I have read that in Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam that we should only drink bottled water. Do most people agree with that, even in fairly nice restaurants? and this may be a dumb question, but is it safe to brush your teeth with tap water?

Thanks

Don't drink the tap water. In some very nice hotels it would be ok for brushing your teeth, but to be cautious just use bottled water. It's not worth the risk.

All hotels supply bottled water. Be safe and use it to brush your teeth. Water is inexpensive in VN.

bottle water everywhere...literally everywhere!

I sometimes forget and brush my teeth in tap water and have not been sick yet but its probably not worth the risk. Only use bottled water. Also be carefully you don't ingest any water when showering.

i stick with bottled water except in some 5* hotels or restaurants

As a Thai I drink bottled water and try to drink only good locally made bottled water as the cost is not much. However, there's a growing trend in 5 stars hotels to only served imported bottled water at very high prices.

At the same time I brush my teeth with tap water and have not ever had any problem. I also notice that at several restaurants tap water is used to make soup and other dishes, especially to wash vegetables for salad. According to the health ministry of Thailand tap water is safe to drink but most people use some sort of filters before hand. If it means anything my pet dogs have always drink tap water, plus other water they can find as well, and they have never had any digestive problem and the oldest dog is now 15 years old.

While you are always safest using bottled water even for brushing you teeth, many (maybe all) 5 star hotels in Bangkok have their own purification system. But in smaller places, even brushing your teeth with tap water can make you ill. Our dear departed Gpanda got sick from brushing his teeth with tap water in Luang Prabang.

We only drank bottled water, but broke our own rule and brushed our teeth with tap water the very first day! We did't get sick at all.

Thanks everyone. We'll play it safe and use bottled water for everything

I always brush my teeth with tap water in Vietnam. Haven't had a problem. Never drink the tap water though. Bottled water costs 25 cents.

...bottle water aplenty ..even in the remotest areas. Shop while you walk..we picked up bottles where ever we could.

Vietnam: YES YES YES to bottled water! I live there several months each year and it is important that you NOT DRINK tap water. I also use bottled water to brush teeth.

I met some people from the US Embassy last year and talked to them about the water "system" in Hanoi. They told me that the bacteria was not as big a problem as the heavy metals (nice things like arsenic.....) found in the water supply. I do all my laundry by hand and wondered why my black pants always turn gray after several months of hand laundering. Come to find out that whatever nasty is in the water also will leach the color from your clothes.

Mdtravelhealth.com Vietnam for all the health issues

Stick with SEALED new bottled water

Careful that seal is intact lots just fill old bottles from the tap reseal and sell

Hotels are bad for this too.

Personally stick with carbonated better for digestion cannot reseal

Also careful with veggies bake it Boil it peel it or leave it

As folks found out with the bean sprouts in Germany recently that sickened thousands some deaths

a funny thing with bottled water in Vietnam & Cambodia -- it is filled to the absolute tiptop. Every time we opened one a bit would leak out on us if we weren't careful. Just the little differences....

What about coffee? Typically, one does not boil the water used to make coffee (unlike tea). Maybe espresso would be a good choice?

We'll be staying in good hotels in Hue and Hoi An as well as in Siem Reap. Should we avoid milk and cream add-ons? Don't care for sweetened condensed milk.

Don't think there is any problem with drinking coffee. I drank it daily and loved it with the condensed milk. Such a treat!

And thus you are drinking unboiled tap water.

Theoretically, coffee and tea should be ok. But Cheryl got sick from a single sip of tea in India - the tea turned out to be lukewarm.

It depends on hot hot the water is heated, whether it was tap water or purified water, whether the cup was clean, etc, etc.

Everything is a risk. Choose your risks wisely.

I forgot a few times to use bottled water while brushing my teeth in Hong Kong and in Bangkok and I didn't get sick.