Essential Travel Guides for Family Trips with Kids to Vietnam

Children are energetic and playful, thus, they will be delightful when they have a chance to discover a new country. Spending a family holiday in Vietnam will be an unforgettable memory for your children since there are a lot of amazing activities to enjoy in our country. However, preparation process can be stressful and time-consuming when it comes to traveling with kids. We suggest some important Vietnam travel guides for your family vacation with kids to our country.

More important Vietnam travel tips:

• Essential Travel Guides for First-time Travelers to Vietnam
• 8 Tips to Travel to Vietnam with Your Babies and Toddlers
• Elderly, retired people travel to Vietnam

Is Vietnam good for a family holiday?

Definitely yes, our country has many advantages to be one of the top family destinations in Southeast Asia:

• Vietnam is relatively safe for traveling.
• There are a lot of attractions in Vietnam: magnificent mountains, unique rice terraces, romantic beaches and well-preserved natural parks.
• With 4000 years of history, the culture and customs in Vietnam are fascinating with many historic sites, intriguing folklore and amazing cuisines.
• You can enjoy many family-friendly activities in Vietnam such as cooking classes, craft-making classes, sightseeing, shopping, biking, trekking, hiking, kayaking, etc.
• Vietnam is suitable for budget traveling since food and accommodation here are affordable.

When to travel to Vietnam with kids

The Central and the South are warm around the year. Central Vietnam is affected by storms between September and November, so make sure you plan your family trip to this region during the period between January and August.

The South experiences hot weather throughout the year and high rainfall from May to August. You can visit Southern Vietnam any time a year, but remember to contact our travel consultants if your travel date to the Southern coast falls into rainy seasons.

Read more:

• Best Time to Visit the North of Vietnam
• Best Time to Visit Central Vietnam
• Best Time to Visit the South of Vietnam

10 tips to make the most of your family vacation to Vietnam

1. Check your family members’ health conditions before the trip

Your kids must be in a good health condition in order to fully enjoy your Vietnam tour. Make sure that your family arranges an appointment with a doctor two months prior to your trip to Vietnam. Your kids need to be inoculated against at least those diseases: Typhoid, Tetanus, Polio and Hepatitis before your family holiday to Vietnam.

2. Lightweight clothes are needed

Summers in Vietnam are really sultry and humid. Bring cotton T-shirts and pants and avoid thick fabrics. Also, pack some long sleeve shirts to protect your children from the sun if your families spend a lot of time participating in outdoor activities. If you travel to Northern Vietnam during winter, warm clothes are recommended: sweaters, coats, hoodies and other accessories such as scarves and gloves.

Watch this video for packing list to Vietnam:

3. Pack wisely – There are many convenient stores around our cities!

Don’t bring everything to Vietnam; we have a lot of convenient stores here: Circle K, Shop & Go, Family Mart, etc. Towels, shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel will take up a lot of space in your luggage, and you can easily find them in travel-size in Vietnam. Children usually get hungry after long hours of sightseeing, but you don’t have to pack a lot of snacks and bottled water for them. Buy toilet paper as well, believe me, you will need it!

The only things you need to prepare are clothes, basic medicines, bug sprays and sun-protection items. If you travel to Vietnam with babies and toddlers, remember to bring all necessities and baby food.

4. Introduce your kids about Vietnam culture and destinations

There is no point in traveling to a new country without any knowledge of its culture. You can introduce a bit about Vietnam to your kids, our nature, attractions and local people. Let your kids see some photos and videos of Vietnam.

5. Prepare for jet-lag and time zone differences

The timezone in Vietnam is GMT +7, which is 11 hours ahead to New York, 6 hours behind London and 3 hours behind Sydney. To make the time zone transition easier for your kids, we advise that you should plan carefully your flight schedule. 4-7 days before your departure, shift bedtime, mealtime and nap gradually, about 10 or 20 minutes per day. When arriving in Vietnam, be sure that your children participate in outdoor activities during daytime and their rooms should be as dark as possible during night time.

6. Crossing the road is challenging yet fun

The best way to discover Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City is walking along our streets. However, you will get panic when crossing our chaotic and never-stop-moving streets. We recommend four things to remember when walking across our busy roads:

• Survey the streets and follow the lighting system. You may wait for a traffic gap to walk cross, but it never comes!
• Protect your belongings; put your phone and money on your bag.
• Just take a deep breath before crossing, and remember three DON’Ts: don’t stop, don’t rush, and don’t step backward.
• You can ask the locals for help. Vietnamese people are friendly and willing to help you.

7. Keep an eye on your kids all the time

Losing your kids is the worst nightmare in your trip. Teach your kids to remember their parents’ real name (Yes, real name! Not mommy and daddy). Tell your kids to seek for lifeguards, security guards and polices in tourist destinations when they get lost. Dress them in bright colors. Put necessary information (your kids’ name, your phone number and hotel address) in Vietnamese in your children’s pocket.

8. Organize family-friendly activities for your children

Your family trip to Vietnam is not only a relaxing time but also a great learning opportunity for your kids. Your kids can learn about history and culture of a different country, interact with local people, sample traditional cuisines and learn important soft skills. Don’t forget to combine nature exploration with cultural discovery and local interaction in your list of things to do in Vietnam with your family.

Read more:

• 10 Activities to Enjoy with Your Kids in Vietnam
• 10 Activities to Enjoy with your Teenagers in Vietnam

9. Food hygiene and allergy

Vietnamese traditional foods are healthy since they contain a sufficient amount of fiber, carbohydrate and protein. Compared to Thailand and Cambodia, the foods are less spicy and tenderer. Pho, banh mi (Vietnamese sandwich) and bun cha are the most preferred cuisines by international tourists. It is easy to find local restaurants in tourist destinations, however, if you wish to try some street vendors, be careful! Some street vendors are shockingly simple with only two baskets on their shoulders. We advise you stay away from that kind of vendors and seek food stalls or food courts which are crowded with customers. Survey the ingredients and the stall to see if they are clean or not. Check if the food sellers wear gloves.

Always drink bottled water since tap water is not safe here. And yes, always use hand sanitizer before and after eating.

Vietnamese waiters and waitresses are not often aware of customers’ food allergy, so be extra-careful if your kids react negatively to a certain food. Have some medicines in hand and be aware of the ingredients before ordering any food.

10. Prepare your trip with a local tour operator

Preparing your trip with kids is tiring and time-consuming. It is recommended that you contact a local travel operator to minimize the probability of unexpected issues in your family vacations. If you travel with your babies, we can arrange a quiet room which is away from the pool, restaurants and elevator and arrange an infant bed.

Tell us all your health issues and we can customize a Vietnam tour with appropriate itineraries and activities for your kids. We can contact the restaurant if any of your family members have dietary restrictions or food allergy. We have a list of local hospitals and clinics in hand and we can contact them immediately when you request.

Vietnam itineraries for families

Vietnam is divided into three regions: North, Central, and South. To explore all those three, you will need at least 8 days for your trip. If you are lack of time, we recommend that you travel to one or two regions so that you can fully discover each area’s beauty. 4 or 5 days are sufficient to visit one region.

Read some of our recommended Vietnam Itinerary Ideas to make an unforgettable holiday to Vietnam.

With many beautiful landscapes, it is hard to pick up some destinations for your family trip. Paradise Travel has synthesized some family-friendly places to travel with your children:

• Hanoi: Our capital city is famous for rustic Old Quarter, delicious street foods and numerous historic sites and museums when your kids can learn a lot about our glorious past and national pride. If your family wants more authentic experiences, there are many craft villages around Hanoi’s rural areas such as Bat Trang Pottery Village and Van Phuc Silk Village where your kids can attend some creative craft-making workshops.
• Ha Long Bay: Ha Long Bay is the most sought-after tourist destination in Vietnam due to its spectacular beauty. A two or three-day Ha Long Bay cruise is a must-do activity for your tour in Vietnam. Bhaya, Pelican, Au Co and Indochina Sails are some popular cruise lines with high-quality amenities and exhilarating activities.
• Ninh Binh: Together with Ha Long Bay, Ninh Binh is another filming location of Kong: Skull Island movie. Some popular attractions in Ninh Binh are Bai Dinh Pagoda, Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex, Tam Coc – Bich Dong and Hoa Lu Ancient Capital.

• Sa Pa: On a daily tour to Sapa, you not only have a chance to breathe the fresh air of a northwestern mountainous region, but also visit emerald terraced rice fields, spectacular waterfalls, conquer to Fansipan Mountain and trek to some ethnic villages such as Cat Cat, Ta Van and Ta Phin Villages. Don’t forget to visit Bac Ha ethnic market as well and interact with local traders.
• Da Nang and Hoi An: Da Nang is the most sought-after place when it comes to beach vacations in Vietnam. 30 kilometers from Da Nang, Hoi An is the most romantic old town in Vietnam. On a city tour around Hoi An, your family can discover traditional Vietnamese architecture which was influenced by the French, Japanese and Chinese style and sample mouth-watering cao lau.
• Nha Trang: If your family is looking for a place with white sandy beaches, fresh seafood and amazing water sports, Nha Trang must be on your list! Your kids can enjoy snorkeling, swimming and fishing here.

• Mui Ne: 22 kilometers from Phan Thiet City, Mui Ne has become an attractive tourist destination with wide immense white sand dunes and towering coconut trees bending around the coast. You can sit under the cool green coconut to enjoy refreshing sea breezes.
• Ho Chi Minh City: Ho Chi Minh City has a special vibe that is so hard to resist. No visit to Vietnam is really complete without a visit to Ho Chi Minh City, the energetic and crazy commercial hub of the country. It is also a city of contrasts: the old and the new, the modern and the traditional. However, compared to the one-thousand-year-old Hanoi, this three-hundred-year-old city is more towards the new and the modern
• Mekong Delta: Consisting of 13 provinces, Mekong Delta is frequently visited by domestic and international travelers thanks to its unique cultural aspects and unspoiled natural landscapes. The best way to relish the beauty of this region is taking a two or three-day Mekong Delta trip to visit our floating markets and understand the locals’ daily life.

Read more: Best travel destinations for a family holiday in Vietnam