Can You Drink Tap Water In Vietnam?

Vietnam is a wonderful country to visit but there is the commonly asked question of whether can you drink tap water in Vietnam is a common question asked. Vietnam has made major improvements to its water infrastructure over the last decade but the water pipeline infrastructure is lacking. Can you drink tap water in Vietnam?

It is NOT advised to drink tap water in Vietnam, their treatment plants put too much chlorine into the water for treatment. As well poor water pipe infrastructure has led to the water getting contaminated. Vietnamese locals don’t drink straight out of a tap cause they don’t trust the water and there is a smell that is mostly caused by the chlorine.

In this post, we will go through whether can you drink tap water in Vietnam. So let’s get started!

Learn More About Vietnam

Is It Safe To Drink Tap Water In Vietnam?

No, drinking tap water in Vietnam is not safe. The Vietnamese don’t drink straight out of a tap cause they say that there is a bad smell, and they don’t trust the quality of the water.

In Vietnam, you should only drink bottled water and if no water is available then you can boil the water before drinking but only as last resort.

Especially in the countryside, you need to be more careful about drinking tap water even ice cubes in restaurants. Even in the major cities, you should drink bottled.

What Are The Alternatives To Tap Water In Vietnam?

Again, it is NOT advised to drink tap water in Vietnam. This applies to locals and foreigners who visit and live in Vietnam.

Simply it is not worth the risk of getting sick while on holiday and drinking tap water could easily ruin your trip to Vietnam

Here is a list of tap water alternatives in Vietnam.

Bottled water.
Filtered water.
Boiled water as a last resort.

Can You Drink Tap Water in Ho Chi Minh City?

No, tap water is NOT safe in Ho Chi Minh city. It is safer to drink bottled water or filtered water before drinking. Simply the water fails to meet the required standards cause of too much chlorine in the water.

Typically, the locals don’t drink straight out of a tap cause they claim that don’t trust the water. If the locals don’t do it, then you shouldn’t.

Read more about things to do in Ho Chi Minh City here.

Is It OK To Drink Boiled Water In Vietnam?

You should avoid tap water completely including boiling the water as this does not get rid of the heavy metals in the water particularly in northern Vietnam.

Can You Brush Your Teeth With Tap Water In Vietnam?

Tap water is not safe in Vietnam but boiling the water will kill bacteria etc. If you have bottled water or boiled water available, use them.

You can brush your teeth with tap water in Vietnam but as long as you don’t swallow the water.

Is Bottled Water Safe In Vietnam?

Yes. Bottled water is the best choice for visitors to Vietnam. It is clean and safe to drink. Here is a list of the popular bottled water in Vietnam.

La Vie.
Dasani.
Vinh Hao.
Vital.
Aquafina.

1l bottled water can cost around VND 9,000. The price depends on the brand with the local water brands being the cheapest.

How Safe Is It To Drink Filtered Water In Vietnam?

Yes, assuming that the filter for the filtered water is replaced and maintained regularly. This sometimes can be healthier than bottled water.

Although tap water is considered safe to drink in Vietnam, it is advised that people don’t drink from their taps.

What Is Wrong With The Tap Water In Vietnam?

The problem with tap water in Vietnam is first that the chlorine level is way too high. Chlorine is added by most countries even in the west in their water treatment plants as it is a highly efficient disinfectant.

It kills disease-causing pathogens, such as bacteria, and viruses, that grow in water supply reservoirs.

With Vietnam being a tropical country, this means that bacteria can grow much faster, this is why chlorine is high.

Cause of the level of chlorine you cannot drink it directly, but boiling the tap water will make it safe to drink.

Also, there is a lack of water pipeline infrastructure across the country. A lot of the pipes are old, dirty, and rusty, as a result, the water gets contaminated when supplied to people’s houses and businesses. This is a particular problem once you leave the big cities, as the water infrastructure is not as developed.

I suggest playing safe and drinking bottled water.

USEFUL TRAVEL RESOURCES

Book Accommodation

Booking.com has a large range of properties from hotels, hostels, guesthouses, and resorts where you will find the best deals. Airbnb and Hostelworld also have a good range of places to stay at good prices.

Booking Flight

Skyscanner is a flight search comparison website that searches millions of flights all at once. Ultimately it is the best flight comparison website online at the moment.

Booking Transportation & Things To Do

Rome2rio and 12Go are useful to plan how to get anywhere by searching train, bus, car, and ferry routes. Especially useful in countries like Vietnam or Thailand. While Klook is great for exploring things to do in each place.

Travel Insurance

Travel insurance is cheap and more than likely you will never need to use it but you will have peace of mind if something does happen, you are covered in case of an emergency. World Nomads have great customer service and competitive prices.

Check out our resource page for the best companies to use when you travel.

Wrapping Up

Finally, it is strongly advised NOT to drink tap water in Vietnam. Remember getting food poisoning is a sure way of ruining your trip to Vietnam. Also, the locals do not drink directly from the tap they drink bottled water if the locals do not do it, well then you shouldn’t.

And that’s it for now! I’d love to know if this guide on the can you drink tap water in Vietnam has helped you. Let me know if you have any questions and let me know if there is more to add.