Vietnam and Cambodia with kids?

[wanderlustmom]

This is on our short list and we wanted to wait until the kids were old enough to enjoy and we aren't sure.  Has anyone been that can weigh in?  Our kids will be ten and eight, they have traveled before to Italy, Ecuador, British Columbia and a cruise.  So I bet this will be rougher travel than Ecuador (but not by much) and a longer flight.  They did fine on the long flights so far but their longest is seven hours. In Ecuador, they didn't mind the flight or long bus rides but didn't love the cities as much as the outdoor adventures like hiking and white water rafting.

We would probably pick three destinations in 14-16 days because I don't want to move them around too much.

Our other considerations were Croatia, Hawaii, France (Paris, Chamonix, coast) or the Baltic.

[rupertpenny]

I haven't been either place, but I don't see why not.

I plan to go to both countries sometime in the not so distant future and will probably bring my kid who is significantly younger than yours.

[katfco]

We were there 10 years ago and yes, I think kids that age would be fine. We did Hanoi, flew to HCM and took a bus to Pnom Penh, and then on to Siem Reap. The bus was very uncomfortable, and if anyone suffers from motion sickness, they may have a rough time of it.

It would likely be an eye-opening experience for them, because there were a lot of people, especially at Ankor Wat, who had lost limbs to land mines. They were begging, playing music or selling drawings. You also had to be very careful not to walk off marked paths in some places, because there's still a risk of land mines.

It was a great experience, though.

[frlcb]

We are thinking of bringing our 3 and 6 year old to Vietnam next year, I think it would be fine. We have done Cambodia and I think kids would love it, especially Angkor Wat. It is very, very hot, so just prepare yourself for that.

[Alyssa]

Avoid the spring time when it's super hot and humid in Cambodia.  It is miserably hot.  I recommend checking out Angkor Wat.


I was shocked at how cold Hanoi was in December-January.  We showed up with just sweatshirts that we had bought in Laos.  This was me in Halong Bay borrowing my MIL's windbreaker.  This was New Year's Day '08.



I honestly wasn't a huge fan of Hanoi, it was smoggy and too crazy, I'm not a city person and 5,000,00 scooters all on the road at the same time was too much for me to handle.  Personal preference of course.  If you don't mind the crazy city life, you will love it.

I recommend checking out Laos, it's like a landlocked Thailand but less crowds.

This is what we did.  We took a plane from Siem Reap, Cambodia and then flew into Vientiane.  There wasn't much going on in Vientiane so we hopped on a bus and drove out to Vang Vieng.  Vang Vieng is GORGEOUS.  Lots of chill backpackers, perfect for families.

 



From there we took a mini bus up north to Luang Prabang.  There are some beautiful falls up there.





Total distance from Vientiane and Luang Prabang is 211 miles but it takes awhile because of the twisty-turny mountain roads.

[Cicero]

Both Vietnam and Cambodia would be fine for kids that age. FWIW the last time we were in Vietnam over Christmas the year before last we were the only couple on the hotel's free shuttle from Da Nang to Hoi An that didn't have kids in tow.

frlcb, your kids are fine for Vietnam too

[wanderlustmom]

Thank you ladies. We went to BC Canada this year and loved it but I want to start planning something farther afield. Will definitely keep the weather in mind and read about Laos

[wanderlustfoodie]

The only thing to keep in mind in Cambodia is that many of the temples involve steep climbs over uneven stones with nothing to hold on to for support. We saw more than one elderly person fall and frankly I'm such a klutz I almost fell multiple times, too. On the one hand, sometimes I think kids are better than adults with scaling objects since they have no fear and are lower to the ground. On the other, I can imagine being freaked out if I had a child.

Other than that, I see no reason why kids that age can't go there!