Jason Harrigan, 57, an Australian tourist, attracted international attention after undergoing a full facelift in Vietnam at one-tenth the cost in Australia.

For 20 years, Jason felt self-conscious about his appearance, avoiding family photos. In august, after watching a Vietnamese doctor's "before/after surgery" video, he decided to fly to Ho Chi Minh City for the procedure. The total cost for a full facelift, forehead lift, and upper and lower eyelid surgery in Vietnam was approximately 4,000 USD, nearly one-tenth the cost in Australia, which was around 37,000 USD.

The surgery lasted 7 hours. Just one day after the procedure, despite his face still being swollen, bruised, and heavily bandaged, doctors filmed Harrigan for promotional videos. Clips titled "Jason from Australia thanks the doctor" quickly went viral. Within a few weeks, the total views for videos featuring Jason reached 79 million.

Jason before and after surgery (holding phone). *Daily Mail*

Subsequently, numerous other doctors and clinics in Vietnam also posted his images and videos, labeling him "our patient."

According to Jason, four doctors were responsible for different areas of his face during the surgery, all belonging to one facility. He stated that other videos using his image to promote services were false.

After over three months of recovery, Harrigan was satisfied with the results. His iPhone's facial recognition feature no longer recognized him.

"I used to be very shy, but now I'm ready to take photos with my family anytime. My life has truly changed", he said. Jason became a phenomenon in his home country after the surgery in Vietnam. While at the supermarket checkout, many customers approached him, asking if he was the famous Jason.

Medical tourism, with cosmetic procedures accounting for a significant portion, is becoming a strong growth driver. Medical tourists often travel internationally for treatment, beauty enhancements, combined with leisure and extended stays. According to a Grand View Research report, this market was valued at approximately 31.09 billion USD in 2024 and is projected to increase to 87.33 billion USD by 2030, with an annual growth rate of about 18.47%.

Tourists also tend to seek beauty treatments in Asian countries for cost savings. In South Korea, foreign visitors are driving a dental tourism boom. The main reasons are high service quality and affordable prices. Even when factoring in travel and accommodation costs, dental treatment in South Korea is significantly cheaper than a similar procedure in the US.

In Vietnam, the market size reached approximately 700 million USD in 2024 and is forecast to reach nearly 4 billion USD by 2033, with an average annual growth rate of 18%. In 2024, many foreign visitors also shared their experiences getting dental work in Vietnam, reporting prices 20 to 40 times cheaper than in the US.

Hoai Anh (Source: *Daily Mail*, *News Au*)