5 Reasons to visit Vietnam with kids

Vietnam remains my favourite country that I have visited so far.  It has stunning white sand beaches, incredible cuisine, delicious coffee, friendly people and so much culture to explore.  Thailand is the more popular spot for families visiting South East Asia, but Vietnam is an absolute gem and a great family holiday destination.  Here are five reasons you should bump it up you family travel bucket list.

1. Vietnam is so child friendly.  As with most Asian countries, children are celebrated and always welcome.  When we went out to eat there was always someone asking if they could help hold the baby so we could enjoy our meal (high chairs are less easy to come by).  The children’s requests were always accommodated and no matter what time we found ourselves out (we never really adjusted to the time difference so we were up late in the mornings and up late in the evenings), the children were welcome and expected.

2. We spent a few days at An Bang beach and Da Nang which are both along the coast.  The water was warm, crystal clear and amazing to swim in.  We saw little fishes swimming around without needing to go further than the kids could stand so it is great for small snorkelers. The water felt like being in a mild bath it was so warm so ideal for the tiniest adventurers. Our trip was over the UK summer and the beaches were so quiet that we often had the place to ourselves.

3. Vietnam is culturally rich.  There is so much to learn in Vietnam and it isn’t just temples.  Hoi An is a world heritage site famous for its colourful lanterns and if I could move anywhere in the world it would be here.  I feel like my children really got to experience so muchfrom travelling around Vietnam.  There is something special about giving them an insight into a culture so different to what they know and Vietnam has many child friendly ways to submerge them in it.  The lantern boats are something not to miss and we send out wishes on the river too.

4. My children loved the unfamiliar but they also loved going to things like water parks and theme parks and Vietnam has a brilliant one in Da Nang.  Sun world had something for everyone with big rollercoasters, chilled carousels and everything in between.  It also had a huge Ferris wheel (it is 20 metres shorter than the London Eye) included in the price of a ticket – which was £8 for adults and £4 for children! The park has different areas themed around other Asian countries and opened conversations with the children about Angkor Wat which was replicated in mini in the Cambodia area.  The flying Ninja ride in the Japan region was a favourite with my gang but they loved the whole park.

5. Vietnam has incredible food.  The most traditional dish being Pho, there is so much more to taste though and we loved eating out and trying different foods.  In Hoi An we did a cooking class (I have linked the one we did) as a family which was a highlight of our whole trip.  We toured a local market to see where the Vietnamese buy their food, went on  traditional basket boats to learn about fishing, did some shore crabbing and then learnt to cook different meals.  As we had booked the class for children, they had extra adults around so each child had a helper and Ed and I could get properly involved too.  Getting involved in the preparation and cooking meant the children tried all sorts of new things.  If you have less adventurous children (which most of mine are), we found pretty much everywhere sold pizza or burger and chips as well as plain rice and noodles so we could encourage them to expand their palate without any pressure. 

I hope this has made you consider Vietnam as a family friendly destination.  It has definitely made me want to book a return trip to see more of the north of the country, as each area is so unique.