Safe water in Vietnam: notices, drought and what to store

Short answer. Store at least 3 litres of drinking water per person per day, for at least three days, the Ministry of Health's Food Safety Department advises ¹. In Hà Nội, a water plant publishes its water quality as required and the city's disease-control centre publishes inspection results ². Phaenyx found no national system of boil-water notices. Drought and saline intrusion are official disaster warnings with risk levels ³.

How do I know if my tap water is unsafe?

In Hà Nội, the government portal reported in June 2025 that a water plant "đã công khai thông tin chất lượng nước theo quy định" (had published its water quality as required) and that the city's Centre for Disease Control publishes inspection results on its website ². Check your water supplier's and your provincial health authorities' pages. Phaenyx found no national register of boil-water or do-not-drink notices. If water looks, smells or tastes wrong, ask your water company and boil it before drinking; see /guides/boil-water-notice.

How much water should I store?

At least 3 litres per person per day, 45 litres for a family of four, and drinking water for at least three days ¹. Also keep clean water in tanks or buckets in case the supply is cut ¹. Lists are on the emergency supplies page. See /guides/water-storage-containers.

Is Vietnam short of water?

In WRI's Aqueduct 4.0 model, Vietnamese cities sit in the "low to medium" water-stress category today and "medium to high" in the 2050 business-as-usual projection; drought risk, on Aqueduct's separate scale, is "medium" ⁴. These are population-weighted medians of Vietnamese cities: a given place can be higher or lower.

Under Decision 18/2021/QĐ-TTg, drought and saline intrusion (seawater with a salinity of 4‰ reaching far inland) are disasters that the national hydro-meteorological service forecasts and warns of, with a risk level ³. Warnings are on nchmf.gov.vn ⁵. See /guides/drought-preparedness.

What about water after a flood?

See /guides/water-after-flood and /guides/water-purification. Phaenyx found no national official advice on testing a private well; see /guides/private-well-emergency.

Frequently asked questions

Can I drink tap water in Vietnam?

Phaenyx found no national statement. In Hà Nội, the water plant publishes its water quality and the city CDC publishes inspection results ²; check your supplier for your area.

How much water per person in Vietnam?

At least 3 litres per day, for at least three days ¹.

Who warns of drought and saline intrusion?

The national hydro-meteorological service, under Decision 18/2021/QĐ-TTg ³⁵.

Preparedness index: Vietnam ranks joint 52nd of 67, 45.5/100 · full ranking