Family Travel in Vietnam
Family traveling has always brought great joy but has never been an easy task, especially for those families having small children. Careful preparation, therefore, is indeed essential to gain a fulfilling experience with your children. Here are our Vietnam travel tips to have better preparation for your family trips.
Family-friendly Accommodation in Vietnam
Accommodation is always the top priority to be considered on any trip. For families having small children, it is advisable to opt for one or two-bedroom sites rather than a hotel room with two beds. This may cost you a bit more for such convenience. However, it is worth considering since a good night’s sleep is always the key to a worthwhile family trip.
Also, apartment or serviced apartment rental seems to be the best option for your family travel due to its reasonable price and home comfort. Spend time looking for centrally located apartments that could provide your family with full kitchen and laundry services to reduce unnecessary expenses.
Travel Insurance
Many people often underestimate the protection of getting travel insurance as an unnecessary expense. However, your family’s, especially your children’s, safety should always be given priority during the trip. Traveling to a different place, your infants can easily catch the flu or even have a food allergy; travel insurance can provide you with medical coverage in such situations.
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A Checklist of Necessary Items
Before going on your family trip to Vietnam, you should have a checklist of items needed to bring along. Have a look at our suggestions.
Clothes
There is no restriction on the dress code, except for when visiting temples that you should follow to fit into the norm of Vietnam and dress modestly. Besides, the kinds of clothing you should bring along will probably depend on what time of the year and what parts of Vietnam you are going to. There are four distinct seasons in Northern Vietnam, where the weather is extremely hot in the summer and nearly freezing in winter and spring, whereas Southern regions only have a dry and rainy season with a hot and humid atmosphere throughout the year. You can easily find all kinds of clothing ranging from kid’s clothing to adult’s wear in any Vietnamese local market and shopping centers.
Read more on When to Visit Vietnam
Medicine
There is no need to bring lots of medicines along, except your specific medication when traveling to Vietnam since there are several pharmacies in the cities. However, make sure to check for the expiration date of any medicines and prepare sufficient insect repellent and allergy medication for your children during the trip in Vietnam.
Electronic accessories
Since there are differences in the power supply and electrical safety standards among countries, you should prepare electronic accessories, especially travel adaptors, to use your electrical devices in Vietnam. This is even more essential for those traveling with their family since you may need to bring your tablets along as a form of entertainment for your children during long flights and in the evening when you need some private time.
Check out Vietnam Travel Adaptors for Your Electrical Devices Abroad for further information.
Destinations
Choosing a travel destination is important for a successful family trip. You are expected to look for a place which could meet not only your children’s requirements but also your interest. There are a variety of worth-traveling destinations in Vietnam that are much preferable to family trips.
Ha Long Bay
Being a UNESCO-recognized World Heritage Site, Halong Bay is one of the most attractive destinations in Vietnam as a family holiday destination with numerous outstanding limestone islands. Various activities are ranging from cruising, sightseeing, hiking, and exploring mysterious caves, which are suitable for every family’s members.
Check out our Comprehensive Halong Bay Vietnam Travel Guide for more travel information.
Hoi An
Hoi An is famous for its ancient town, unspoiled beaches, and food heaven. Your family will find great relaxation in Hoi An since there is a wide range of activities for family members to engage in together including biking, shopping, and relaxing on the beach. Besides, it would be incomplete not to explore the food diversity there with many local superb specialties such as Cao Lau, Mi Quang, Com Ga, and Spring Rolls. Like other Vietnamese food, the food in Hoi An is not spicy nor does it contain much chili, and this is probably suitable for your children to enjoy.
Read more on What to do in Hoi An.
Nha Trang
Nha Trang is one of the most well-known and touristy cities in Vietnam which is considered a version of Hawaii for its magnificent beaches and breathtaking scenery. Coming to Nha Trang, your family would fall in love with many sun-drenched and white sand beaches. What can also particularly attract your children when setting foot in here is the VinPearl Land with various forms of entertainment such as Water Park and 4-D cinemas the park has to offer.
Check out our blog on what to do in Nha Trang.
Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City is the center of commerce and also the biggest city in Vietnam with various entertainment centers, excellent restaurants, shopping malls, and glitzy clubs. The temperature in Ho Chi Minh City often remains constant all year round with the average temperature ranging between 25 and 35 degree Celsius. However, the best time for you and your family to visit this thriving metropolis city is during the dry season which starts in November and ends in April or early May.
| To have fun trips in Ho Chi Minh City, check out our authentic motorbike tours with professional local guides! |
Mekong Delta
Only a three to four-hour drive from Ho Chi Minh City, the Mekong Delta is a highly recommended destination in Vietnam for every family travel because of its unique local culture with many floating markets and unique cuisine that cannot be found in any other parts of the country.
Read more on the Mekong Delta Tours.
Elderly Travel in Vietnam
It is case that there is an increasing number of elders opting for traveling to Asian countries such as Vietnam in recent years, and this group of travelers should always be provided with proper care and certain services. No matter whether you would accompany your parents or they may maintain independence during the trip, have a look at our Vietnam travel guide for elderly travel to have a safe and memorable journey.
Elderly-friendly Accommodation in Vietnam
If your parents may encounter difficulty in climbing the stairs, it is highly advisable to pick hotels having an elevator. You can request rooms close to the elevator so that your parents can avoid walking a long distance and easily find their rooms. In case the lift is out of order, you could also request the hotel to have rooms on 1 – 2 floors above the lobby level.
Flight
For air transportation, you should seek the most direct flights with short time traveling. If you and your parents have to take transfer flights, you could avoid booking those flights which are close together in case of rushing to catch the next flight. Also, since being rushed may cause elders unnecessary anxiety, you should plan to arrive at the airport at least one hour and a half to two hours earlier before the flight leaves.
Walking around Vietnam
During your trip with elders, you should be careful of sidewalks and look for destinations with easy walkability, especially for those senior tourists being in a wheelchair. Always make sure to tag along with your parents to help stabilize their arms as needed.
Consider Tours
Going on a tour is likely to minimize the chances of running into trouble with transportation during the journey and is easy to book since there are plenty of travel agencies offering you services operated especially for senior tourists.
Check out our highly-rated Private Tours.
A Checklist of Necessary Items
Clothes
The weather in Vietnam is hot all year round, except for the North of Vietnam which can be reasonably cold from October to January. If your parents are planning to visit Northern Vietnam during this period, packing a coat and sweater is advisable. By contrast, in Southern Vietnam, you should prepare light cotton clothes, especially in the summer.
One tip elder tourists should take notice of is to wear loose and comfortable clothing to lower the risk of heat stroke or high blood pressure when sitting or standing for a long time. Loose stockings can considerably aid in stimulating circulation in seniors’ lower legs during a long flight.
Medicine
Senior travelers are often advised to pack their medical supplies as well as a copy of medical records, since they may encounter health problems due to unfamiliar weather during their stay in a different environment. You can email yourself a copy of these files. To prepare for such emergency situations, you should take note of the information of local hospitals nearby as a precaution.
Travel Insurance
One of the essential things elder travelers need to consider before going on a trip, especially overseas travel, is whether their existing coverage would cover healthcare expenses arising outside their country. If not, you are expected to buy medical tourism insurance before coming to Vietnam. This is the most useful and affordable way to ensure your benefits are protected, in case of an encounter with any health problems.
Other tips for safety and health protection
Drink lots of water
Traveling to an Asian country that is located in a tropical area like Vietnam, senior travelers may experience a feeling of fatigue and interference. Thus, make sure your parents are well-hydrated throughout the trip and remain in the best health condition.
Check out our blog on Tap Water Safety in Vietnam to get to know more about Vietnam’s water supply.
Beware of robbery
In some popular tourist attractions, theft is considered to be an acute matter. You should be highly beware of your family’s belongings and not give those thieves any opportunity to snack on a thing and put your personal safety at risk.
Destinations
Take into consideration some destinations with a favorable climate to have a fulfilling experience throughout your trip. There are many attractions in Vietnam that are suitable for elderly travel. Have a look at our suggestions.
Hanoi
Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, is famous for its centuries-old architecture with several grand old boulevards and ancient Buddhist temples. Traveling to Hanoi, you will have a chance to experience Vietnamese tradition combined gently with French influence to produce a graceful and exotic capital city.
Hue
Being the former royal capital of Vietnam, this imperial city will give you a demonstration of the vanished Vietnamese feudal empire of the Nguyen Dynasty with various historical monuments and ancient pagodas. Located in the center of Vietnam, Hue has hot and dry weather from January to August and rainfalls in October and November. The best time to visit Hue would be during the dry season.
Ho Chi Minh City
Vietnam’s largest city is always one of the top worth visiting cities as a mixture of modern and ancient cultures. Despite being a thriving metropolis city, Ho Chi Minh is also famous for its French colonial sceneries including Notre-Dame Cathedral, Central Post Office, Reunification Palace, and War Remnants Museum.
Summary of Family and Elderly travel in Vietnam
Traveling with your children, parents, or both (!), is always the best lifetime experience. And proper preparation seems to be the key ingredient to any successful journey. i Tour Vietnam offers you many types of private tours which are probably appropriate for any members of your family. For further questions about special cases of travel, feel free to reach us through our Contact page.