When will we no longer have to wait until midnight for medical appointments?

If she had an ultrasound appointment in the afternoon, she would go to an outside clinic for the ultrasound and then bring the results back. Despite carefully planning her time, there were times she had to rent a hotel room to sleep in and continue her appointment the next morning.

When the conversation ended, she closed her eyes to rest instead of looking for a place to lie down for fear of losing her waiting spot. She didn't eat anything in the morning because the hospital was going to conduct a blood test, and she was worried it might affect the results.

She honestly admitted, "I went up to the third floor to get a blood test, and I almost fainted by the time I got there. Around 10 a.m., I couldn't take it anymore, so I went out for a long walk to find a restaurant. After eating, I hurried back to the hospital to wait for my appointment."

Around 3 a.m., holding a thick, yellow medical record book with a diagnosis of hypothyroidism, Mrs. Tran Thi Mai (60 years old, from Cao Lanh, Dong Thap) said that after her follow-up appointment here, she would quickly go to Binh Dan Hospital for a bowel check-up, and might have to stay overnight for a colonoscopy the next day. "If I don't have time for the check-up, I've brought some pajamas. If I can sleep outdoors, I will," she said.

Ms. Mai chose to have her check-up during office hours rather than at a private clinic, saving about 150,000 dong. "Otherwise, I wouldn't have that much money to spend at home. I'm illiterate, so nobody would ask me for anything," she confided.

Having said that, she prepared a plastic bag containing two boxes of still-warm rice cooked at home the night before, with about two spoonfuls of dried fish and tightly packed rice on top. Her daughter gave her 1 million dong a month, and she was so thrifty, it was heartbreaking to see!

"Touts" loitered around, promising early examinations.

As soon as we stopped at the gate of Cho Ray Hospital to buy a bottle of mineral water, the vendor enthusiastically said to us: "Going for a check-up? Waiting for a number takes a long time. I have a contact who can get one for you; it only costs 200,000 dong."

Then, a man in his 50s approached, handed over a business card, and introduced himself as Thuy, asking what she needed to see a doctor for. He said she just needed to provide her ID card for a photo, and that she could call him at 6 a.m. to get a short appointment number.

If you want a number to go in immediately, it's 300,000 dong, "no waiting, you'll be the first in." A little later, this person said to give your ID card so you can get a number and they'll give it back to you, no need to pay right away.

When we asked if we were sure we'd get a number early, he said, "Of course. You want a number from 1 to 10, right? We have them," and urged us to hand over our ID cards. "Give them quickly, I'm leaving soon, I won't be here to help anymore," but in fact, half an hour later, we still saw this person parked his motorbike in front of the hospital gate.

At the gate of the Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital, it was late at night, but when she saw us, a middle-aged woman who introduced herself as Lan approached. She asked: "What are you here for? Let me send you in, it's number something. You'll be taken to the examination room at exactly 5:15. If you're sending someone in, please bring your ID card, fill in your full name, age, and address on this information sheet, and then I'll give you a number to assign to your appointment."

Seeing that the "victim" was still hesitant, the person concluded: "If you want to be examined before the others, you have to send your documents. You can get the results early in the morning. You only pay me after the examination; I'm not trying to trick you." The person added that if desired, they would "take you for an ultrasound in the morning, which would cost extra."

The woman quoted prices of 250,000 dong for the smaller numbers and 350,000 dong for the even smaller ones. After a while, seeing that the other party hadn't responded, a man who knew Lan approached, his face contorted with frustration at not having closed the deal.

Inside the hospital, loudspeakers were broadcasting warnings that people should go to the counters for guidance and not listen to anyone outside.

At Binh Dan Hospital, some patients waiting for examination also reported seeing touts loitering around offering their services. According to one patient, the touts quoted a price of 300,000 VND.

Going to the doctor at midnight.

At midnight, or even earlier, many people were already bustling to major hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City to prepare for their medical examinations. They tried to queue up to get a number before sunrise, but still looked disheartened when they saw many people who had arrived before them.