Once a family trip to Vietnam, we wonder how to deal with children? It is complicated or not? But no, it is not as complicated ... Observe fluorescent frogs, salamanders and fish ponds in the markets in Hanoi:
(Phung Hung market in particular). Hanoi has remained a pleasant city where it is good to walk. It may also, with the children:
- Visit the Museum of Ethnology in the park with reconstructions of traditional houses with stairs quirky, fun games and bamboo on which children can test their balance. Nguyen Van Huyen Street, Cau Giay district, west of downtown
- Run, jump and climb in old trees and sculptures of turtles Temple of Literature.
- Watch the puppet show on the water around Lake Hoa Kiem: short skits, told by the musicians. While Vietnamese, but the situations are easy to understand, and it is also an opportunity to listen to traditional music. We can then walk around the lake: wide sidewalks, no bikes, very nice with kids!
- Wander through the "district 36 streets," the former colonial district full of charm, with a little decrepit mansions and gardens of lush bougainvillea
Go kayaking among the rocks of the Halong Bay in a stunning cruise http://www.junkcatba.com/! All hotels offer a classic Tour 2 days / 1 night, a bit long for kids, and really lacks magic: boats discharge their flow of tourists in the same cave and evening, twenty boats moored in the same place. It is advisable to stop on the island of Cat Ba to spend two nights in a wooden bungalow on the beach (on the beach Cat Ba 3). Although the island is a little concrete, it's really nice, especially the restaurant next door is good! The walk in the park in the center of the island is to go to the beautiful view of the bay, if we have the courage to go through! Careful, it's slippery during the rainy season.
Visit the tombs of emperors in Hue, on the river of five fragrances. We rented a boat and boatman, and his wife made to eat. The boat is rather spacious and safe, since partially closed. It's beautiful, but a bit repetitive for children ... you can always take a Frisbee for entertaining! To stretch their legs, Hue is the green city where kids can run around in parks and the citadel without fear of being hit by a motorcycle, or a tour of "cyclo", the traditional bicycle rickshaw without being suffocated by exhaust gas. A walk of half an hour is ideal.
Get up very early to see the floating markets sampan, the traditional boat in the Mekong Delta, Can Tho. The gardeners invited Marius on their boat for tasting fruit: a beautiful memory! For lunch, the Victoria Hotel is lovely: we went there with a special hotel shuttle to take near the port. A luxurious place where the meal is a very good value for money. There is even a children's menu and coloring on the placemat. Provide jerseys to enjoy the swimming pool, pay even if we consume. (Www.victoriahotels-asia.com) From Ho Chi Minh City, there is a speed boat that links to Can Tho 3:30, when it does not fall down - otherwise it is 5am bus.
Bathing in the sea and make slides on the sand dunes at MuiNe: a totally unexpected Saharan landscape in Vietnam! On the beach itself, with nice small, follow the resorts, overlooking the sea, with or without swimming pool in the standard. We just regret not getting up at 4am to visit one of the largest fish markets of Vietnam, Phan Thiet ... The large bay of Mui Ne is located near the city of Phan Thiet, at 4:30 Ho Chi Minh City by bus or train.
Play between the huge golden dragons of Suo Tien amusement park in Ho Chi Minh: A super fun park kitsch, so with giant tusks of elephants at the entrance to feed crocodiles (yes, the real!) and water games. To get there, take the bus costs 50 cents, rather than the taxi costs 15 euros and put that long! (Tan Phu Ward, Dist.9 / suoitien_park Www.vietnamhost.com )
Ho Chi Minh is certainly not our favorite, but if you need to stop over before taking a boat on the Mekong and other excursions, you can spend a very nice afternoon with the kids at Van Tan Park north of the city (get there by taxi). This is a nice big park with a large lake. Plenty to do as a family: Lunch, really well, playing in a playground while parents hang out a little table, swim in the pool, large and clean, rent bikes by the hour ...
If you want to do some shopping for the kids, you'll find it at the market in Saigon (79 square Nam Khi Khoi Nghia): Crocs, Converse, Gap clothing at low prices ...
RECOMMENDED places:
Phu Quoc Island:
The island deserves to stay a few days going from beach to beach, for some still wild, and sometimes we improvise a picnic on the sand with the restaurant on the corner (Bai Sao example). Be sure to go on Ong Lang Beach, for now occupied by two resorts "eco-friendly". Of the Bo Resort is really good restaurant, the beach is beautiful, clean water: really nice to spend the day, even if you do not sleep there.
The bike is the easiest way to discover the island roads are dirt and very little traffic. These are small automatic motorbike, scooter style, really easy to drive. The kids loved: Isolde in the baby carrier with dad, and great with Mom! Most reluctant always find taxis to get around.
We must hurry to discover this unspoilt before the massive construction of marinas, resorts and co ... The island of Phu Quoc Island is a 45-minute flight from Ho Chi Minh.
North of Vietnam:
The road to Cao Bang Ba Be Lake, Cao Bang and watefalls Ban Gioc
Second heart stroke in Vietnam: spectacular scenery sugar loaf and green valleys, and virtually no tourists! A stunning journey 4 / minimum 5 days, during which the kids loved sleeping in living in wooden houses on stilts, feed the farm animals, boating and riding on the mattress in our room .
At the time of rental car in Hanoi, make sure you do not rent the vehicle for a mandatory trip and the driver will be flexible about your wishes trips and visits ... which is not always obvious! For the way forward, it is best to make a triangle Quang Uyen to Ban Gioc, then return by Tra Linh. A 4 × 4 is really recommended.
Good to know!
The Vietnamese love for children is undeniable ... but very demonstrative: they like to pinch the cheeks, abdomen, buttocks, sometimes even Zizette (to see if the boy is one!), Tap the bottom to ward off evil spirits ... it seems that in the long run is painful for children. When we visited the zoo in Ho Chi Minh City, we had the feeling to be a part too, so we took our picture! Markets are nice, but can quickly be hell for the children because of all the hands on their heads (blonde, it's even worse) and cheeks.
If you travel with a baby, you will find everything you need in large cities large selection of baby milk, diapers (attention, local Pampers is less "luxury" that the European Pampers), bottle-type Advent accessories baby fly, Bepanthen, etc..
From the health point of view, besides the universal vaccination, hepatitis A is recommended for hygiene are not always maximized. Do not really eat "on the street" rather small canteens "hard". Side mosquitoes, Vietnam is not a country with a high risk of malaria, however dengue occurs during the rainy season. To have experienced, I can confirm that it is rather unpleasant ... We must therefore protect effectively (see the page on the subject). Finally, it is better to keep away monkeys, rather aggressive, which can bite children.
Bus travel is still very long for children (minimum 6/7h). Prefer to fly, or why not the night train, very comfortable first class.
