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Have you recently visited Vietnam? Your sage advice, please!

Hello!

I'm leaving for VN in a month and want to do what I can to avoid getting sick (travelers dysentery/diarrhea). (I know not to drink tap water and to use good hand-wash hygiene, but I have other concerns because I really enjoy all these foods:

  1. hot soups are often served with a plate of fresh herbs. Are these safe to eat?
  2. is ice served in drinks and coffees, safe?
  3. fruit smoothies, safe?

Some forums say to not go to tourist restaurants/cafes because they are more likely to cause illness, logic being locals will come back to complain but tourists are on their way so it doesn't matter. True/Not True?

Also, the jury is out as to whether or not taking probiotics prior to travel helps to prevent illness.

Some recommend taking Pepto-Bismol or activated charcoal pill before every meal.

Lastly, one lady on FB says "Getting sick from eating the food is a thing of the past!"

Your experience would be greatly appreciated :)

Posted by
1170 posts

Your concerns about food are applicable to the entire world. And cruise ships too. I have been many places and occasionally get sick. My wife more times than me. Yet, we still go. We eat street foods. May be wise to carry pepto bismol for possible use, but not as a beforehand treatment on a regular basis.
Are you prone to sickness at home? What is your personal history on stomach issues? You have to evaluate yourself.
I have been to VN a couple times and not gotten sick.
I do not fear this as an issue for me in traveling. You don't want to have this hanging in your mind all the time. Look at the street foods before deciding to eat. That is the best advice. Restaurants, well, maybe not so apparent.
We have all our immunizations UTD in order to mitigate some of the risks. Hep A and typhoid. Others too but perhaps not as applicable to eating.
I would not hesitate to return to VN/SE Asia. To me getting sick is not a paramount influence. Try and not let it be yours.
VN food is great. A big part of a trip.

Posted by
8543 posts

I agree with the previous poster, visiting Third World countries require being very careful what and where you eat and drink.

Only drink bottled water that you open yourself, or beverages that way as well. Brush you teeth with bottled water.
Only dine in the upper range of restaurants( restaurants in four star hotels and up or the equivalent). Never eat street food.

Posted by
1021 posts

Been some years since I was in Vietnam/Cambodia. Stayed in nice hotels and took a river cruise. We took normal precautions, avoided iced drinks, salads, street food. Visited travel clinic before I went to update vaccinations etc. and took a course of Dukoral before leaving. None of us had any stomach issues. We used bottled water for teeth cleaning and our most popular drink was Coke Zero without ice! It was always served in its can alongside a glass. Also make sure I had Imodium and/or pepto bismal as part of my travel kit.

Posted by
136 posts

When I went to Nam (admittedly over a decade ago), staying in the Da Nang area, I took no precautions whatever, that I can recall. Just like going to Greece one more time. I had wonderful banana pancake, probably drank only bottled water, but brushed my teeth in tap water, and worried about nothing at all.

Posted by
25 posts

“Is ice served in drinks and coffees, safe?” Order them without ice (cubes), just for safety.

Posted by
11787 posts

We followed our doctor’s advice to chew a Pepto Bismal tablet before each meal. No problems ever with diarrhea on our trips.We ate big bowls of delicious Pho daily.