Can You Drink Tap Water in Vietnam? What I Do Every Day

The short answer comes first, because it is the one thing I wish someone had told me clearly on my first trip: no, you cannot drink the tap water in Vietnam. Not in Hanoi, not in Ho Chi Minh City, not in a village in the Mekong Delta. Nowhere in the country.

That is not a reason to worry. It is a habit, and you will pick it up within a day.

Why I stopped asking the question

Early on, I kept hearing that this city had “good water” or that some hotel had a filtered tap. I stopped checking. In my experience the people who live here treat tap water as water for washing, cooking and cleaning. When they drink it, they have boiled it first or run it through a filter at home.

You will see this everywhere once you look: the big blue refill bottles stacked outside shops, the electric kettle in the corner of every homestay, the filter unit under the kitchen sink. Nobody is hiding anything. It is simply how the country works, and the sooner you adopt it, the less you think about it.

If you are still planning your trip, the wider picture is in things to know before visiting Vietnam and my first-time guide to Vietnam.

Bottled water, and how I buy it

Bottled water is cheap and available at every corner shop, convenience store and café. Prices are small by European or American standards, though they climb at airports, on cruise boats and in tourist hotspots. I check that the cap seal is intact, as I would anywhere.

My routine looks like this:

• I carry one bottle and refill it from a larger one at the hotel.
• I buy the five-litre or twenty-litre bottles if I am staying somewhere for several days.
• I ask for water by the bottle in restaurants, not from a jug.

If you want a sense of what a day costs in total, is Vietnam expensive puts water into context with everything else.

Hotel bottles and refill stations

Most hotels and guesthouses leave a couple of sealed bottles in the room each day, and many have a filtered water dispenser or a kettle. Check whether the bottles are free before you drink them; in the more upmarket places, minibar bottles are charged.

In homestays, which I love, the host usually offers boiled or filtered water in a flask at breakfast. Just ask. If you are choosing where to sleep, my guide to where to stay in Vietnam and the one on homestays cover the practical side.

Brushing your teeth

This is the question I get most. Locals brush with tap water and I have done it myself without trouble, but I prefer to keep a small bottle by the sink and use that. It costs nothing, takes five seconds and removes the doubt.

What I actually do:

1. Wet the brush with bottled or filtered water.
2. Spit, and do not swallow.
3. Rinse the mouth with bottled water.

In the shower, keep your mouth closed. That is all.

Ice in cafés and restaurants

This is where travellers worry most, and it is where I worry least. Ice in Vietnamese cafés, restaurants and bars is normally commercial ice, made from treated water in factories and delivered in cylinders with a hole through the middle. That hole is the sign you are looking for.

So I take ice in my iced coffee, my lime juice and my beer. Iced drinks are the whole point of a hot afternoon here. If you are curious about the coffee side of things, my guide to Vietnamese coffee shows what to order.

The one place I am more careful is at a homestay or a private home, where the ice may come from a tray in the freezer. There I simply ask or go without.

Fruit, salads and washing food

Fruit that you peel yourself, such as bananas, oranges and pomelo, needs nothing special. For fruit you eat with the skin on, I rinse it with bottled or filtered water, or leave it to places that wash it with treated water.

I do not want to go far into food safety here. That topic has its own page, Vietnamese street food safety, and the question of water is only one part of it. What matters for this post is that when you eat a fresh herb plate or a salad, you are eating something washed with local water, and most people eat it every day without trouble.

Filter bottles and tablets

If you will be travelling for several weeks, a filter bottle is a good idea. It saves a pile of plastic and some money, and you can refill from the tap, a kettle or a dispenser.

Two things I check before buying one:

• What it removes. A jug-style charcoal filter improves taste but does not necessarily deal with bacteria and viruses. Look for a purifier rated for both.
• Whether it is easy to clean. A bottle you cannot clean is a bottle you stop using.

Tablets are a fine back-up in a rucksack, particularly for the mountains in the north. My packing list for Vietnam lists what I carry, and what to wear in Vietnam covers the rest of the bag.

On the road, on a tour, on a boat

On organised trips, water is usually provided. On a day out in the delta or a cooking class, someone hands you a cold bottle without being asked. I have never had to think about it.

If you want an easy first day, a guided food walk is a good way to see the habit in action. On a private street food tour in Hanoi, your guide picks the stalls and orders the drinks. A cooking tour from Hoi An will show you the kitchen side. And an evening on the water with a kayak and boat adventure on the Mekong is a good reason to carry a refillable bottle.

For specific places, see Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta.

If your stomach does complain

A stomach upset can happen in any country, and it is not always the water. If it does, rest, drink safe water often, and see a local pharmacy or doctor if it does not settle. Pharmacies are everywhere and the staff are used to this. It is worth having travel insurance in place, and the wider picture is in the health and vaccinations guide and is Vietnam safe.

Tap water in Vietnam: your questions answered

Is tap water safe to drink in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City?

No. Even in the two biggest cities, locals boil or filter their water before drinking it. Treat the tap as water for washing, not for drinking.

Can I brush my teeth with tap water?

Many travellers do and are fine, but the cautious habit is to use bottled or filtered water. Either way, spit rather than swallow and rinse your brush with bottled water.

Is the ice in drinks safe?

Generally yes in cafés, restaurants and bars. Commercial ice is made from treated water and delivered in cylinder shapes with a hole in the middle. I take it without worrying.

Can I use a filter bottle or purification tablets?

Yes. A filter bottle with a proper purifier, or tablets, saves plastic and money. Check that your filter handles bacteria and viruses, not only taste and chlorine.

Is the free bottled water in hotels really free?

Usually one or two bottles a day are complimentary. Bottles in the minibar are often charged, so check the label or the card before opening.

What if I accidentally swallow some tap water?

A mouthful is unlikely to cause trouble, and most people feel nothing. If you get an upset stomach, rest, drink plenty of safe water and see a pharmacy or doctor if it lasts.