Not all forms of what has become known under the broad moniker of “medical tourism” needs to involve some form of surgical procedure. As nations’ public drive to become fitter and healthier, there are many measures a person can take in order to achieve this, without recourse to surgical intervention. One increasingly popular destination for just such an activity is to take advantage of the cheapest flights and discount hotels available today and head east for a Vietnam holiday with a difference.

Vietnam is the spiritual home of mixed martial arts, that paradoxical mixture of self-discipline, strength and unquestioned brutality that has grown increasingly popular around the world in recent years; it’s been made particularly famous by the Ultimate fighting Championship, but has roots in Brazilian jujitsu, and also takes influence from Chinese and Thai martial arts. While we would not advise that travelling to the East to jump into an octagon to square up against 300lbs of martial arts trained mayhem is particularly beneficial to one’s health, we can still learn a great deal from these athletes. Specifically, about improving our own health using the incredible fitness regimes that the participants undertake to ensure they are in peak physical condition.

This kind of “fitness tourism” has become increasingly popular in recent years. Many commercial fitness experts, scouring the world for something ‘different’ to offer their demanding clientele, have discovered that a working holiday to Vietnam offers something unique. During Vietnam holidays- they learn about all aspects of the fitness programmes these athletes undertake, which is a relatively cost effective way to learn fantastic new skills and exercises which they can then bring home and use with their clients, often with dramatic results.

It is worth noting here that many martial arts are a traditional form of exercise and relaxation in the East. They have their origins steeped in the mists of time and have had thousands of years of participation that have extolled the benefits of the exercises time and time again. Few exercise regimes, if any, can claim to have had such a long and proven track record of success. In modern times these age old exercises have been brought together not just under the guise of mixed martial arts, but also to produce a variety of fitness programmes that have benefitted the health and fitness levels of people from across the world.

It is in Vietnam where the pioneers of such programmes are based and this is why many fitness experts, as well as health practitioners, are taking advantage of the strong pound and heading to Vietnam, where they can brush up on the new fitness techniques, packing up their training gear and hopping on planes left, right and centre.

As medical tours go, a trip to Vietnam may not be seen as pressing as a trip somewhere else for an operation, but the benefits of such a visit may well last a lifetime and have positive effects on all aspects of a person’s health, fitness and general wellbeing. For those reasons alone, it is a medical tour or fitness holiday, if you prefer that term, well worthy of serious consideration.