University student ELLA SAMSON shares her story of finding insulin at short notice in Vietnam, along with some sage advice for fellow travellers.
Last year I travelled to Vietnam with my boyfriend and some friends. This was my first time travelling overseas without my parents, but I have been with them before so knew what to expect. I probably find airports the most stressful part – Perth Airport is great as they understand diabetes and know that I can’t go through the older scanners; they have a new one that I can go through and gave me an information sheet to read explaining why it was OK.
We started off in Ho Chi Minh in the south before travelling up to Hoi An and then Hanoi. We had no issues, as I was well prepared with my insulin and all my equipment, along with a letter from my GP explaining my type 1 diabetes. I carry everything with me in my carry-on luggage, including my transmitter, which the airport staff know can’t go through the scanner.
I’m pretty good at looking after my insulin and always keep it with me in my backpack. My Frio pack keeps my insulin cold for up to 30 hours, so if I have a travel day, I’ll take it with me, just in case we end up staying out for longer.
Towards the end of the trip, we had planned a two-night cruise around Ha Long Bay. I knew my insulin would not stay cold for 50 hours, so I asked the crew to store it in the fridge in its pack with my name on it. I’d just changed my pump before we got on the boat, so I knew I’d be fine for the journey, and they were happy to help.
The most important thing, though, is to be prepared. I always have everything on me, plus extras.
As we were preparing to disembark, I asked for my insulin back, but when they handed it to me, I could see that it was literally coated in ice. When I opened it up, every bottle was frozen solid. After some quick internet research, I learned that even if I did manage to defrost it, it would no longer be effective. We had another night in Hanoi, and around 44 hours left of the trip in total, so I knew that as soon as we got off the boat, I needed to get hold of more insulin.
I called my mum back in Perth on WhatsApp and together we started looking for places that might be able to help. Mum found a medical centre geared towards tourists in Hanoi that was only twenty minutes away by taxi, so we headed there. As a precaution, I’d had a Vietnamese friend translate my GP letter outlining my health needs into Vietnamese for me, but fortunately all the staff spoke English.
The doctor saw me within five minutes. He gave me two options, Novorapid disposable pens or another insulin that I hadn’t used before, which could go into my pump. However, my mum, who was doing research for me back in Australia, said it wasn’t an option as it was a completely different insulin. Luckily, though, I realised I could inject the Novorapid pens directly into my pump. The doctor gave me a script and I picked up the insulin at the chemist attached to the centre. It cost me around $50USD for five pens.
All in all, it worked out fine, but I did make me more aware of what I need to research in advance when planning a holiday. I’m going to South Korea this year and I’ll locate medical centres for tourists and investigate where I can get insulin in the larger centres. I know Novorapid is pretty widely available, but I’ll research what other insulins are available overseas and where I can find them if I travel for longer and need to access local brands.
One small issue I had in Vietnam was with the humidity, which made glucose monitoring harder. I had to find some adhesive tape to keep the patches on, and I also worked out that spraying on deodorant first made the adhesive work better.
The most important thing, though, is to be prepared. I always have everything on me, plus extras. And I always travel with people I trust, so I know that if anything happens, they will be able to help me.
Ella’s tips for travel
- Carry a GP letter outlining your medication and equipment needs to show to airport staff, if necessary. To be extra prepared, have it translated into the language of the places you’re travelling to.
- I keep everything on me in my carry-on luggage, and I travel with a Frio pack that keeps my insulin cold for up to 30 hours. If you’re going out for the day, always take it with you in case plans change.
- Research medical centres for tourists in advance, just in case you need to visit a doctor.
