The gorgeous rice fields of Sapa in Northern Vietnam in winter time: Beautiful rice terraces in Sapa covered in winter hues.

Vietnam Family Travel Guide

Illustrated itinerary map of Vietnam with hand drawn illustrations

Vietnam with Kids

Explore bustling cities, paradise like islands and delicious street food with your kids. Vietnam is a great country to explore with children.

On this page you’ll find all the info you need to plan your family’s ultimate Vietnam trip.

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Fun Facts About Vietnam

The official name is Socialist Republic of Vietnam
Vietnam is the world’s 2nd largest coffee exporter
Son Doong Cave is the largest cave in the world
Hanoi has been the capital city of this country since 1976
In Vietnam you’ll find one motorbike for every other person
Nearly 40% of the population has the surname Nguyen

A mother and son in a rowing boat with a woman rowing in the front of the boat in the Mekong Delta.

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2 green colored illustrated poster maps of Vietnam. One illustrates that you can customize your poster with your name and the other is the standard poster available as a printable in the Sas Crossing Countries Shop. This picture acts as a button that takes you to the Vietnam poster product

4 week Vietnam Family Travel Itinerary Halong Bay Cruise with Kids Best Things to Do In Hoi An with Kids

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Things to Know About Vietnam

Capital:	Hanoi
Official language:	Vietnamese
Currency:	Vietnamese Dong
Visa requirements:	While citizens of some countries like France, Germany, Norway, Thailand and the UK get 45 days of visa-free entry to Vietnam, most other visitors need to obtain a 90-day visa for their stay. Make sure to check your entry requirements well ahead of time. Apply for a tourist visa online, for instance through iVisa
Timezone:	GMT +7
Power Plug Type:	Mainly type A, C, and F in some places you can also use type B and D
Voltage:	220V supply voltage and 50Hz
Measurement system:	Metric (Celsius / kilometer / kilogram / liter)
CDC and WHO recommended travel vaccines:	Hepatitis A, hepatitis B, typhoid, Japanese encephalitis and rabies. In some regions malaria medicine is also advised. Always call your doctor for pre-travel advice when it comes to vaccinations and medication.
Safety ranking:	Ranked 41 on the Global Peace Index

Why Traveling Through Vietnam with Kids Is a Must

A trip to Vietnam with kids means tasting yummy street food in Hanoi, hiking through rice fields in Sapa, spending a night or two on a Halong Bay Cruise to enjoy beautiful limestone karsts, exploring Huế’s forbidden purple city and making your own paper lantern in Hoi An.

Our family absolutely loves Vietnam! We think it’s one of the most family friendly countries we’ve ever visited. Having visited twice for longer periods of time we know a thing or two about the country. So let us help you plan your Vietnam family trip.

Vietnam is a Safe and Popular Travel Destination

There’s not much standing in the way of your family trip to Vietnam when it comes to safety. Vietnam is safe for families to visit. Vietnamese love kids and truly dote on them. They’re welcomed with a smile everywhere.

There’s really only one thing that you should be mindful of and that’s the extreme traffic. Hold onto your kids on the sidewalk, because if you loose sight of them for just a second they could end up getting badly hurt if they run onto the streets. When you visit Hoi An with kids you don’t have to worry, the city center is car free!

Crossing the street is a true adventure. Our first night in the big city we stood on the sidewalk for 10 minutes in total disbelief of the mayhem before our eyes. Street lights are in function, but nobody pays attention to them. They will stop for you, but don’t run and keep paying attention to your surroundings while crossing, then you will be fine. After a few times, you’ll get used to it. We always held hands with each other though. And with smaller kids it’s best to carry them across.

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Best Age to Visit Vietnam

Vietnam is a very family friendly travel destination in Asia. While lots of families travel to Thailand first, Vietnam is often in the top 3. A family trip to Vietnam is always a succes, because the regions are so different and there’s something for everyone to enjoy no matter where you go. When it comes to the best age to visit Vietnam with kids, every age has its pros and cons.

Vietnam with a Baby or Toddler

Traveling to Vietnam with a baby has its advantages, such as the warm and welcoming nature of the locals who are often eager to help with little ones. Vietnamese are very fond of babies, toddlers, and small children and will therefore receive you with great pleasure. Additionally, the abundance of delicious and healthy food options is great for introducing new flavors to your children’s palate.

On the downside, the hot and humid climate can be challenging and exhausting for both parents, babies and toddlers. And navigating crowded places and intense traffic in cities like Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi can be overwhelming. The cities are not very stroller friendly, so a baby carrier is highly recommended.

Make sure your itinerary is not jam-packed. When visiting a HCMC and Hanoi there are so many things to see and do that it can be tempting to fill up every hour with activities. But the noises and the smells can easily overwhelm both babies and toddlers. After a visit to the Ben Than Market in Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon) spend some quiet time in your accommodation, at the pool or a shady place in a park. And if you’re planning on having street food in Hanoi make sure everyone has had their nap beforehand.

There are lots of fun things to do in Vietnam for young children, like water puppet theatre in Hanoi, getting a tailor made outfit in Hoi An, spending time at the beach in Da Nang or Phu Quoc Island and spotting water buffaloes on a stroll through Sapa’s rice fields. In every city you’ll also find parks with playgrounds so keep an eye out for them while planning your Vietnam family trip.

Don’t worry about running out of paracetamol, sunscreen, powdered milk and diapers, because you can find supermarkets wherever you go.

Pharmacies can also be found in every city and in big cities most of the staff will speak basic English. If they don’t, use the iTranslate app to translate the text on the box if you’re not absolutely sure about what you’re being offered.

Boy eating Vietnamese food on a boat: A young boy enjoying a traditional Vietnamese meal on a boat, with a bowl of noodles, greens, and a can of Coca-Cola on the table.

Kid Friendly Vietnamese Dishes

Food wise Vietnam offers a lot of great dishes that children of all ages will love. Like the noodle soup Pho, filled with veggies, fresh herbs and comes with chicken (Phở Ga) or beef (Phở Bo).

Another kid friendly dish is Bánh Xèo (sizzling cake). Savory rice flour crepes stuffed with beans, fresh herbs and shrimp or pork. If your kid is really picky, don’t worry. Most Vietnamese speak basic to good English and they have no problem leaving some of the filling out.

Lastly, we saw kid favorite La Vache Qui Rit cream cheese everywhere. So if all else fails you can always fill a delicious, freshly baked baguette with that. Baguette? Yes, Vietnam was once a French colony and that is still noticeable in some of the architecture, but also in the kitchen. The famous Banh Mi sandwich is served in a baguette. It’s a much lighter version than the French one and simply divine! I still crave it on a regular basis.

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Vietnam Tours for Families

Most tours to the must-visits are also aimed at children. But, there are a few things you should check when booking a tour. Add an hour or two to every tour timetable you lay eyes on. The Vietnamese are not very punctual.

All the tours we did (booked through different companies) started too late and the short breaks are not so short after all. So, when traveling with kids under 6, make sure you bring enough entertainment for the bus ride and the breaks. They will love the excursions, but we all know how they can get moody on the way to sights or during longer breaks.

There’s one exception when it comes to punctuality: Ha Long Bay cruises (aka Halong Bay). They are usually on schedule. The thing you need to check when booking a cruise is the age limit. Some cruises are more romantic and aimed at newlyweds and kid free couples. Others allow kids of all ages, but don’t offer cribs. Always make sure to bring life/swim vests for all kids under 8. They often don’t have any for kids below 8.

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Top Tours in Vietnam with kids

Best Time to Travel

Because Vietnam is a very long country, the temperatures in the North vary considerably with the South. This makes it a year-round destination.

That said, from March to April the rainfall is low and the temperatures milder and is the best period if you’re traveling through the entire country.

North Vietnam

When only visiting Northern Vietnam with kids, know that overnight temperatures can dip to 4° Celsius.

We were here in December and we enjoyed it, but that’s mainly because we brought our fleeces and warm socks for the time we spend in Sapa. We sometimes had to wear a sweater or a fall coat when visiting Hanoi, but the temperatures there where not as low as they were in Sapa.

From May to August it can get very hot and humid. Spring and Autumn are the best when visiting North Vietnam with kids. Blooming of the rice fields starts in May. If you still want to see the rice fields before they’re harvested, don’t go any later than September.

a graphic of the weather in North Vietnam per month with degrees C and F

South Vietnam

South Vietnam has warm, pleasant temperatures throughout the whole year, making it good for traveling at any time. Flooding may occur from July to October, but is not frequent. The thing you probably will experience is heavy rainfall, but the good news is that it never rains for very long.

From March to May, temperatures are at its peak, regularly hitting 40° Celsius.

a graphic of the weather in South Vietnam per month with degrees C and F

Family Safety in Vietnam

Must have Vietnam emergency numbers for traveling families

While in most countries you can dial one phone number or urgent police, fire and ambulance emergency assistance, that’s not the case in Vietnam. You have to call different numbers. For emergency police assistance you should call +84 113, in case of a fire emergency call +84 114 and for first aid ambulance assistance +84 115.

Some other helpful phone numbers:

Search and Rescue: +84 112
Child protection service: +84 111

Travel First Aid Kit

Having the best first aid kit for travel abroad offers you peace of mind! A good travel first aid kit contains items equipped to deal with cuts, bruises, sprains and breaks. And should also be filled with over the counter medicine for insect bites, fever, pain and nausea.

There are plenty of first aid travel bags on the market that are pre-made. But these won’t contain over the counter medicines so add these items to the kit yourself:

paracetamol for kids and adults
nausea and vomiting medicine
ORS for kids and adults
coughs and colds medicine
allergies tablets (anti-histamine for bites, stings, hay fever and sudden allergic reactions)

Traveling with prescribed medication

When traveling with prescribed medication you should:

Bring your medication passport
Take your pills and medical equipment with you in their original and correctly labelled packages
Carry your medicine in your hand luggage with a copy of your prescription
If you or any of your family members take medication that falls under the Opium Law (aka Opium Act), you should take appropriate action well before embarking on your trip.

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Food and drinks

One of the main reasons to travel is to eat local food. The Vietnamese kitchen is one of the most delicious so of course you want to enjoy all that is on offer to you. But how can you avoid getting sick after a meal in Vietnam? Here are some tips:

Bring napkins to clean cutlery or bring your own cutlery. Especially when eating from street food stalls. We try to avoid single use napkins or plastics so each family member has their own set of bamboo cutlery (knife, spoon, fork and straw) that we clean as soon as we get back to our apartment.
Only eat at busy restaurants and street food vendors. If the lines are long and the tables full you know the food will be fresh. And you can also be certain that the food will be good. It’s a win-win situation
Be cautious of fruit. Buy fruits you have to peel like bananas, pineapple, oranges and mango
Don’t drink the tap water in Vietnam. Always drink bottled or filtered water. As a traveler you can avoid buying plastic water bottles if you get a LARQ bottle. UV-light cleans the water in the bottle and also cleans the bottle itself after you’ve used it. Get your own LARQ bottle and always feel safe drinking water from taps all over the world. We highly recommend Larq bottles and never travel without a bottle that purifies water and another that filters it.

Vaccinations

Hepatitis A, hepatitis B, typhoid, Japanese encephalitis and rabies vaccinations are advised for everyone traveling to Vietnam. In some regions malaria medicine is also advised. This is in addition to the childhood vaccinations that are part of your countries vaccination program.

Always call your doctor as soon as you know where you’re traveling to, because some vaccines need to be repeated once or even twice before your departure. You should only take pre-travel advice about vaccinations from your doctor.

Travel Insurance

Don’t forget a travel insurance for your trip! Heymondo covers medical emergencies, theft, delays, cancellations, lost luggage, and more, with 24/7 worldwide assistance and medical chat. All Sas Crossing Countries readers, get 5% off Heymondo travel insurance! Other travel insurance companies worth checking out are World Nomads, and Safety Wing.

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Background Info About Vietnam

Vietnam is a country in Asia. With its bustling cities, stunning landscapes and mouthwatering streetfood, Vietnam is like no other country in the world. It has so much on offer for the whole family that it will leave you wanting more.

After being divided into North and South for about 30 years, Vietnam unified in 1976 and is officially known as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. With Hanoi as its capital city.

About 102 million people live in Vietnam, the language is Vietnamese with English and French being the most common second languages. Neighboring countries are Cambodia, Laos and China.

You pay in Vietnamese Dong, but you’ll discover that lots of places also except US Dollars.

A family road trip through this fascinating country is an experience you’ll never forget. Vietnam is extremely diverse. Places like the Mekong Delta, Sapa, Halong Bay and Ninh Binh all offer different landscapes and each is more beautiful than the next. Add a city fix in major cities like Hanoi, Da Nang, Hue and Ho Chi Minh City and finish with a beach vacay at islands like Phu Quoc. Your family road trip can’t get more diverse than this!