A tourist PSA from our Ho Chi Minh City trip
During our recent trip to Ho Chi Minh City, we stayed in a well-furnished apartment on the 17th floor. It was a nice place, the host was responsive, and honestly, this was not the sort of problem I expected to encounter so high above ground level.
But over the first couple of days, we started noticing tiny insects crawling around inside the apartment.
At first, I did what many people would probably do without thinking too much: I squashed a few of them.
Bad idea.
We later realised these were rove beetles, known locally in Vietnam as kiến ba khoang. They are small, easy to miss, and they do not bite or sting. That is probably why many tourists may not immediately see them as dangerous.
The problem is what happens when they are crushed.
Rove beetles can contain an irritant called pederin. If the beetle is crushed against the skin, or if its body fluid gets transferred onto skin, towels, bedsheets, clothing, or surfaces, it can cause a painful skin reaction called Paederus dermatitis. The rash can look like a burn, blister, infection, or even shingles.
That was the part we did not know. Here’s a short clip of one of the many in our apartment. YouTube Shorts: https://youtube.com/shorts/lERdwH2axbQ
What Happened to Emma
From around the second day of our stay, we noticed some swelling and redness around Emma’s eye area.
At first, we did not immediately connect it to the insects in the apartment. After all, these beetles are not known to sting. There was no obvious “bite moment”, no screaming, no dramatic jungle-adventure scene. Just some redness and swelling that slowly became worrying.
As the trip went on, the area looked more inflamed, and because it was near her eye, we decided not to wait it out. Skin reactions are one thing. Anything near the eye is where my parental overthinking department opens a full emergency branch office.
So I brought Emma to Tâm Anh General Hospital in District 7 of Ho Chi Minh City.
Visiting Tâm Anh Hospital as a Tourist in HCMC
We went to Tâm Anh General Hospital for Emma’s consultation.
My quick summary of the experience: it felt like a private hospital visit, closer to something like Gleneagles in Singapore in terms of environment, but the bill was surprisingly affordable from a Singaporean tourist’s point of view.
The hospital was clean, quiet, and very well-staffed. In fact, there seemed to be more nurses and staff than patients when we were there.
The one area that could have been better was English communication. For a hospital that seems fairly modern and private, I expected basic English communication to be smoother. We managed, but it was not seamless until we saw the doctor.
That said, once the doctor came in, the consultation itself was relaxed and reassuring. Emma noticed that the doctor walked in wearing Crocs, which immediately made the whole thing feel a bit less intimidating. Not exactly the solemn hospital drama scene I had prepared myself for.
The doctor was an experienced older paediatrician, and almost immediately after looking at Emma’s skin, she asked whether it could be an insect-related reaction.
At that point, I was still unsure.
Then we both started trying to describe the same insect in our own ways. I showed her photos of rove beetles, and we had the “ah, yes, that one” moment.
The doctor suspected that Emma may have come into contact with a rove beetle while sleeping, or unknowingly during the day. Another possibility is that the irritant may have been transferred from a crushed beetle on a surface, towel, bedsheet, or object.
And yes, I had crushed one or two of them earlier in the stay before I knew what they were.
So this post is partly a PSA, and partly my confession that I may have accidentally turned a tiny bug into a tiny biological paint marker. Not my proudest fatherhood side quest.
Should I Blame the Airbnb Host?
Personally, I do not think this is a case for naming and shaming the Airbnb host.
We booked two apartments opposite each other because we were travelling as a large group. Both units were well furnished, and the host was responsive throughout our stay.
From what I later read, rove beetles can become more common during wet or rainy seasons in parts of Vietnam. They are attracted to light and may enter homes and apartments even when people are generally careful. In our case, the apartment was on the 17th floor and the windows were shut, yet we still saw multiple beetles indoors.
When I informed the host, he offered to reimburse our medical bill. I told him we had travel insurance, but I appreciated the gesture. He also quickly sent someone to apply pest repellent around the windows and balcony areas.
To me, that showed responsibility.
So this is not a “bad Airbnb” post. It is more of a “tourists should know this tiny insect exists” post.
Because if you see one of these beetles and react the wrong way, you may make things worse without realising it.
What Rove Beetles Look Like
The rove beetles we saw were small and narrow-bodied, with a distinctive colour pattern: dark head, orange/red body sections, and a darker tail end. They look a bit like an ant, a wasp, and a tiny villain from an insect anime all merged together.
The key thing to know: do not crush them.
Not with your hand.
Not with tissue.
Not with a slipper.
Not with a random object that you might later touch again.
If the beetle’s body fluid gets onto a surface, and someone touches that surface later, the irritant may still transfer to the skin.
What To Do If You See a Rove Beetle
If you are visiting Vietnam, especially during wetter seasons, and you see a bug that looks like the one in the photos or video here:
- Do not crush it.
- Do not brush it across your skin.
- Gently blow it away or use a piece of paper to lift and remove it.
- If you think it touched your skin, wash the area with soap and water.
- Wash hands, towels, or clothing that may have come into contact with it.
- Avoid touching your eyes after handling anything near the insect.
- Seek medical help if there is swelling, blistering, pain, spreading redness, or eye involvement.
This is especially important for children because they may touch the insect, wipe their face, rub their eyes, or sleep on contaminated bedsheets without anyone noticing.
Symptoms to Watch For
Rove beetle dermatitis may not appear instantly. Depending on the exposure, symptoms can develop later and may include:
- Redness
- Burning sensation
- Swelling
- Blister-like marks
- Linear rash patterns
- Skin that looks like a burn
- Irritation near the eyes
- Worsening redness or signs of infection
Because the rash can look like other conditions, it is easy to misread it as a bite, allergy, infection, or even shingles. If it is near the eye, I would not take chances.
Getting Medical Help in Ho Chi Minh City
We brought Emma to Tâm Anh General Hospital in District 7 of Ho Chi Minh City
Get directions to Tâm Anh Hospital on Google Maps
If you are a tourist in HCMC and need medical help, I would also suggest:
- Bring your passport or a photo of it.
- Preserve and prepare earlier photos of the swelling and/or rashes to show the doctor.
- Take photos of the insect if you safely can.
- Use Google Translate if the registration counter has limited English.
- Ask for a medical report and itemised receipt for insurance claims.
- For children, eye involvement, fever, spreading redness, or severe pain, do not wait too long.
Travel Insurance Note
This is not insurance advice, but if you are travelling, keep all receipts and medical documents.
In our case, the Airbnb host offered to reimburse the medical bill, but we had travel insurance, so I preferred to go through the proper insurance route. This is to allow us to have smoother in case there are follow-up claims or further treatment needed for medical treatment when we are back in Singapore (yes, we’re still in Ho Chi Minh as I write this).
If you need to make a claim, remember to keep:
- Hospital receipt
- Doctor’s memo or medical report
- Medication receipt
- Transport receipt, if applicable
- Photos of the condition
- Photos or video of the suspected insect, if available
Final PSA for Tourists Visiting Vietnam
If you remember only one thing from this post, remember this:
If you see a rove beetle, do not squash it.
The beetle is not dangerous because it chases you, bites you, or stings you. It becomes a problem when it is crushed and its irritant gets onto your skin or nearby surfaces.
We were lucky that Emma was seen quickly and the situation was manageable. But it could easily have been more stressful, especially because the reaction was near her eye.
So if you are travelling to Vietnam, especially during rainy or wet seasons, keep an eye out for these tiny beetles. Shake out towels, check bedsheets, avoid leaving bright lights on near open gaps, and teach children not to touch or squash unfamiliar insects.
Tiny bug. Serious rash. Very avoidable lesson.
Unfortunately, we learned it the itchy way.
