Travelling in Vietnam with kids (nearly 3 and 5)

[pilsbury]

SO, we've taken the plunge and booked flight to go to Vietnam over Easter hols (flying into Hanoi and out of Ho Chi Minh, 18 nights in total). We have a vague idea of itinerary, but not booked anything up just yet. I'd love to hear if anyone has experience of travelling with young children in Vietnam. My DD will be almost 5 and DS getting close to 3 by the time we travel. In particular I'd love to hear any must/must-not sees/dos, how many different destinations you think is viable in that time with that age kids, any hotel and resto reccs etc. I'd also love to know how to start introducing them to Vietnamese food (starting that this weekend with a dinner of chicken satay, sticky rice and spring rolls, wish me luck!). Thanks!

[Convex]

lucky you! you will have a great time.

find some travel blogs of people who have done similar, would be my tip. we went to thailand and cambodia for a couple of weeks and found 1 blog which gave some priceless advice.

[OiOiHanoi]

Hi, we lived in Vietnam for a few years when our children were very young. I'd be happy to answer any of your questions. It's a great place, with lots of interesting things for little ones to see and do (and the food is awesome). Feel free to message me on here if you like. :)

[canela]

we took the train from Ho chi Minh to Hoi An (not sure how is spelt) - an amazing place and the kids loved the train ride

[bonaome]

Have a look at this http://mylittlenomads.com/trip-review-vietnam

There are several family adventure tour operators - your kids will not yet be the minimum age / it may not be your ting but it's still worth looking at them for the itineraries and in some cases the hotels they use (download the detailed trip notes). Try: -

- http://www.familyadventurecompany.co.uk/tours/good-morning-vietnam-family-holiday

- http://www.familiesworldwide.co.uk/holiday/hanoi_to_saigon.html#

- https://www.explore.co.uk/holidays/budget-vietnam-coast-tour

- http://www.exodus.co.uk/vietnam-holidays/family/chopsticks-coconuts/fiv-84566 (we actually did this at Easter this year - with a bit of independent before and after - and it was fab)

You can see that there is, as you'd expect, a fairly well trodden path. As well as the trip above, we've also travelled Vietnam independently, this year's trip being our second time in Viet Nam (you will want to go back, I'm sure).

It really does depend on what you're into, obviously, but ...

- The Water Puppets in Hanoi are great for little ones

- Hanoi itself will captivate for a few days just pottering about the streets and taking a coffee or a beer here and there and getting used to a different place - get a cyclo to take you round for a 'tour' etc etc etc

- Ho's mausoleum is a fascinating experience for the grown-ups - maybe not one for the kids, but if there's more than 1 adult you could go in turns whilst the kids play in the park that it's in

- If you do one temple sight, I'd do The Temple Of Literature

- Halong Bay boat is a must, and do a 2 nighter so you're not too rushed - take them out kayaking in the bay

- The hiking options in the country from Hanoi, I wouldn't recommend with your kids at the ages they are, miss it, it's quite hard work.

- The Reunification Express is the overnight train. You want first class. No, really you do. It's a great experience for the kids, they will LOVE it.

- Hue is just gob smackingly beautiful. As a cultural highlight for grown-ups it's not to be missed. The kids on the other hand might not see the beauty in the temples etc. SO in your case I'd say leave it for the next visit.

- Hoi An is astonishingly pretty. You want to stay inside the old town, as otherwise it can be a (albeit very short) schlep in a taxi which whilst very cheap just isn't as convenient as being 'in the action' and being able to walk / pop them in the buggy (which I'm guessing your 3yr might still be in). Near Hoi An there are lovely beaches and nice flat countryside cycling. You can fly from nearby Denang to anywhere else in Vietnam. Nah Trang was great we went to the hots springs (Thap Ba Hot Springs) - great for kids, they can cover themselves from tip to toe in mud and there's volcanically heated bath water temperature swimming! You can also get a boat out from there to Whale Island which is a proper tropical paradise and do snorkelling trips etc. Or you can organise boat trips and snorkelling from Na Trang - a beach resort (much loved by the Russians) and a perfectly good spot to hand out for a few days.

- HCMC is where a lot of the Vietnam war stuff is, the war remnants museum and so on. It's harrowing even for the grown-ups but fascinating so you may want to take it in turns if there's two+ adults to do the 'culture sites' while the other(s) stay at the hotel/in the pool.

- The Cu CHi tunnels are fascinating but again pretty gory and it's a quite long bus ride out to them from HCMC (2 / 2.5 hours ish). Conversely you can combine that trip (most do) with a trip to the Cao Dai Holy See which is nuttiness on stilts and the kids would probably love the craziness - on the other hand, they also need to be quiet and respectful (to an extent)

- The Mekong home-stays are a must. Very simple, but lovely. There's a gazillion organised out of HCMC - I recommend you look at the LP or pop into a traveller cafe.

- Dam Sen waterpark was a truly excellent break from the heat/humidity - check the website before you go that it is definitely going to be open when you want to go!

Easter is a great time to go. It will be quite hot and humid. I'd try and stay in places with a swimming pool, however small, just so the kids can have a cool-off/dip. With 18 nights I think you could comfortably do Hanoi>Halong Bay>Hoi An>Na Trang>Saigon and possibly a Mekong Delta O/N from there. If I was going to curtail any of that, I'd spend less time in HCMC (unless you really want to see the war museum etc).

When we've travelled independently on trips like this, we've stayed in 'reasonable' (i.e. clean but quite cheap) places until the very end of the holiday and then splurged the last few nights somewhere more upmarket. By the end of a couple of weeks we generally find we all want to slow the pace and have a few creature comforts (that we couldn't afford for the whole trip). We don't want to spend the trip in 5* international hotels as for us that defeats the object - the little homely, locally owned places are the best in many ways. But for the last couple of nights we find a big bed, a good buffet breakfast and a proper swimming pool set up nicely for the flight home. The kids won;t really care but it means the grown-ups have a bit of 'luxury' to finish things off.

Food - it's not generally spicy at all. In traveller places there'll always be something on the menu the kids can have and spring rolls (both fresh and fried, in a gazillion varieties) are ubiquitous as are fresh fruit and smoothie style drinks and fairly simply grilled meat and fish. The french colonial history means bakeries are fab and pastries are super.

I would recommend the Lonely Planet for reliable tour / day trip operators etc and Trip Advisor for hotel selection, but I'm sure you don't need me to tell you that. We stayed in the Lotte Legend in HCMC for our lux bit and it was fabulous.

I do hope you have a fantastic time. I'm sure you will. I hope this helps.

[pilsbury]

Wow, I just wanted to say that you for the wealth of info you've all shared on here, in particular bonaome, that must have taken you ages to write and I'm so very grateful! All so very very helpful. We've pretty much decided on our itinerary now and starts booking a couple of hotels but I might PM you and oioihanoi if I have any further Specific questions if that's ok? Thanks so v much again xx

Ps - you might be interested to know that I posted the same Q on mumsnet and just got two responses from unhelpful people telling me not to go there with kids (aka I'm a bad mum!).... Love love love EDF!

[bonaome]

Feel free to PM.

[OiOiHanoi]

fine to PM me too!

[telemum]

We've just gone through Vietnam on our one year trip with our girls (little older at 6 and 8) - we loved it. You'll have a blast. . We travelled independently but I took lots of inspiration from the family tour companies mentioned above. This is our blog, which should give you an idea of the itinerary we did

http://www.packingitallin.wordpress.com

Good luck!

Rosie

[pilsbury]

Hello - me again!

Ok so all flights, trains, boats, hotels booked, jabs done and visas being applied for next week. So exciting!

Our itinerary is:

3 days hanoi > 2 days halong bay > 1 day hue > 4 days hoi an > 6 days nha trang (our luxury, relax time bonaome!) > 1 night saigon

And we will be getting the train between each destination.

I am now thinking about packing as we are hoping to squeeze it all into two rucksacks...

a few specific questions - do you think we need mosquito nets? is there any specific strong, but child-friendly, deet you'd recommend? do i need to take a US travel plug as well as a european one? as well as all the obvious stuff is there anything vietnam-specific you'd recommend we'd pack?

thanks!

ps - telemum i am VERY jealous of your trip and have been following it with interest! i also love mexico and will definitely take the kids there one day soon. i haven't been to san christobel but highly recommend oaxaca and san agustinillo if you get the chance!

[Convex]

we find the boots natural repellant for kids - its bright yellow - really good. think its called 'Repel' - note these are NOT clinically proven and don't work for everyone. we found it to be effective though.

also i take citronella body spray from neals yard, never hurts to double up.

obvs do take deet as well, better to have too much than too little. it can sting a little though!

and cover up, i wore jeans most evenings. (can you tell i hate getting bitten.)

2 rucksacks will be ok if you pack carefully, we normally have 2 suitcases plus hand luggage, do you have any stuff sacks? they are very good for reducing space taken up by clothes. i would seriously recommend you consider taking at least 1 pram - we recently travelled without one and it would have been good to have in the evenings.

[pilsbury]

Ok stuff sacks duly noted. Think we will also take sleeping bag Inners as apparently the bedding on the train isn't always clean... Do I need to take some sort of medical emergency kit (eg clean needles etc)?

[pilsbury]

Hello all, well we have been back well over a month now, but I've only just now got around to replying here - sorry! We had an amazing family adventure over in Vietnam, my nearly 5 year old in particular absolutely relished it all, think she has the travelling bug now :) For my nearly 3 year old, some things were a bit of a push (food + lots of walking as we didn't take a pram), but he definitely still loved it, esp the beach time at the end!

Anyway, for those that requested / are visiting Vietnam themselves soon, attached is the itinerary that we followed when in Vietnam, plus have added some extra comments about places we really loved or didn't quite get around to. I'd have no hesitation in recommending all of our hotels, all quite different but all very good.

Vietnam is a fantastic and easy place to travel around the people are so friendly and helpful! If you are going by train, then it is much cheaper to just buy tickets there, but if you'd rather book in advance (which we decided to, mainly cos of the kids), then we used this company for both the train tickets and the halong bay tour - http://www.vietnamimpressive.com/

I would go back in a heartbeat!

Let me know if anyone has any specific Qs

xx

[enjoy]

Thanks for posting that!

Great you all had a great time.

I'll spend some time on google to check out your recommendations

[GreenBee]

My family spent 2 weeks in Vietnam, it was a great trip as the tour was well designed for family, we and our children enjoyed very much, the highlights were cruising Halong Bay, of course, Hoian, beautiful white beach in Nhatragn, and the peaceful countryside in Mekong delta. I really recommend it. Here is the itinerary you can refer:

https://www.bestpricevn.com/Tour_Beach-vacations-in-Vietnam-14-days.html

[mima08]

Hi,love the suggestions here and am hoping for some advice.

We are going to Vietnam with our 6you for 16th days over Christmas and new year. I am looking for recommendations for an itinerary and how much time to spend where.

We are flying in and put of Hanoi and after lots of research, I've managed to tie my self into a knot...We arrive on the 18TH Dec and leave on the 4th Jan. Places we'd like to see are:

- Hanoi

- Halong Bay

- Hue

- Hoi An

- chill at a beach resort for a few days

- HCMC/ Saigon

We would like to take the sleeper trains and avoid flying internally. Our kid is a great traveller and easy to entertain.

What would be a good order to visit these places and where should we spend Christmas and New Year?

Any suggestions are much appreciated!

P.s., I have looked at the itineraries in the previous posts but wonder as the weather is colder, if we should take a slightly different approach. Thanks

[bonaome]

The order you have suggested makes the most sense. You probably only want enough time in Hanoi to get over the jet lag and see the water puppets. 2 nights. You?ll probably find easiest to organise a trip to Halong Bay from and returning to Hanoi - I?d do 2 nights/3 days. So you?ll then have another night in Hanoi and then a day to gather supplies. The reunification express will take you overnight from Hanoi to Hue 1-2 nights Hue. Cycling there is lots of fun. Train or bus from there to Hoi An - 3-4 nights and you could move on to Da Nang for beach. There?s some very nice but not gob-smacking options. Or you could could fly down to Na Trang or to Phu Quoc for some very beautiful beaches - perhaps some of the most beautiful in the world. You could fly from there to HCMC where I think really you?ll only want a couple of days for shopping. And then fly back to Hanoi for your return flights.

I don?t think you?ll be able to get all that in realistically without flying. Vietnam Airlines are excellent, very reliable, great service and they?re safe. The overnight trains are fun, once or twice, but I think most people find sleep elusive - though there?s always a friendly cocky to chat to if you find yourself awake in the wee small hours.

[mima08]

Thanks - we're exploring the options :)

[B&G]

Packing bags for inside your rucksacks are an absolute must! They make everything really compact and save you having to empty everything to get a pair of socks.

[Carbonara]

The Beach coast by Hoi An is lovely, we stayed at the beach and then went into Hoi An in the evening, when the lanterns are lit and the temperature has fallen a little . If you can splash out on your budget, The Hoi An Boutique hotel is lovely, pool, right on the beach, free shuttle bus throughout the day and evening into Hoi An, and fantastic beach cafes 2 minutes from the hotel. There are good day trips from Hoi An: My Son, an eco tour of the rivers, with an opportunity to try the little coracle boats and some fishing etc. The ridiculous Ba Na hill resort with a cable car up the mountain.

Vietnam is a long country. If you travel South by train I would fly back to Hanoi to meet your homeward flight. The internal flights can be very cheap.

One thing: I think it is worth getting a driver to take you from Hue to Hoi An - the train does not go over the Hai Van pass! You can make a day of it - maybe stop at the Hot Springs, or Lang Co beach, or Marble Mountain. And the obligatory stop at the top of the Hai Van pass. You can get a driver from one of the travel agents in Hue, you might not get the best price from your hotel.Getting a driver is a surprisingly cheap option.

[vietzay]

Im living in Japan with my family and a 4 year old baby, and i have just got home from 3 weeks holiday in Vietnam and Cambodia. The country is great, the scenery is lovely and the cultural things you see will amaze you immediately. I liked Danang Beach in the center and Hoi An and Hue is really impressed me.

Halong Bay is just amazing, despite being so touristy but it worth your all minutes in there.

Sapa was awesome as well, the tribal people with lovely colorful outfits and the special rice wine was really a good memory for me, we took a motorbike trip up to the mountains and it was brilliant experience.

Avoid shopping in touristy area since the price is higher and they always ask you to pay more (similar to many places ive been).

The tour operator / agency we contacted was Hamid on http://www.vietnameseprivatetours.com

which id like to recommend his speedy and reliable service.

Cheers