First time family travelers to Vietnam

Overview

First and foremost, check to see if you require a visa to come to Vietnam and that your passport is in date and has enough pages left in it. And you can buy a cheap Vietnam airfare to save money for you trip

While various companies, hotel etc do quote in US Dollar, the official currency is the Dong. Use it whenever possible.

What part of Vietnam you are going to and the time of year will determine what clothing to bring. The Northern part of Vietnam has 4 seasons, whereas the South is either in the dry or rainy season. Temperatures in the North can get close to freezing in winter. The South is always warm / hot and humid.
Although you can buy clothing in Vietnam, if you are over 5 feet 9 in (1.75) you might well have problems getting clothes to fit without going to upmarket stores (with prices to match). There is no dress code except when going to temples etc. It will usually be very hot and humid further south, so hats and lots of water are the order of the day.

There really is no need to pack lots of medicines. Pharmacies are everywhere and certainly in the cities any normal medicines for stomach upsets etc can be bought. If you need prescribed medicine it would be a good idea to either bring it with you or at least have the generic name for it written down. Any medicines obtained should be checked for expiry date etc. Make sure you have travel insurance. Nappies, baby food etc can be found fairly easily in the supermarkets, even at Vietnamese markets. Sunscreen and bug spray can also be found in the supermarkets, pharmacies.

The Vietnamese love westerners, be prepared for lots of questions. Children will be adored, especially if of fair complexion as it is so different. The roads are chaos: countless thousands of motorbikes carrying families, fridges, pigs- its madness. Also, crossing the road takes extra care as bikes do not stop; they go around you. Not for the faint-hearted. Always look both ways when crossing as motorbikes will quite frequently run along the roads the wrong way. They are also driven and parked on the pavements. While the pavements are fine in some places, in a lot of others you will end up walking in the road. This is normal.

Haggling can be good fun but always approach it with a smile. If the price seems too high, walk away. If there is still mileage to be made, quite often the vendor will continue to haggle as you walk away. Washing your hands before meals is always recommended and take a toilet paper roll for when you are out and about. Wipes and tissues are generally available everywhere, indeed when you sit down for a meal, wet wipes are generally provided (at a cost)..

Places to visit

On road trips, e.g. from Dalat to HCMC or Nha Trang to Dalat, buses will quite frequently stop as you move along the main highway. The markets range from Tea/Coffee, Pottery, Fruit and even hand weaved bags. Make sure you have your camera handy for there will be sights that will amaze you; e.g. a family of 5 riding on a motorcycle.

Hoi An is very safe. If you love shopping then this is heaven. You can have shoes made, or suits and summer dresses made. All are very good quality and inexpensive. Go for a deal where you ‘don’t pay until happy’ (or only pay small deposit) Yaly is excellent for clothes, although they are more expensive and it is more fixed pricing ($25 dress, $120 top quality beautiful suit). There is a lovely French coffee shop by the river and the older Vietnamese here do speak French. There are also beaches nearby.

Ha Long Bay is a few hours out from Hanoi. However, a boat trip out from Ha Long Bay is a great thing to do and the cave exploration will thrill the kids. There are many companies that hire junks for the day or even overnight. Kids who enjoy nature will love the view and appreciate its beauty. Kids who enjoy being on boats will just love the experience. Make sure they have life vests to wear while on deck. There were more hotels developed and lots of tourists enjoying the amenities and beauty of Ha Long bay. Rent out a junk to stay overnight for it is an experience to just enjoy the quietness and beauty of Ha Long Bay. A must visit if you have a few days in the north. On Ha Long Bay usually the experience matches what you pay.

Hanoi is a great, reasonably safe city. Be prepared with water bottles in the summer. :)

Hue is beautiful and you can hire bikes/motorbike rides out to surrounding scenery. Hue may not be as fun for young kids because it is mostly cultural and historic.

The overnight train to Hue from Hanoi is very cheap and has cabins of 4 drop down beds. Cyclos might well be nice to ride in but make sure you know the price that you are expected to pay at the end.

Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon) is another reasonably safe city. For cheap hotels, the backpackers area of District 1 (Pham Ngu Lao/ Bui Vien area) is the place to head. Tours are easily booked here, except maybe over Tet (Vietnamese New year). Places to visit include Cu Chi tunnels (60km) Cao Dai temple. The city and historical tour is well worth going on and will fire the kid’s imagination. The war museum in HCMC is not recommended for children since its photography is explicit and it is unblinking in its coverage of the Vietnam War.

The main theme parks include Dam Sen Water Park, Suoi Tien and Lac Canh Dai Nam.

Hotels have improved much of late in HCMC. Downtown has many 4 or 5 star hotels. Hotels need not cost much either with rooms in the backpackers area costing around $20 USD for a room with air conditioner, fan, hot water and double bed. An additional bed can usually be included but at extra cost.

Mui Ne is the most famous beach. Great place for Kite surfing, due to the ever present afternoon wind. It has a nice long stretch of beach lined with a variety of boutique hotels, but for the most part the beach is just a concrete staircase, no sands, so check before booking. A road runs parallel to the beach with plenty of restaurants and a few shops. It’s a fairly low key resort, but absolutely lovely. There are some spectacular bright red sand dunes there then you can sled down on bits of cardboard, great fun! The wind can pick up on the beach in the afternoon, the breeze is great but you can end getting sand blasted so it’s probably be best for the kids to be on the beach on a morning.

Nha Trang has made great strides lately and also has a nice beach. For kids, the main attraction would probably beVINPEARL island theme park, reached either by boat or cable car. There is also plenty to do around and about.

There are companies that run specialist family adventure tours as well as tailor made holidays in Vietnam (and elsewhere in Asia). This kind of holiday is intended to take all the hassle out of travelling in a new destination and ensure that the itinerary that you take on is suitable for every member of your family. You have the assistance of a guide when you need one and the convenience of hotels (family friendly) booked, air conditioned transportation, fun meals for the kids to enjoy and activities that are ideal for the necessary age group – these could include kayaking in Ha long Bay, trekking in the central highlands, mountain biking and visits to the cu chi tunnels.

Vietnam also lends itself very easily if you like to arrange holidays yourself. Plenty of helpful tips can be found using the search facility.

Booking cheap Vietnam airfare!

The main airport in Vietnam: Noi Bai airport, Tan San Nhat Airport, Da Nang airport. You can choose the airport depend on you destination place. More, you should book a cheap Vietnam airfare to save your money. It's out of fastly because it limited, so you have to watch for frequently
Have you a pleasant trip!