Toilet

This is the topic no one wants to ask about but everyone wonders. In fact, it is one of the most important issues you need to know before departing for another place beyond your home.  

In Vietnam, access to toilet is just as unequal as living standards. It means that in the big city, you will be more likely to find the Western style toilet while in the country side area, except that you have a hostel, you will have a hard time finding a decent one.  You will soon find out that toilet paper is a real luxury in many washrooms. It’s better if you bring your own.

If you cannot fit one into your luggage, wait until you get out of the airport and settle in your first destination and buy one from those omnipresent convenient stores. In Vietnam, people rarely flush the toilet paper since the system can hardly handle it. Therefore, a bin is usually placed by the toilet for you to throw the waste it.

Also, do not trust the soap in the washroom. It might be more hygienic to carry with you a hand sanitizer and use it frequently.  In remote and rural area, it’s not a surprise that squat toilet is popular. So get ready for it, and the same trick of bringing a toilet paper roll and hand sanitizer applies.  Women travelers should note that there is no coin machine for sanitary napkin and there is no separate place to dispose them either. You can simply throw it in the bin which sits next to the toilet.