide, it may be possible, where clinically suitable, to begin in one branch-city and continue at another as you travel. This is not right for every procedure, and your treating dentist has to agree it makes sense for your case, but for travellers moving through Vietnam it adds useful flexibility. Raise it early so your records and plan can be coordinated between branches.