julies

1st trip to anywhere in Asia. We're apprehensive about being struck with the runs. Know to only drink and brush teeth with bottled water. Skip ice and ice cream. Avoid foods that have been sitting around. Eat only things that have been thoroughly cooked or that we can peel. We've got Pepto Bismol, Immodium & a back-up prescription of Cipro in case of a true sickness rather than just travellers' diarrhea.

But, following all these precautions seems to take the fun out of travelling to a new place and enjoying the cuisine. We're not staying in and eating in 5* Americanized resorts, hotels & restaurants. We also don't want to be so paranoid we don't enjoy ourselves. How do you balance out the need to want to remain healthy with wanting to experience a new culture and cuisine? Is Vietnam worse than Mexico where all the same precautions are always given? Thanks.

LeighTravelClub

Think you have it pretty well covered. But remember that too much sun can cause the same symptoms so sun-hat if you are out and about in high temperatures.
Try to ease into the new cuisine slowly. I mean the local food. Personally I get a little paranoid with shell-fish so I am very careful about where I eat it.
But I must say that I have had no more problems travelling in South East Asia than anywhere else.

PegS

In addition, we've found that taking acidophilus really helps for just normal acclimatizing issues. My DH has a very sensitive system even with U.S. food, but he didn't have a problem when we diligently took acidophilus on our Mexico, China, and Paris trips. (Okay, we did have some diarrhea for the first few days in Paris, but afterward his system was better than it usually is here at home!)

Elizabeth_S

We have taking an oral vaccine in the past called DUKORAL - it's a liquid you take two weeks and one week before your trip - we haven't had problems so we continue to take a booster single dose before we travel to areas of concern.

Also I've read that taking a daily swig of Pepto Bismol in the morning has prophylactic properties.

mrwunrfl

I think that Vietnam might be better than Mexico. I read that "40 to 60 percent" (half) of American travelers to Mexico get diarrhea.

In VN, I brushed my teeth with bottled water but I think it was not necessary. On the Mekong tour we had lunch with soda poured into a glass. A man came by with hunks of ice to put in the glass and accepted that. No problem. The lunch didn't cause a problem.

In Hanoi, I had bun bo at a hole-in-the-wall restaurant with a crowd of locals. Several of those folks were also eating something that was wrapped in (banana?) leaves. I tried it but didn't like it. Had no after-affects. The cha ca at Cha Ca Vinh Long on Cha Ca street in the old quarter of Hanoi was delicious.

I am a beginner at Vietnames cuisine but I think that it is difficult to fully enjoy several dishes if you skip eating the fresh greens that are an integral part of the meal.

In Cambodia, I got sick eating/staying at the Sofitel Royal Angkor. In Bali, I got sick at the Sheraton in Nusa Dua.

I had no problem with food or water in Vietnam.

Kathie

It sounds like you know the food and water precautions. If you follow these precautions, you are very unlikely to get a bacterially based travellers' diarrhea. You may still get stomach upset from new foods, new spices, the change in time zone and climate - all of these things can cause changes in digestion for some people.

You can eat many, many new foods while following these precautions. The precautions won't keep you from experiencing new cuisines. There will be some dishes that are off-limits if you follow those precautions, but you need to decide what risks you are willing to take.

I hop you have had your vaccines for Hep A and for Typhoid, both food and water bourne illnesses. Duloral is a newer vaccine that helps prevent (but does not eliminate) travellers' diarrhea from e.coli. Some people have found it helpful.

The latest research on acidophilus indicates that it can shorten recovery time for persons with travellers' diarrhea, but there was no evidence to suggest that it prevents travellers' diarrhea.

Go and enjoy!

mrwunrfl

I did't get far beyond Hanoi, Saigon, so YMMV.

julies

I know I'd like to eat the fresh herbs that are frequently served with foord in Vietnam. This is where I don't know whether or not to let paranoia take over. We typically eat lots of spicy foods (and a wide range of ethnic foods) at home, so this isn't what I'm worried about. I'd also like to give street food and pho stalls a try. These are the types of things I am wondering abut. We've been lucky so far in our travels for the most part, but I do rememer the one or two instances where we've been hit over the years and it does ruin your time if you have to be constantly on the alert for a toilet. I guess I should say that we are usually willing to take some risk when eating, but I just don't know if Vietnam is truly that different. I should also add that we will frequently be off the beaten path.

And, yes, Kathie we've had all our shots and have our prescription of Malarone ready to take. Please tell me more about acidophilus.

thanks to you all.

Neil_Oz

We spent 3 weeks in Vietnam in a party of 11 and I don't recall any of us having a problem. My wife and I at least didn't take any precautions other than drinking bottled water. We ate ice cream and whatever was dished up at the many restaurants we visited. There, and in 3 weeks in China, we brushed our teeth in tap water with no ill effects. (I'm not recommending that anyone should do likewise, just stating our experiences.)

Come to think of it, the only time I've contracted diarrhoea on an overseas trip was after unwisely ordering the daily lunch special in a small town in Montana.

Fresh herbs are an important part of Vietnamese cuisine, but if they're provided on the side for the diner to add to his/her dish, as with pho or fresh rice-paper rolls, you could pass on them.

Cookiew

I just got what I think is good advise which is to NOT take the Immodium if you do get food poisoning for the first 24 hrs or so to allow the toxic material (where all the bacteria are) to drain out of your body. Cipro yes, Immodium not for a while as my MD put it- "so you don't back up with all those germs in you&quot

cruisinred

I took a probiotic/aacidophilus for a month prior to travelling to Vietnam and SEA. We ate at several local joints in Hanoi, such as Cha Ca La Vong ....but the only place I got a bit sick from the food was while staying at a 5 star beach resort, the Evason Hideaway. I'm pretty sure it was from undercooked beef in the pho soup I ate...so be sure the beef is cooked enough by the warm broth before you eat it. That being said, I think I was ill for only a few hours because my system was in good shape from taking the acidophilus....totally anecdotal and unscientific of course, but I will be taking acidophilus or a probiotic again before my next trip.

julies

Well we're leaving in three days so that probably isn't long enough to get the probacilus in my system to do any good.

I was just thinking of spring rolls, which we love, and realize they are full of chopped fresh vegetables. Guess I'll need to make some decisions as to just what I'm willing to risk. Plus, I keep seeing all these gorgeous photos of lovely looking fresh fruit salads etc in Vietnam.

Mitch04

It's pointless worrying about getting a dose of the trots. You'll either get them or you won't, and any precautions you take will be helpful, but will not ensure you won't suffer a dose of diarrhea anyway.

As Kathie says, just the different foods can cause them.

One trick I use is to take a small bottle of concentrated raspberry cordial with me, and use it, from time to time, with bottled water.

eurotraveller

I was only in Vietnam for about a week but I had no stomach issues and I ate at all the locals places rathern than in tourist restaurants.

tatersalad

Some of the other precautions we take are: a small supply of charcoal tablets to use in case of diarrhea (had them with us in India last trip but didn’t need them). Another thing that we do use is an ample supply of individually wrapped Purell Sanitizing Wipes, which I carry on my person at all times and use every time before I eat and sometimes when I just feel dirty. Also, we carry powder Gator Aide or something similar, to use in case of dehydration.

We avoid ice and raw vegetables, root vegetables in particular. We are careful of the places where we eat in regard to the appearance of the place, such as obviously dirty, flies, etc. If the place doesn’t have running water, chances are they don’t wash their hands too often. This is just common sense stuff.

Happy travels to you, we also will be in Viet Nam in less than two weeks.

Neil_Oz

Coincidentally I watched "Food Safari", a food show produced for SBS Australia, last night and the episode featured a great variety of Vietnamese dishes demonstrated by Sydney-based chefs and home cooks. I was blown away by the variety and quantity of fresh herbs being used - in addition to the familiar Vietnamese mints and Thai holy basil, things like sawtooth coriander, green cumin leaf, rice paddy herb. And of course the fruits - dragonfruit, lychee, durian, you name it. One great-looking salad used julienned green papaya and carrot, halved cooked prawns, crisp-fried shallots and thinly sliced boiled pork with a dressing of dark soy, fish sauce, sugar and something else. Everything looked fresh and delicious, and I thought of this thread. Personally, if we return to Vietnam I'll be taking my chances on the food front.

One of the good things that's happened in this country in the last 20 years has been the development of a local farming industry to cater for the Asian food market, so we can now get pretty much any fresh Asian ingredient, including fresh galangal, turmeric, lemon grass etc., all year round. (Hell, I remember when you weren't guaranteed of finding fresh ginger in the local fruit & veg market.)

OK, this is no help to julies, just thought I'd get you all feeling hungry.

julies

Actually Neil's descriptions are reminding me why I probably take some chances with the food. One tip one of my travel guides has though is to bring my own chopsticks because most places just wipe them down with a rag. Or, if I'm going to use theirs, first wipe them with a sanitary wipe.

Neil_Oz

julies, if you want a teaser, several of the recipes from last night's show are on the website, with video, including the green papaya salad (also some Portuguese and Moroccan recipes from previous episodes).

www21.sbs.com.au/foodsafari/

Happy drooling!

- Neil

Kathie

One point about knowing food and water precautions is that you then know when you are taking risks. There are some places and some dishes where I'm willing to take the risk, others I am not.

By the way, many travel med professionals believe that part of the reason so many Americans get sick in Mexico is because they think of it as an extension of the US are not conscious of food and water precautions. Just being aware can help you make good decisions.

brushfire

I was in Vietnam for 7 weeks last summer, visiting family all over the country. I ate at a variety of eateries including street stalls, and never got sick from those. I stayed in the rural countryside for over a week, where I ate plenty of fresh greens and drank ice and had no problems. However, when I was at my aunt's house in HCMC and she prepared crab soup- bingo! My mother, sister and I all came down with it and had diarrhea and vomiting for two straight days. It was really strange because everything was boiled, and the only people that got sick were the "Americans." My aunt advised me of a remedy of hot coffee with lemon in it- it will hold the contents of your stomach down if you're feeling queasy. I tried that several times and it's worked every time. Just enjoy your culinary delights and use common sense, and you'll be fine. If not, well, a visit to a 3rd world country isn't complete without a 'bout with the loo. Happy travels!