Adapter Plugs For Southeast Asia
 

Hello Everyone,

I am headed to four countries in Southeast Asia. They are Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand. Please advise on the exact type of plug adapters I need to bring.

Please do not send me a link to a website--I have already tried that, and none seem to agree. I would prefer someone with personal experience to tell me exactly what I need.

Thank you.

In Vietnam alone I've had to use 2 pin round Europlugs, 2 pin flat US style, and 3 pin rectangular UK style.

Depending on the hotel, most will have three or four styles of plug outlets, near the desk, if at a 4-5 star property.

The two prong round style is the kind I use most often in SE Asia. Most hotels also have adaptors. Just make sure your devices accept the local current.

I have personally used all the ones cited below:

recent purchase
http://www.amazon.com/Insten-Univers...words=adapters

recent purchase, comes with built-in usb connector
http://www.amazon.com/Tripshell-WORL...ravel+adapters

bought many years back for $35, now under $20
http://www.amazon.com/Universal-Inte...ravel+adapters

They will work definitely in Vietnam/Thailand; no experience in Cambodia or Laos

Edit: these are all-in-one universal adapters; should work perfect worldwide.

Or just get an all-in-one adapter and don't worry about it.

I've had a few all in one adaptors, and they never lasted more than a year.

Thai has a combo socket that will take the Euro round pin and the USA 2 flat pin but not the 3 pin grounded one ,

Malaysia had a weird one the one time I was there

also make sure you have 220v chargers.......

My Euro style adapter has worked in 99% of situations in SE Asia. Lots of places in Thailand have a hybrid Euro/USA plug that is quite genius. I can't recommend more getting the Monster Cables to Go adapter that has three USA plugs and two powered USB plugs in it. You'll still need to use the adapter but it cuts out a few USB chargers.

This is what I like. Smaller, lighter, cheaper and better than those big monsters. A couple of trips to China ago, I had an expensive big multi and this--this one fit the plugs better and I can carry 2 of these instead of one of the others--When in a less than 5 star hotel that doesn't have US style plugs so I can plug in both laptop and usb chargers. Heck even taking one of these can be two adapters because many hotels in asia have both round style and angled plugs--the two halves can act as independent adapters.

Kikkerland UL03-A Universal Travel Adapter
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ls_o02_s00_i00

Yeah no arguing that this one is smaller than the usual "universal" ones. But why carry anything like this when all you need is a Europe-to-USA plug?

Between my USA plug and the Euro-to-USA plug, everything is covered in SE Asia. I've never need anything but these two in Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, and Indonesia. I used to carry that bulky all-in-one adapter that had the UK monster plug and the Aussie plug, and never used them.

The Wikitravel has a good article on it.

http://wikitravel.org/en/Electrical_systems

Sadly the map is a little hard to read. It does say some places in China use the Aussie plug but I bet that's changing fast. Any product you buy in Asia these days comes with a standard Euro style plug.