Electrical Outlets & Adapters

Looks like this is the cord that will work in Vietnam with my HP laptop, without changing the transformer...

Easy one.
Pretty much every laptop and mobile phone charger I've seen that has been bought anywhere in the world will operate from 110 to 240 volts without anything but having an adaptor so it fits local sockets.
I keep hearing US purchased units are 110v only but, as I have never seen one, I can't confirm that.
It's easy to check by looking at what's written on the adaptor.



Yours sounds fine, so it's just a socket adaptor for you.

Fred is correct (as usual)

The only other problem is that with only two-pin connection
the plug often falls out.  I use duct tape, or if with flat pins,
a little lateral tweak to improve adherence.  TVB...                     

The other problem is that the transformer is designed with a ground (earth) which is why it has three cords.  I believe the plug in OceanBeach's photo is called a Type F German Schuko or possibly a CEE 7/7.  It is designed to be grounded by having the flat metal portion in contact with a male pin in the recessed receptacle.  I have seen a lot of these plugs in Vietnam but I have never seen the receptacle.  Of course that doesn't mean there are none but they are certainly not common.  I used a replacement cord like this on my iMac but had to ground the aluminum exterior because of stray voltage.  Stray voltage shouldn't be a problem with laptops as they actually run on DC from the transformer. 

I believe most of the receptacles  in Vietnam are CEE 7/6 French 16 A (Type E) or GOST 7396, a Soviet Russian standard.  This makes sense based on Vietnam's history.  The problems with this system are that there is no ground and the plug can be put in backwards reversing the polarity.  This may be a problem with some appliances but not with others.  Just a hunch but it might matter with a laptop transformer.

Our apartment had this type of receptacle which is designed to accept different types of plug.    It may be common in newer apartment buildings that expats are likely to live in.  Sorry; I'm still working on how to post a photo but you can click on this link:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Thai_socket.jpg

OceanBeach:  We bought and brought all kinds of cords and adapters with us, then found out that we didn't need any but one, so they're just collecting dust on the shelves.

For ALL of our electrics and electronics (Zenbook, iPad Air, iPhone, Android phone, iPod, Kindle, Bose SoundLink, camera battery charger, Jackery, Seagate Backup, electric toothbrushes, and a handful of Anker), the only thing we've been using is

BESTEK Universal Travel Adapter. 

It comes with 3 adapters, but we use none of them in VN (we did use them in other SEA countries).  The built-in plug at the end of the cord fits all outlets from North to South, in old/cheap hotels and newer apartments, in cities and in-the-middle-of-nowhere villages.

We don't need the converter part of the Bestek adapter for the electronics (all electronics I've bought in the States since 2000 have been dual voltage;  I didn't need converter while living in Europe and travelling all over the world).  Still, it's conveniently built-in and works with the electric toothbrushes. 

We bought two Bestek and have been using them in 5 SEA countries aside from VN so far without any problem whatsoever, and since they come in their own pouches, hardly take up any space in the luggage.

Electronics items, shavers, laptops, monitors are both 110/220 volt.
Desktop computers, things with motors like blenders, things that get real hot like toasters, will be 110 only in the US. For those you would need to buy a transformer, or leave em behind and get new ones here.

I have a Makita cordless drill with removable battery. The battery charger is 110 only, so I need to buy a 220 version here.

What you should pickup at Home Depot are a couple of these adapters that take out the grounding pin on your jacks. Vietnamese (and Thai) houses don't have ground wires on sockets. Sometimes American type sockets are available, but without the ground pin socket. So you won't be able to push your 3 pin jack into a 2 hole socket. I have had to use these in hotels or cafes. Plug strips that you buy here (or you bring) will have the hole for the pin, so you can just use plug strips at home.

I don't like the buzz I get from my Macbookpro bc it isn't grounded. I put tape on the front edge now!

gobot wrote:

I don't like the buzz I get from my Macbookpro bc it isn't grounded. I put tape on the front edge now!

That's exactly how my iMac was.  I didn't think it would be a problem with a Macbook but I guess it is.  It's a real failure of Apple engineering.  I actually attached a bare wire to mine and ran it to ground.  You can also get a piece of metallic cloth that comes with a ground wire attached and put the computer on that.  I think they are used in repair shops to dissipate static charges.  Maybe an uninterruptible power source (UPS) would solve the problem but laptop users don't generally need them as they have their own batteries.  My iMac also ran a lot hotter on 220V than it did on 110V.

Ciambella wrote:

*snip*

...For ALL of our electrics and electronics (Zenbook, iPad Air, iPhone, Android phone, iPod, Kindle, Bose SoundLink, camera battery charger, Jackery, Seagate Backup, electric toothbrushes, and a handful of Anker), the only thing we've been using is

BESTEK Universal Travel Adapter. 

*snip

...The built-in plug at the end of the cord fits all outlets from North to South, in old/cheap hotels and newer apartments, in cities and in-the-middle-of-nowhere villages.

*snip

What Ciambella said works best for me, and the cord can be used as intended, or it will also plug directly into my laptop transformer.



As for the "buzz" problem mentioned re: the 'grounding' problem, my HP is battery operated, and if I get in the habit of keeping the transformer plugged into the laptop while using it, then I'll be on the laptop WAY too long, huddled inside my expat fortress and not assimilating with my Vietnamese neighbors.

I did order a spare laptop battery.

Thanks for all the input.

I'll buy other electric appliances locally, especially the hair curler...

I think the stray voltage problem is unique to computers with metallic bodies like Apple's.  Most HP and other Windows laptops have plastic outer shells.  Even my IMac USB wired keyboard had a tingle until I grounded the machine.  You should be fine with an HP.

Of course you could resolve the problem with and Apple laptop by charging it while you are not using it and using it unplugged.  However that will reduce battery life by increasing the cycle count.

Eventually, and hopefully, Vietnam will settle in to a system with grounding prongs being the norm.

"Eventually, and hopefully, Vietnam will settle in to a system with grounding prongs being the norm."

I often wonder in just what future life that will be..?    The 12th of never..?

  ..and Edgar's Raven did say  "Nevermore" ...

   Excuse me for (not) waiting...     

As someone already said in this conversation, that photo is a Continental European plug with grounding leads on the outside. In Vietnam most Euro plugs will fit but there won't be grounding pins, and those thick ones may not always penetrate properly if the sockets are sunk. If in doubt, get an adapter.

Flat Yank pins will fit too (many appliances sold here come either with Euro or Yank plugs from the shop). Some wall sockets will accept Aussie slanted flats as well (otherwise bend them with pliers if you're truly desperate), but very rarely will any of them have provision for earth -- so if you have a Yank or Aussie plug with an extra earth pin, you're probably out of luck. Again, get an adapter if in doubt, though it most likely won't give you any earth.

Most sockets won't accept the massive Brit three-prong device, except for some international (and not so international) hotels that install sockets something like this (I wanted to insert a simple jpeg to show you, but Expat.com doesn't seem to like it):

https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=ht … amp;uact=8

(If you're from Europe, don't forget the unfamiliar on/off switch that might be by the side of the socket. They're rare in Europe and you might think it's not working.)

Why doesn't everyone here do this? It's so simple.

As an aside, the Brit design might seem cumbersome but it is actually the safest plug/socket design in the world: https://www.fastcodesign.com/3032807/wh … s-on-earth

As for Euro devices without being able to use grounding pins, most of them are double-insulated anyway so it doesn't matter until you get to electric heaters and ovens and stuff. I don't know about American safety requirements (half the voltage but twice the amps), and please don't take any of this as gospel -- your mileage may vary.

If you're serious about living here and have computers and stuff like that, get a surge protector too.

robvan wrote:

*snip*

Most sockets won't accept the massive Brit three-prong device, except for some international (and not so international) hotels that install sockets something like this (I wanted to insert a simple jpeg to show you, but Expat.com doesn't seem to like it):

*snip*

You might not have grabbed the full URL. Expat Java has a knack of grabbing defeat from the jaws of victory... 😉

Vietnam Wall Outlet Voltage: 110 / 220 V  Standard frequency : 50 HZ
Vietnam Power Plug Types: A,  C, D VIETNAM PLUG

That's good to know. I recently returned from Vietnam after visiting Da Lat, Danang, Hue and Ho Ann. I purchased a reasonably priced international voltage kit from Amazon. It has adapters for any plugs and votltages in the world. It includes a surge protector and fits in the palm of your hand.

THIGV wrote:

The other problem is that the transformer is designed with a ground (earth) which is why it has three cords.  I believe the plug in OceanBeach's photo is called a Type F German Schuko or possibly a CEE 7/7.  It is designed to be grounded by having the flat metal portion in contact with a male pin in the recessed receptacle.  I have seen a lot of these plugs in Vietnam but I have never seen the receptacle.  Of course that doesn't mean there are none but they are certainly not common.  I used a replacement cord like this on my iMac but had to ground the aluminum exterior because of stray voltage.  Stray voltage shouldn't be a problem with laptops as they actually run on DC from the transformer. 

I believe most of the receptacles  in Vietnam are CEE 7/6 French 16 A (Type E) or GOST 7396, a Soviet Russian standard.  This makes sense based on Vietnam's history.  The problems with this system are that there is no ground and the plug can be put in backwards reversing the polarity.  This may be a problem with some appliances but not with others.  Just a hunch but it might matter with a laptop transformer.

Our apartment had this type of receptacle which is designed to accept different types of plug.    It may be common in newer apartment buildings that expats are likely to live in.  Sorry; I'm still working on how to post a photo but you can click on this link: 
en. wikipedia. org/wiki/File:Thai_socket.jpg (link intentionally broken)

Your answer has turned out to be spot on for my lifestyle & use of electronics.

Here's that image:



That general receptacle type has been available in about 80% of the places I've stayed, from Hanoi to The Delta and myriad buildings in between.

There are some which accept a wider range of foreign plugs, but those types also accept a Western 2-blade or 3-prong plug.

My advice to anyone reading this far:

Don't worry about bringing an adapter, unless (as in my case) you need that special cord for my laptop that I mentioned earlier in this thread.

Unless you live totally out in the boonies, you should be able to pick up a small, medium or large power strip at Lottemart, Mega Market, Co-opMart, Vinmart or even the fairly ubiquitous Circle K.

Those products all have recepticals similar to the image THIGV found, so no other plug adapter is needed.

Personal anecdote:

I went looking for a power strip to use with one of the few 2-prong outlets I've encountered.

The salesman showed me a sweet, techno-colored strip with auxiliary recepticals for USB adapters (high quality Korean, as I recall).

Unfortunately, it seems he had ignored my request for a 2-blade or 2-prong power cord, as what he was showing me had a standard Western 3 prong plug (two flat blades with a round grounding prong.

When I managed to explain why that wouldn't work for me, he got a big grin on his face and opened the package.

He then proceeded to unscrew the round prong, turning it into the type of 2-blade plug I was seeking.

I bought it, saved the round prong, and was able to continue to use it as a 3-prong plug in a 3-prong outlet after I moved to a different location.

My laptop performs equally well with either type of plug.

As Gobot said last year:

>Electronics items, shavers, laptops, monitors are both 110/220 volt.
Desktop computers, things with motors like blenders, things that get real hot like toasters, will be 110 only in the US. For those you would need to buy a transformer, or leave em behind and get new ones here.

>I have a Makita cordless drill with removable battery. The battery charger is 110 only, so I need to buy a 220 version here.

My reply:

Yes, just about all appliances these days are happy with 110 or 220-240V with their inbuilt converters. If your Makita drill and charger charger really need 110V, they're probably older (or cheaper) ones. You may need an adapter plug too, though if you have the US two-flat-pin plug, you're usually OK to plug it into the wall just about anywhere in VN but you'll need to be aware of voltage conversion. Ditto the European two-round-pin plug (they're all 220-230V over there, so no voltage concerns), though the Euro earth pins on your inserter plug could cause a problem if it requires a sunken insert in the wall.

So, make sure you have a universal plug to insert insert into the wall as one or two others here advised. It works just about anywhere in the world. Got a couple in Saigon for the equivalent of $6 each, one of the best travel investments I ever made. It's a tiny kit in a cylindrical container, put it together as needed. Brlliant. It even has (or claims to have) a power-surge cutout.

The only problem I can think of, if you have the right adapter plug, is the difference between 60kHz in the States and 50kHz just about everywhere else, including VN. It will definitely affect your portable record player (but who uses them anymore?) and maybe even your cassette player, though I'm no expert on this and invite others to comment. CD player? Can't believe it's an issue these days. Hair-dryers, shavers, drills etc shouldn't matter to the end result. They just might be fractionally slower (or maybe not). Toasters? No idea what gives -- again, inviting comment. Toasters aren't cheap in VN, though.

Remember: Watt is Volt times Amp.

Rob

Quick note or two:  most, if not all, desktop computers are now dual voltage, either by a manual switch on the power supply unit or automatically.  I have several PSUs from the U.S. that work just fine.

Also, it is not universal that a three prong outlet here has a safety ground since older construction (and also some new construction) only use a two wire system for the mains - one side at 220 volts, the other at ground.  Do not depend on the safety ground to save your life unless you have tested it!

Desktop computers should be safety grounded to bleed the induced voltage from the case.  Otherwise, it will "bite" you if you are sufficiently grounded yourself.  Not dangerous, but very annoying.

Blimey havent see a PSU with a switch on it for a long time 😱
Forgot they existed

Yeah, safety-ground checker... I used to have one in Australia to check this, don't know where it is now, in one of the boxes I haven't yet unpacked since moving back to Melbourne from Saigon. All plugs in Oz were fine at the time, didn't get to check them in Saigon but I'm sure you're right that any claim about ground-safety there is unlikely (or not claimed to be understood). So, get a UPS for your computer at least, which should take care of that circuit, I assume.

Curious to hear from any electricians out there :-)
Rob