Ice, Tap Water and Bottled Water in Vietnam
A calm routine for drinks, so a sensitive stomach does not cost you a holiday day.
Drink sealed bottled water, treat tap water as for washing only, and judge ice by how it looks. That routine covers most of what a first-timer needs. It keeps your stomach calm without making every drink a worry.
Can you drink the water from the tap?
Plan as if you cannot. Tap water is for washing, showering and rinsing your face, not for drinking.
Your hotel may leave sealed bottles in the room or a filtered water point in the lobby. Ask at check-in which one is meant for drinking, and take a sealed bottle out with you each morning.
Which bottled water should you buy?
Buy bottles with an unbroken cap seal. Convenience stores and supermarkets are the safest places to restock, because the bottles come straight from a shelf you can see.
A small bottle in the day bag beats a long search for water at midday. For a family, carry one bottle per person for each outing, and refill the stock every evening.
Is the ice in your drink safe?
You cannot see how ice was made, so use your eyes. Ice shaped like short cylinders with a hole through the middle is made in a factory and is easier to trust. Crushed or chipped ice from an open cooler box is harder to judge.
If your stomach is sensitive, ask for the drink without ice on the first days. You can relax the rule once you know how your body is coping.
What changes with toddlers, formula and medicine?
Children and older relatives get upset stomachs more easily, so tighten the routine for them.
- Mix formula and medicine only with sealed bottled water, boiled and cooled if your doctor advises it.
- Brush teeth with bottled water, and watch that children do not swallow the rinse.
- Peel fruit yourself, and wash hands before every meal.
- Pack oral rehydration salts from home, and keep your clinic’s advice on your phone.
If a child has a fever, vomiting that does not settle, or cannot keep fluids down, see a doctor. A hotel front desk can help you find a clinic.
What about street food and smoothies?
You do not have to avoid them. Choose stalls with fast turnover where food is cooked in front of you and served hot. For smoothies and sugarcane juice, ask for no ice and no added water on your first days.
Muslim families have a second layer to check on meals, covered in our Muslim travellers meal and prayer checks.
What should you do next?
Pack a small kit: rehydration salts, hand sanitiser and a few sealed bottles on arrival day. Then read how meals are shared at the table in chopsticks and dining etiquette, and browse the rest of the food and daily travel pages. Water and drinks are also a small line in your trip budget builder.
If you are travelling with toddlers or elderly parents and want meals and drinks planned around them, tell us who is coming and we will suggest a calm food routine for the route.
Common questions
Can I drink tap water in Vietnam?
Plan as if you cannot. Use sealed bottled water for drinking, and ask your hotel whether the filtered water in the room is meant for drinking. Tap water is fine for washing, showering and rinsing your face. When in doubt, choose the sealed bottle and check that the cap seal is unbroken.
Is ice in drinks safe?
Ice from restaurants and cafes can be fine, but you cannot see how it was made. Cylinder-shaped ice with a hole through the middle is the factory-made kind and is easier to judge. Skip crushed or chipped ice from a roadside cooler box if your stomach is sensitive, and ask for drinks without ice when unsure.
What about brushing teeth and washing fruit?
Brush your teeth with bottled water for the first few days, especially for children who swallow rinse water. Peel fruit yourself, or eat fruit that was cut in front of you at a place you trust. Wash your hands before eating, because dirty hands carry germs to the mouth too.
How should I prepare water for a baby or toddler?
Use sealed bottled water that you boil and cool, or ready-to-drink water you buy sealed, for formula and for mixing medicine. Keep a few sealed bottles in the day bag at all times. For infants, ask your family doctor before you fly, since you know your child's needs better than any guide.
Keep planning
If you are travelling with toddlers or elderly parents and want meals and drinks planned around them, tell us who is coming and we will suggest a calm food routine for the route.