Is the Public Water in Vietnam Potable?

[SAS]

I am moving to Vietnam in July. Is the water safe to drink? To cook with? To bathe with or brush teeth with? I will be in a large city.

I have read that the water is irritating to the skin and showers need filters. Is this true?

I would love to hear your experiences. Thank you!

[Max]

How about the water in China? Do you bring a filter to attach to the tap for drinking, brushing teeth, etc. or only use bottled water. How about cooking?

[Mick Travis]

In China you don't use the tap water for anything except cooking. Some on this forum might recommend washing vegetables in purified water, but as they are grown in land polluted with heavy metals it won't make much difference.

Be aware that when you order your water by the barrel there is a marked difference in price between purified and mineral water. I only found this out in my second year, when I was at a friend's apartment and he ordered his 'tong' of water and paid the delivery man 12 yuan. I was surprised and told my friend that I only paid 3 yuan normally. He told me that his 'tong was mineral water and when I laughed at his profligacy he asked me whether i liked filling my body with heavy metals. Purified water only gets rid of the micro-organisms, bacteria etc...

In any case you will need to drink mineral water on a regular basis otherwise your body will have to cannibalise them. Ever wondered why the Chinese have bad teeth?

[calciodirigore]

Don't drink the water in Vietnam.

It's OK for brushing teeth and showering.

Vietnam and Saigon in particular are brilliant for a few years.

Good luck!

[grumpy]

I have used tap water for brushing my pretty little teeth everywhere...well, unless the tap ran black or something. Drinking it directly is another ball game though. I would NOT.

[albert49]

I've been showering and brushing my teeth in the tap water here for over 10 years without ill effects. I use bottled water for ice cubes and cooking. I'm in HCMC.

[SAS]

Thank you, each of you for the replies.

Albert,
What about rinsing vegetables in tap water, washing lettuce for salads and the like. I lived on a well in New York State at one point and even that would make one sick unless the vegetables were cooked after rinsing.

Thanks!

[albert49]

There's a product here called Veggies. It's a mild bleach solution, I think. My helper soaks vegetables, fruits, etc. in that and it takes care of most of the problem.

[AnnieT]

I think that where ever you go in SE Asia you will et sick during the first few months. It is just your body reacting to a new set of bugs.

Very few people get seriously ill but you have to expect a few day of runny tummy during your first few months. Buy your water from a safe supplier and always check the cap carfully to ensure that it has not been refilled.

There is a big problem with rumours of heavey metal contamination in bottles water, but I am still normal after many years in HCMC.

Watch out for your ice in drinks, the hollow cylinders are OK but the random squarish blocks should only be used to tack ice boxes to cool your bottles. Wipe the top of any bottle before you put it in your mouth.

[Overhere]

I would not drink the water in China, even in the big cities, where its treated but only for biological contaminants. Many of the water systems are old and tap water picks up metal contaminants as it flows through them even after being treated. The other problem is the over use of chlorine to purify the water which vaporizes and is absorbed through the skin while in the shower. Unfortunately its impossible to completely stay away from municipal water, its just a cost of doing business in China.

[PsyGuy]

No you cant drink the water in Vietnam out of the tap. Your apartment will have a flask of distilled drinking water.
You can clean dishes in it as long as you have a sanitation system (either bleach or a UV sanitizer). I wouldnt brush my teeth with it either. I usually use a mug from the water flask and brush my teeth with that (dip the brush, toothpaste, brush, rinse mouth then rinse toothbrush). There are some UV toothbrush sanatizers you can buy that go over the brush head that work as well.

I never had an issue with bathing using the tap water, but i dont have really sensitive skin. Some people have reported that they do though.

[dano1]

We don't drink the water. However, the whole family brush our teeth with tap water, the kids are little and often drink the bath/shower water which we certainly don't condone, but all they get is a bad tummy. We wash with the tap water. We have no sanitation system.

We live in Saigon. Where in Vietnam do you live Psyguy?