Travel Vaccines for Southeast Asia — What You Actually Need

Southeast Asia gets written off as "easy" travelling. And in a lot of ways it is — English is widely spoken, transport is cheap, food is extraordinary, and the infrastructure in tourist areas is genuinely good. But "easy to get around" and "no health risks" are not the same thing. People confuse them all the time.

Here's what you actually need to think about, broken down by destination.

The universals — every Southeast Asia trip

Wherever you're going in the region, Hepatitis A and Typhoid are the baseline. Both spread through contaminated food and water. Both are vaccine-preventable. And both are genuinely present across the region — not just in rural areas, but in cities too. Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi — Hepatitis A doesn't care how nice the restaurant looks.

Rabies is also worth considering for any trip with meaningful outdoor or rural exposure. The region has a significant rabies burden, particularly in Indonesia, the Philippines, and parts of Vietnam. Temple visits where monkeys are present — Monkey Forest in Bali, various sites in Thailand — are a specific risk that people consistently underestimate. A monkey bite is not a minor incident.

Thailand

Thailand is one of the most visited countries in Southeast Asia and also one of the most vaccine-intensive, which surprises people who think of it as a developed tourist destination. Hepatitis A, Typhoid, Rabies — those three are the core. For longer stays or anyone heading north towards Chiang Rai or into rural areas, Japanese Encephalitis is worth discussing. No malaria risk in the main tourist areas — Bangkok, Phuket, Koh Samui, Chiang Mai — but it exists in some border regions near Myanmar and Cambodia.

Vietnam

Similar profile to Thailand. Hepatitis A and Typhoid essential. Rabies relevant — dog bites while cycling around Hội An or Hanoi's Old Quarter happen more than people think. The food is brilliant but carries real risk; being vaccinated and being careful aren't mutually exclusive. No malaria in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, but it's present in some rural and highland areas if you're doing anything off the standard tourist trail.

Indonesia (including Bali)

Bali gets treated like a beach holiday destination, which it is, but it's also an island where rabies is endemic. The monkey temples are the obvious risk — Uluwatu, Sacred Monkey Forest in Ubud — but stray dogs are everywhere and bites happen. Indonesia also has significant Hepatitis B presence, so if you haven't had that vaccine and you're staying for any length of time, it's worth adding.

No malaria in Bali or Java's tourist areas. Very much present in Papua and the eastern islands if you're heading there.

Cambodia

Angkor Wat — obviously — is the draw, and it's perfectly safe to visit. But Cambodia's wider health infrastructure is limited, and the country has genuine disease burdens that Thailand and Vietnam's tourist areas largely don't. Hepatitis A, Typhoid, Rabies — yes to all three. Dengue is present and an urban risk, not just rural. Japanese Encephalitis worth considering for any extended rural travel.

A note on dengue

There's no widely available dengue vaccine for travellers (there is one but it's only recommended for people who've previously had dengue, which is a specific situation). So for dengue, the prevention is behavioural — mosquito repellent, covering up at dawn and dusk, being aware that dengue mosquitoes bite during the day unlike malaria mosquitoes. Worth knowing. Not something a travel clinic can fully solve with a jab.

The actual answer

For a standard Southeast Asia trip — Thailand, Vietnam, Bali — the core vaccines are Hepatitis A, Typhoid, and Rabies pre-exposure if you have time. That's it. You don't need to go overboard. But you do need to go to a travel clinic rather than just Googling it, because your specific itinerary matters, and a clinician can look at where you're actually going and what you're actually doing and give you a real answer rather than a generic one.

Check vaccine requirements for specific Southeast Asian destinations on WhichVax →